It’s the morning, and I’m sitting in my Pewaukee, Wisconsin, hotel room, still aglow from last night’s magical wedding of my grandson Jason and his ebullient bride, Kayley.
Read more Disneyland’s $59 evening tickets cost 5% to 120% more than daily tickets
He got hitched without a hitch, as they say, and the setting, loving crowd and attention to detail could not be topped. The evening ended on a sweet note — but when it came time for dessert, where was the towering wedding cake??
Instead, guests gathered around a spectacular tower of cupcakes, part of a growing trend that’s replacing the traditional multi-tiered wedding cake.
Cupcakes come in a wide variety of customized colors and flavors, are easier for guests to serve themselves and are perfect for outdoor weddings and receptions. An added bonus is the cost.
“A lot of venues are starting to charge more for cutting cakes, sometimes as high as $5 to $10 a slice,” said Mark Carollo, who with wife, Peggy, own Simma’s Bakery in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, which provided the cupcakes. “So we’re getting more and more orders for cupcakes, which saves money for the bridal couple.”
Simma’s is a multi-award-winning institution in the Greater Milwaukee area that began with the dream of a Russian immigrant in 1979. After struggling for three years, Simma opened her small bakery with the hope of attaining the American dream through her cheesecakes and pastries.
In 2011, Mark and Peggy Carollo purchased Simma’s Bakery from Simma’s daughter, Irina. While cheesecakes remain a highlight of the business, through the years they’ve also become known for their signature decorated cakes, specialty desserts and wedding cakes.
Read more Anaheim briefs: See original paintings of Anaheim landmarks
“Weddings are probably 35 percent of our overall business,” noted Mark. “We do 500 to 550 tiered cakes a year.”
A lot of couples are doing both cupcakes and cake, as Kayley and Jason did, having a single-tiered cake to cut for their special photo moment, as well as their stunning cupcake tower.
“When we got married 42 years ago, everything was set in stone,” recalled Peggy. “Everything was the same. It was always yellow cake. There was no such thing as a chocolate wedding cake. Today we do everything: different cakes, different fillings, mousses, fresh berries, so many delicious, heavenly choices. And it’s so personalized. Tiered cakes, smaller cakes, sweets tables — some couples don’t even have a cake to cut into. Nothing is right or wrong.”
At Kayley and Jason’s wedding, guests chose from three flavors: chocolate with vanilla mousse filling, raspberry vanilla (yellow genoise with raspberry Chambord mousse frosting topped with a fresh raspberry and white chocolate drizzle) and the perennial favorite, red velvet with cream cheese frosting.
Simma’s closely guards its own recipes, but if Kayley and Jason’s wedding has you rethinking the traditional tiered cake, Paula Deen’s classic red velvet cupcakes, at pauladean.com, come deliciously close.
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
Read more What’s the perfect American hot dog? Depends where you grew up