Wedding Blog
Tomorrow is a very exciting day. I am going to a cake tasting.
Poor Mr. Peacock has to go to work while my sister (my maid of honor) and I go stuff our faces with yummy bites of cake. My first stop on the sweetness train is at Take the Cake.
Photos from Style Me Pretty (because take the cake’s site is a stinker)
They have a lot of photos of cakes with delicate, soft details that I love. I don’t really want anything that has a big POW of color. I love the off-white cake in the first one with that big sugar ribbon wrapped around it, and the ends meeting at that gorgeous flower.
I was able to give Take the Cake a little test run at a wedding show that I attended last weekend. My mom, sister and I tried a few little cupcakes- vanilla with whipped vanilla frosting, chocolate with chocolate ganache filling and chocolate frosting and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Verrrry tasty. I could have skipped the fancy lunch and just ate cake and drank champagne all afternoon. On another note, I am totally done with those shows. No matter how fancy it is, you are still paying to walk into an advertising trap. Anyone with me?
I also plan on spending some time with the Cake Girls, the Turano boys and at the Sugar Syndicate and Bittersweet. The Cake Girls are pretty much the cake queens of Chicago and apparently their talent has been recognized by FoodTV. They couldn’t book a tasting with me until April because they are going to have their own show- like Duff!
My favorite Cake Girls cake, although it was tough to pick…
Any other recommendations for cake bakeries in Chicago?
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I love that Cake Girls cake that you have a pic of. It is awesome!
Have fun! Cake Girls are amazing– I have so many of their cakes in my “dream cake” photo collection.
oooh cake tastings. that’s the one thing i’m really looking forward to doing when i get to start planning for the wedding. even over shopping for the dress!
Ooh, the FI and I get to have our first cake tasting this week, too, with Amy Beck in Lincoln Park (http://www.amybeckcakedesign.com/). She apprenticed under Colette Peters in NY, who’s been on several of those cake competitions on the Food Network. We had a taste of her offerings at the first (and likely last) bridal show we went to late last year. I’m with you on being done with those shows — but onward to more cake tasting!
ooh - in Chicago, I loved Bittersweet cakes, too. I went with cupcake centerpieces and went on a sweet tasting all over Chicago tasting all the different cupcakes! 
gorgeous choices! cake tastings has got to be one of my top favorite things to do
NO ONE is better than Cakegirls! My cake will be a replica of one of theirs too. I’m SO excited to hear they will be having a show! I love Chef Duff and all, but sometimes I just want to see really PRETTY cakes you know? But of course, Duff’s the man.
Both Sarah’s Pastries and Candies (70 East Oak Street) and Vanille Patisserie (2229 N. Clybourn) are GREAT! If I remember correctly, you have to put a small deposit ($10-$15) down in order to do a cake tasting with Sarah’s. Vanille has really unique and delicious flavors!
I’m having a lot of trouble with the cake. To me, the taste is as important, if not more so, than the look of it. But, there are a limited number of bakers around here. Only 1 does fillings, and they are very basic (raspberry, lemon, etc). I’d love to have a very uniquely flavored cake, but don’t see how I can, without having one shipped in.
I gather you’re on the North Side, but if you want to travel to Pilsen (and it’s a fun neighborhood to visit!), you should check out BomBon bakery (1508 W 18th Street, (312) 733-7788) - they are SO SO SO tasty. I was a Chicago bride myself, and if my amazing baker friend hadn’t volunteered to make our cake, I would have gotten ours from BomBon. They do beautiful things with strawberries…
Also, closer to your neck of the woods is Sweet Thang (http://www.sweetthangcakes.com/). Though I’ve only seen them do elaborate wedding cakes, they do those really amazingly.
Good luck, and have fun!
Adrienne- I will have to check Amy Beck out! I wouldn’t mind going for another tasting 
Penguin- I totally agree. His bar/bat mitzvah cakes are totally amazing, but not very “pretty.” I can’t wait to see the Cake Girls show!
jmc- I had been thinking about Sarah’s and I have heard about Vanile. There are just way too many good bakeries!
Amanda- Maybe you can just get a bunch of cupcakes, cheesecakes or ice cream sundaes! There are so many fun desert options. You could get one smaller pretty cake (if you really want that) and then have fun on the big scale.
mhb- I know allll about BomBon. I used to work close to the west side location. Their cookies are so very yummy. I’ve never been inside Sweet Thang, but I had been thinking about Alliance Bakery down the street.
I think my list just doubled!
I’m a chicago bride, too.
Lutz on Montrose is supposed to be good, too. That’s what I’m looking into, though these other options sound fabulous, too!
Oh as a former chicagoan, I heart bittersweet SOOOO much!
But try Deerfields Bakery in Deerfield - about 20 min north of the city. They’re famous and probably a touch cheaper than IN the ciy…. DELISH.
I got a CakeGirls cake for DH’s surprise b-day party last year (while we were engaged). I figured it would be a better alternative to that than a grooms cake. They did a great job, but I wasn’t allowed a tasting since it wasn’t a wedding cake =(. DH is a polevaulter, so I had them do a polevault runway, bar, pole and pits. It was pretty cool. However, very pricey. DH loved it! So psyched that they’ll have their own show!
I know that other Chi knotties have used them for groom’s cakes as well.
Have you thought about Dinkel’s on Lincoln? I’ve never had a wedding cake from them, but their normal cakes and cupcakes are fab!!! (www.dinkels.com)
Miss Peacok-
I got married at the Sofitel and they work exclusively with Take The Cake. I was nervous at first not to be able to have a choice of vendors but after I went to the tasting I was thrilled with them and the cake turned out beautifully.
After my wedding we took the top tier of the cake home; my hubby and I cut it into 12 pieces and shared one piece together on each month anniversary and it honestly tasted just as good as it did on our wedding day!
Have you made a decision yet? Who are you going with?
Pam- The cake tasting was very delicious. My sister and I decided that the white cake with lemon curd and cream cheese frosting was the best. I still have a few more tastings. I’ll post on here when I make my decision. Its always nice to have a helpful review
Miss Peacock-
Ditto on the cream cheese frosting! Two of my three frosting layers were cream cheese!
I have a picture of my cake I’d be happy to send you–let me know!
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Miss Peacock, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet Whiz
Engagement Date: December 5, 2006
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 13, 2007
Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.
About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
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