Homemade Wedding Cake Recipes for Brides Who Don't Want a Bakery Cake

Brides Add a Personal Touch to Their Wedding Day by Turning to Family or Friends to Make Their Wedding Cake

In my close-knit Italian family, when a relative becomes engaged and begins making wedding plans, my aunt is the first to be contacted with pleads to make the wedding cake. Whether the bride or groom is a niece, nephew, second cousin, or distant relative, a wedding would not be complete without my Aunt Louise's homemade creation. Although a bakery wedding cake is more practical and less troublesome, a homemade cake adds a special touch and uniqueness to the wedding reception. For that reason, more couples are seeking out family members or friends - just as they do for their bridal party - to make their wedding cake.

No one in our family is quite sure how my Aunt Louise became the designated wedding cake maker. Perhaps it is her creativity. For as long as I can remember, she has always created lovely ceramic pieces, made decorative birthday cakes, or carefully formed bunnies from bread dough for her homemade baskets at Easter. Even today at age 72, my aunt continues to make wedding cakes for family members. And no cake is too big or too intricate for her. From three-tiered layers with lovely hand-decorated flowers to masterpieces complete with water fountains and columns, my aunt has never failed in bringing a special tradition to a family wedding.

While making a homemade wedding cake can be more work and more venturesome than in the hands of a professional, the supplies now carried by party and craft stores can make the task that much easier. Plus, the end result can truly represent a couple's wedding day. Not only can the wedding cake be made in the bride or groom's favorite shape and cake flavor, the couple will know that the cake was made with love by someone who truly knows and understands their personalities - something that's hard to achieve using a commercial baker. Some couples choose simple, elegant tiered cakes, while others select more majestic masterpieces with spiral staircases, bridges and water fountains.