How to Make an Emergency Wedding Cake in Case of a Cake Disaster

A Go-to Guys (or Girls) Guide to Saving the Day and Making the Cake

If by some terrible fluke something goes wrong with the wedding cake, such as the bakery does not deliver the cake or the cake gets dropped, it calls for fast wedding cake action.

Most preferable is to make the responsible party somehow make good, but if they are nowhere to be found, you will have to find the closest supermarket with a bakery department and a floral department, both of which can generally be found at your local Costco and Wal-Mart (do call in advance if possible to avoid a wasted trip). Wal-Mart and Sam's Club have some fairly impressive decorators in the bakery, and some bakeries in supermarkets and wholesalers only need a few hours notice, so you may be able to pick up a pre-done cake that may not be the brides' first choice, but no one will be the wiser. If the caterer or restaurant having the wedding cannot help, then the Costco or Wal-Mart or Supermarket bakery may be able to help you if you explain the emergency, but they might not have the staff to do so and you will have to do it yourself. While you go and get the supplies, have someone else try to find a crafty person among the guests to make the best of the cakes appearance.

Second, assign someone to see if anything can be salvaged from the dropped or broken cake (that is from the side or tiers that did not fall on the floor.) A cake topper hopefully can still be used. Have someone gather all the pieces that can be used and put them on a plate. If something like two layers fell off and one remains, then keep that remaining good layer to serve to guests and at least some of the original cake can be used. Remove frosting decorations with a knife when possible by sliding underneath the decoration and just pulling it straight up.

Now you go and get the items needed for the new cake. First you will want sheet cakes to serve the number of guests at the wedding minus 35, (and how ever many could be severed from the remaining good cake) which will be served from the actual cake you will make. Preferably white frosting that looks sort of wedding like as possible. Get the sheet cakes.