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My Grandma sold her house that sat right next to mine and moved away from me when I was about 7 years old and I was very sad… until I learned that the new woman next door was a baker. A baker of cakes, cookies, caramels, toffees, and every other kind of dessert you can imagine. So while I was crying about missing my Grandma I could stuff my face with homemade Almond Rocas.
Every Christmas since then (even though we don’t live next to them anymore) she has brought over a huge tin of 6 or 7 different varieties of cookies. Even better, for every birthday she brings over a huge German chocolate sheet cake. Every time it’s German chocolate cake, and every time we stuff our faces for days. Once when I was moving back to college I had her make me one for the drive, and I kept it in the freezer and ate it for weeks. The cake itself became freezer burnt and nasty, but I couldn’t resist picking the frosting off of a little (okay huge) piece each night.
This image is from flickr, but this is how big the cake was, and we only have 4 people in my family!
I was so sad to learn last week that she is having knee surgery in mid-September and will be unable to create her German chocolate masterpiece for our closest friends and family. This means I have to go back to the drawing board in terms of finding someone to fulfill my cake vision.
I am looking for this:
Photo by the always fabulous Punam Bean
But all I can seem to find are bakers who want to create this (and charge me $6+/slice for it):
I think that the collection of cakes looks much more delicious than the stiff looking (albeit pretty) fondant version. If you disagree, I challenge you to a bakeoff. I will make some buttercream delights, and you have to come up with something covered in fondant. 
I want to do a cake buffet of six or seven different options and let guests decide which flavor they want. I wonder if the Avocados can get away with cutting a slice out of every kind? Finding bakers who make fondant, tiered masterpieces is easy but I don’t want to pay for that. I am looking for the neighborhood bakery that everyone talks about, but neighborhood bakeries don’t tend to have websites.
After all, this is all I want to see on our wedding day:
Photo by Kate McElwee
I think the idea of cake spreads is becoming more popular. I love collecting inspiration for this little project so feel free to point me towards more photos!
Is there a Seattle bakery that’s to die for?
Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle. They’ve won about a billion awards and their stuff is amazing. I just had breakfast there this morning after biking over from Wallingford!
Also, isn’t Kate McElwee great?
Like you, I love cake, but didn’t want an expensive wedding cake that did a better job serving as a part of the decor rather than a tasty dessert…I wanted something that tasted good!
I’m using Helen Noh from Cake Envy
http://www.cake-envy.com/. I’ve known her since we were in junion high and she was always baking delicious treats. We lost touch after high school, but I found her in a Seattle bride magazine.
She’s just starting out, but I LOVE her cake…moist, flavorful, and oh so tasty! I’ve seen great reviews on the local knot board and she is still as sweet as ever. I’m doing a non-fondant whimsical cake and I’m sure she would be willing to work with your cake vision of having something look more homemade. I would definitely recommend her 
Larsen’s Original Bakery gets really good reviews on yelp (it’s in ballard I think), as does bakery nouveau. . .
I know it’s not a neighborhood baker but thier bakery department makes beutiful and fabulous tasting cakes. Try Whole Foods Markets. If nothing else you can always stop by and pick up a slice to try when you are there. They make it all on site so it will be very fress for you.
As soon as I’m done typing this I’m going to rummage through the kitchen to look for some snacks… not good for my healthy eating plan, but I’m just so hungry now after seeing all of those beautiful and delicious cakes
We had a cake buffet and people still rave about it. One thing to make sure of is that you overestimate how many servings you’ll need. I instructed the caterer to cut everyone thin slices but that didn’t happen so our 140 wedding guests ate 250 servings of cake!
Thats a great idea…have you thought of upscale local grocery stores or even Whole Foods to make these cakes? I’m sure they aren’t anywhere near $6/slice and are hecka good!
I agree. I don’t want some froufrou fondant cake at my wedding, and will either have cupcakes or a few small cakes.
I can’t stand fondant!! I want a couple of small cakes and various other desserts like brownies, cheesecakes, lemon bars, cookies, etc….
I love sweets to much to just have cake!!
I completely agree with your idea. I want a small(ish) cake and a dessert buffet. I’m thinking fresh fruit and berries, “THE CAKE”, and an assortment of smaller mini cakes, cookies, maybe even little creme brulee ramakins. yummy
I didn’t have any problem getting a bakery to do separate cakes for me. There are photos all over The Knot and other sites of tiered (rather than stacked) cakes, so it is a very popular option. There are also sites devoted to buttercream iced cakes, rather than the sort of fondant creations that you don’t seem to want. We are actually going with a small, three tier (stacked) bride’s cake and two satellite cakes (which will be chocolate). If you just take in photos of what you want, I can’t imagine you would have a big problem. Maybe just look at a conventional bakery that makes a variety of cakes, rather than some place that specializes in wedding cakes.
A lot of the cost for the conventional wedding cake is the decoration, transportation, and assembly. My bakery starts at $3.50 a slice for custom-decorated torte (three or more layer) type cakes, which I thought was pretty reasonable considering how very good their cake is. The price goes up from there depending on what kind of fancy decorating, assembly, or display you want.
I love Kate McElwee too!! But keep her a secret so her rates stay low.
Try Madison Park Bakery. If you don’t mention the “W Word” they should do cakes for fairly cheap, no? LOVE their icing….
You should try The Spotted Dog Cake Company. She is just starting off and her cake is delicious. She is in Tacoma, but she delivers.
http://www.thespotteddogcakeco.com/
OH SH*T OH SH*T I totally forgot!
Just desserts in Fremont! They are the bomb diggity for cakes! And none of that “wedding pricing.” They should be reasonable, maybe a little more highly priced because of their reputation.
And right up the street is Flying Apron that makes amazing, ALL VEGAN desserts. No wheat either, all chickpea and rice flours. So decadent and so healthy.
Check them both out. Seriously.
i second Bakery Nouveau AND Kate McElwee She was our wedding photographer and I love our pictures! She’s great!
Also try B&O Espresso - great coffee and desserts!
I completely agree with your argument for buttercream over fondant. I used to work in an ice cream store that made its own buttercream. Each time I made a batch I’d sneak a spoonful. The cake at my wedding was made with buttercream icing and looked just as polished as fondant. And was ten times more tasty I’m sure! :o)
Miss Cherry Pie - do you mean Simply Desserts in Fremont? If so, I second that. They are so amazing that since I now live in Boise my Mom flies out with their cake every time she visits. Mexican Chocolate and White Chocolate Strawberry are to die for!
Another idea for you to consider.
I was at a wedding where they chose 3 or 4 different cakes. Each guest table at the reception had a cake on it. If you weren’t crazy about the flavor on your table you could check out the other ones. I have no idea how much this cost them. But they were small round cakes from a local bakery. The bride and groom then had their own personal cake to cut and take pictures by. It was a neat idea I had never seen before.
Check out Belle Pastry in Bellevue. They make a gorgeous cake with strawberries, chocolate and the cake is soaked in a little something to give it zip! The owner Jean- Claude made my sisters wedding cake. Sooo good! They also have the best eclairs and they’re starting gelato next week!
Try asking your oh-so-fantastic neighbor if she can recommend anyone since she’ll be out on recovery. Other thing - when you talk to bakers - avoid the W word until necessary, and then be FIRM with your point of not wanting a wedding cake - but cakes at your wedding. You wouldn’t believe what a difference this makes.
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Mrs. Avocado, Seattle Age and Occupation: 23, Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant Engagement Date: July 27, 2008 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 30, 2008 Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000 About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
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