Wedding Cake Recipes Wedding cake recipes have drifted away from traditional three-tiered white wedding cake. People travel more and eagerly accept new cultural trends and wedding cake recipes.

While the traditional rich fruit cake is still popular, the trend recently has been for chocolate in all its forms, from classical sachertorte, chocolate biscuit cake, Mississippi mud cake, white chocolate sponge cake, to chocolate ice cream cake. Keep in mind that wedding cake recipes can usually be tailored to suit special problems such as nut allergies.

To follow the wedding cake recipe allow you plenty of time and choose the simplest decoration options. If you like, frost the cake with a swirl or deliberately "homemade" texture rather than attempting smooth perfection, and decorate with fresh flowers and blossoms rather than butter cream roses. Practice piping simple borders on the backs of cake pans or on wax or parchment paper, with a pastry bag and star tip.

CLASSIC WEDDING CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:
4 pounds raisins
3 pounds currants
1 pound citron
1 pound flour
1/2 ounce mace
1/2 ounce cinnamon
1/2 ounce nutmeg
1/2 ounce ground cloves
1 pound butter or shortening
1 pound brown sugar
10 eggs
2 cups molasses
1/4 cup strong coffee

Directions:
Seed the raisins and chop them. Wash the currants and remove the little stems by vigorously rubbing them in a coarse towel then shake in a colander. Cut the citron into small pieces. Sift the flour and spices together so that they are thoroughly mixed. Rub the butter or shortening and sugar together until they are foamy. Beat the yolks until they are thick and lemon-colored, and then add them to the fat and sugar. Add the molasses and coffee and stir well. Sift a little of the flour over the fruit and add the rest of it to the cake mixture, beating until smooth. Add the fruit and lastly fold in the beaten egg whites.

Put in deep cake pans lined with greased paper and bake in a slow oven (320 degrees F.) for three or four hours. When cold, frost the top with boiled frosting, maple sugar frosting, brown sugar frosting, or coffee frosting.

ORANGE WEDDING CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:
Solid shortening
2 pounds sweet butter
10 cups sugar (5 pounds)
2 dozen large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated orange zest
3 tbs orange extract
3 tbs vanilla extract
13 1/4 cups unleavened sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups orange juice concentrate
4 cups sour cream

Directions:
Grease with shortening 9 round cake pans, 3 in each of the following sizes: 12 inch, 8 inch and 5 inch (all 3 inches deep) and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on low speed until light and pale yellow. Beat in the eggs, orange zest and extracts. Slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt, incorporating fully after each addition. Mix in the concentrate and the sour cream. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix to smooth out any lumps.

Divide the mixture into prepared pans so that each is equally full. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes or until cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and cake tester comes out clean. Check cakes after 30 minutes. (Do not let pans touch each other or the sides of the oven. It is important not to overcrowd the oven. Unbaked cake layers can sit at room temperature until oven space is available.) Remove cakes from oven and allow them to cool in their pans on a wire rack.

Baked cooled cakes can be wrapped in their pans and refrigerated up to one week, or frozen.

CHOCOLATE FILLING RECIPE

Ingredients:
3 cups heavy cream
4 tbs sweet butter
3 pounds semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:
In a large saucepan bring cream and butter to a rolling boil. When the cream mixture rises in the pan, add the chocolate, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and stir for 5 minutes. Cover the filling and store at room temperature for 3 days of refrigerate up to one week. Bring the filling to room temperature when ready to use. It may be necessary to heat the filling in a double boiler to achieve a necessary consistency.

FONDANT RECIPE

Ingredients:

4 pounds confectioners' sugar, plus extra for kneading
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
2 tsp orange extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbs gelatin
Yellow food coloring
Red food coloring

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, sift the confectioners' sugar. Make a well in the center of the sugar and add the corn syrup and extracts. Do not mix.

In a small saucepan add the water and sprinkle the gelatine over it. Let stand one minute. Heat the gelatin and water over medium heat for 1/2 a minute or until it is hot and the gelatine is fully dissolved. Pour mixture into the well. Quickly stir the mixture with a heavy wooden spoon from the center out to evenly disperse the gelatine.

When the mixture becomes too thick to stir, turn it out onto a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Knead the fondant until smooth and dough like. If the fondant is sticky (this tends to happen in humid weather), knead in more confectioners' sugar.

Knead in food coloring until desired color is achieved. Add coloring a few drops at a time, as a little goes a long way. Store fondant in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to one week. Bring to room temperature, and then knead well prior to use. If fondant is too dry, add a few drops of water. If fondant is too sticky, add more confectioners' sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in an airtight container for several hours before using.

DECORATIVE ICING RECIPE

Ingredients:
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg white
Water

Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar and cream of tartar. Add the egg white with a hand mixer on low speed, mix for 3 minutes, or until the icing is bright white and the consistency of very softly whipped cream. If the icing is too thick, add a few drops of water. If the icing is too thin, add confectioner's sugar. Keep unused icing covered with a damp towel when not in use.