Let them eat cake
Well. What Ellen failed to mention yesterday is that she has engaged yours truly to come out to Boston for the east coast party and bake wedding cake(s). And supervise the preparation of the other food, too.
Uh, Ellen? 180 guests? Lord have mercy. I was really thinking I’d be baking for about 60. That just goes to show the truth of the obnoxiously smarmy saying about “assume!”
OK. We can do this. We have the technology. Despite the fact that all my baking pans and equipment are in NW Missouri, and the party is taking place in the greater Boston area.
We just need to figure out what kind of cakes we’re talking about here.
How about a small, tiered, square white cake with vanilla buttercream, like so?
Or perhaps a flourless chocolate cake?Â
                                   (As an aside, these are really, really delicious. Like mainlining chocolate. Hook up the IV, girls!)
Maybe a chocolate cake with chocolate truffle filling and chocolate buttercream?
                                     I believe this particular cake had fresh raspberries embedded in the truffle filling.
Or its fraternal twin, a white cake with white chocolate truffle filling and white chocolate buttercream?
                                           This cake had sliced strawberries in the center.
Or we could go with cheesecake–always a popular choice.
                                       Seen here fraternizing with the bad-boy flourless chocolate cakes.
How about lemon cake? That’s nice and summery-seeming.
                                   (Although in actuality about as light as a lead balloon.)
Or, (not pictured), carrot cake?
I realize that all these white-ish cakes look very much the same on the outside, but inside the differences are vast. Vast, I tell you!
And what’s the plan for all the other food? Remember Mom’s birthday party a couple years ago, Ellen? Are you thinking of something like that? Let’s see, we had hot artichoke dip with bruschetta for dipping, hummus with pita bread, baked Brie en croute with crackers, a vegetable array, fresh fruit, Sarah’s famous pasta salad, cake, and maybe something else that I’m forgetting.
Oh, and, as much as I like the ideas for plants in the backyard that others have suggested in the comments, with 180 guests you may find yourself needing every square inch of yard space. Pack ’em in! I myself really believe that, with lots of good food and (heaven knows) booze, no one will notice the yard. But perhaps that’s just because I am a terrible gardener but a pretty good cook.
Let them eat cake!
April 6th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Oh, crap. I think I just did to you what I also unwittingly did to Suzie, my friend in NYC who offered to throw a 30th birthday party for me. She was envisioning, oh, 15 people, maybe? We never talked about this directly though and I thought, “Oh what fun! We’ll have lots of people.”
I invited 50.
I remember the look on her face when she discovered what I had done. But we had a great time!
So this will be the same.
Maybe we better have one of each cake…
April 6th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I second Ellen. I was going to say, All of the above, please. I’m SO happy that Sarah is making the cakes! It couldn’t be any other way.
April 6th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
One of each kind sounds good to me, too. You really should know better than to give that many choices to an already slightly frazzled bride!
April 7th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Boy, you are making me hungry for cake! I would think that making miniature versions of each one would be a neat idea. Well, for me that is — how could I choose just one?? 🙂
Bunny hugs,
=:8
April 7th, 2007 at 5:40 am
Dammit, I was already having one of my rare yens for cake (our family was a pie family), and you had to go and post all those pictures of lovely, delicious, wonderful-looking cakes!! I can *taste* the darned things!
I’d say pick the two easiest to make (and decorate), buy pans in Boston (2nd-hand if possible, or surely Boston has kitchen supply outlet stores? maybe professional equipment ones?), and see if you can rent a *big* mixer. Or two. Make one *small* fancy cake, their favorite, for Ellen and Alex to do the ceremonial thing with. Make the rest sheetcakes, so everyone can have cake, but you don’t have to kill yourself fiddling. I mean, Ellen would surely be a tad upset by that latter result. 😉
Whatever you do, everyone is going to be moaning in ecstasy as well as artistic admiration, I’m sure! They all look fantastic.
April 7th, 2007 at 9:14 am
I might be able to help. I have several sets of commercial grade cake pans. I could take an inventory and let you determine what you might need. I could also help if you needed a hand (time permitting) I’ve also got bags and tips, etc. Let me know what you need.
April 7th, 2007 at 10:30 am
However you do it, Sarah, those cakes look wonderful.
April 7th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Oooh. Ellen, any chance you can sweet-talk your sister into making cake for the West Coast reception too? Because those look fabulous.
April 9th, 2007 at 12:03 am
DH just happened to catch me licking the screen of the monitor. Hard to explain…
Those cakes all look fantastic! And the descriptions! Drool.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Oh. My. Gosh. I must have some cake. *drool*
April 9th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Yum! I love cake. Now I will have to add a stop to the bakery when I run errands this afternoon! Having so many different wonderful choices is a wonderful idea.
April 9th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Wow, you’re a great sister, Sarah! That’s a lot of cake to make! Let people fill up on chips ‘n’ dip….
April 10th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Hi, I found your blog while putting together my online magazine, WebPearls.net, and included a link on my Pearlescence Page to Knit Sisters.
I enjoyed my stay on your site and will return as I begin to learn to knit.