The groom’s cake has become all the rage. Here are some of our local favorites
Everyone knows that the centerpiece of a wedding, other than the actual ceremony, is the wedding cake. Whether it has flowers or fondant, the wedding cake can be extravagant or simple depending on the couple’s style and preference. While the wedding cake may be the standout of the ceremony, there is a Southern staple that is having a resurgence. The infamous groom’s cake is making a comeback in a big way in Charlotte.
If you grew up in the South, or if you love ’80s movies, chances are you’ve seen Steel Magnolias with Julia Roberts. There is a pivotal scene where the groom’s aunt makes him a red velvet cake shaped like an armadillo, which they affectionately referred to as the “bleeding armadillo groom’s cake” for the reception.
Times may have changed, but groom’s cakes are on trend and the designs are getting more intricate and elaborate. We reached out to local bakers regarding this trend. Here are three of our favorite groom’s cakes designed in Charlotte.
Gone fishing
Designed by Jossie Lukacik, pastry chef and owner of Sweet Affairs Charlotte, this cake was created for a groom who loves to fish. Complete with a Yeti cooler, this cake took Lukacik 14 hours to make due to the fact she lost power while in the middle of creating the cake. The cake, which was 100% edible, was red velvet with milk chocolate ganache filling and salted caramel buttercream. The fish, hand painted by Lukacik, is essentially a giant cake pop covered in fondant.
Team Pride
For this cake, Brandy Stimac, owner of The Icing & the Cake, spent 15 hours creating this tailgate cake for a huge Clemson University fan. Special-ordered for the groom by his sister, the cake had two things he loved: Clemson Tigers and Coronas with lime wedges.
“I have noticed a bit more interest in groom’s cakes lately,” Stimac says. “It seems a lot of the millennials want to bring that tradition back and do something special for the groom.”
The cake is vanilla with an Oreo buttercream filing and the icing is vanilla buttercream and fondant. The Corona bottles were made out of sugar, the tigers were made out of fondant and the ice in the cooler was made out of Isomalt. Everything was edible.
The art of it all
When Ella Stone of Celestial Cakery was contacted to do the wedding cake for local muralist and artist Matt Moore, aka “Puck McGruff,” she decided to surprise the groom with a unique cake that would be special to him.
“Since Matt uses spray paint as his medium for creating beautiful art throughout CLT, we decided to make a spray can groom’s cake with a caricature twist,” Stone says.
Stone worked on the cake for over 40 hours over the course of two weeks. The cake is salted caramel with a chocolate ganache and buttercream filling surrounded by modeling chocolate, which gives the cake structure.
“Groom’s cakes are definitely becoming more popular,” Stone says. “I think as more grooms become interested in the wedding planning process and end some stereotypes along the way, we will see more changes to wedding traditions similar to the popularity of the groom’s cake.”
If you’re thinking of having a groom’s cake at your rehearsal dinner or reception, Stone says that couples should be aware that the pricing of a groom’s cake is much more complicated than a wedding cake.
“Wedding cakes are easy to price,” Stone says. “For a wedding cake, it’s three steps: servings, design, delivery, and then you’re done. Pricing a groom’s cake is much more complicated because the hours involved in designing a unique groom’s cake often outweigh the wedding cake itself.
Although they can be fun and amazing in photos, make sure to be up front about your budget and design expectations when consulting with a cake designer.
This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 1:00 AM with the headline "The groom’s cake has become all the rage. Here are some of our local favorites."