I have been completely head over heals for Nikole’s work over at forty-sixth at grace for quite some time now. She makes these amazing wooden cake stands and adorable flag toppers that are just to die for, so I was thrilled when she agreed to put together a little guest post about wedding cakes for Once Wed. Isn’t there just such a simple sweetness and grace (!) to everything that she touches?
When I think of late summer I think of the space between seasons, the beautiful that happens from late August through until middle September. I think of bright days, dusky sunsets, and nights at the lake. I think too, of just how great a late summer wedding would be.
In Ontario where I live, wild blueberries are in season then, they’re smaller than the conventional ones, tiny and sweet and filled with all kinds of flavor. In fact it’s those that inspired the wee wedding cakes we show you here; tiny blueberries paired with the tart of lemon curd and the faintly sweet of french buttercream. We’ve also put together a dessert table that is simple to prepare, one that suits most any setting well, but particularly we think, fits just right at the shore of a lake, the sand of the sea or the edge of a forest.
We’ve paired up with Shanna Murray to make recipe cards for you to follow, since she makes the loveliest of things. She also illustrated a monogrammed sweetheart garland for us, which makes us swoon because it reminds us a little of initials carved into trees and we really love that. We adhered the garland to pretty pieces of salvaged wood found up at the cottage. The two paired together complement the rustic, simple feel of our sweet table just perfectly.
While making your own wedding cake is somewhat of an undertaking, I think after a little practice it’s altogether possible. Practice makes perfect as they say and I’d suggest getting familiar with making the recipes and assembly a few months before, but otherwise I think you’ll be surprised just how well you can do at these cakes. When you’re finally ready for the big day, spread the work over three days; sponge and curd the first day, buttercream and assembly the second and serve on the third. They’ll easily last overnight and on that big day, when all is set and ready to go all you’ll have to do is place them gingerly on cake stands and then equally carefully carry them out to your table, wherever that may be.
We think of them as a simple and sweet alternative to traditional stacked cakes, a do-it-yourself twist on the classic cake and perfect ending to a most perfect of days. And in saying that, we’re quite sure they’ll be a last slice of summer before your blissful new fall.
Don’t forget to check out the adorable recipe cards Shanna and Nikole put together for us!
Photography and story by Nikole at forty-sixth at grace + Shanna Murray
