Non-Cake Wedding Cake

[starryeyed]

This is going to sounds crazy, but I hate cake. The last thing I want is a wedding dessert made out of cake. Bleck!

We are doing a destination wedding with 7 people total and I need to suggest a possible wedding dessert to the chef. I''m thinking fruit tart, or french cheesecake, or something else, other than a death-by-chocolate torte.

ANY IDEAS??

 

[surfgirl]

where is your wedding? if it''s tropical you could do a selection of tropical fruit tarts or cheesecake minis with different fruit toppings... Or PIE! YUM

! How out a double tiered pie?

 

[akw94]

Hmm, a fruit tart sounds great or an assortment of different desserts.. creme brulee, profiteroles, chocolate mousse.. that''s all that comes to mind at the moment.

 

[firebirdgold]

Well, what''s your favorite dessert?

 

[sumbride]

I just went to a wedding where the bride LOVED ice cream! So they had a grooms cake for HIM, but her "cake" was actually a galvanized tub of ice full of gallons of vanilla and chocolate ice cream! They fed each other spoons of it and all the guests got a scoop of each! It was FABULOUS! And the ice cream was so much better than the cake...

My cousin did pie because he doesn''t like cake either.

 

[aprilcait]

FI and I aren''t big cake fans either. So, we''re thinking tiramisu for our wedding "cake". We''re still thinking it over, though.

Originally, we were planning on a wedding cheesecake, but then we realized that a number of people we know either don''t like cheesecake or are lactose intolerant. So, we tossed that idea and decided to start thinking up something else.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 5/31/2007 12:47:35 PM
Author: IndieJones
Well, what''s your favorite dessert?

Cannolis! But only if they are made right.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 5/31/2007 11:45:19 AM
Author: surfgirl
where is your wedding? if it''s tropical you could do a selection of tropical fruit tarts or cheesecake minis with different fruit toppings... Or PIE! YUM

! How out a double tiered pie?

I like pie, but with non-pie-crust crust. I love cookie crusts....

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 5/31/2007 1:19:40 PM
Author: aprilcait
FI and I aren''t big cake fans either. So, we''re thinking tiramisu for our wedding ''cake''. We''re still thinking it over, though.
Originally, we were planning on a wedding cheesecake, but then we realized that a number of people we know either don''t like cheesecake or are lactose intolerant. So, we tossed that idea and decided to start thinking up something else.

I''m so glad I''m not alone in this!

I never thought about the lactose-intolerance thing. There is one of us who is, but maybe the restaurant can just give her fruit. I hate to be callous, but between allergies, lactose, peanuts, and all of the other problems people have with food, I''d rather the kitchen deal with it.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 5/31/2007 1:01:03 PM
Author: sumbride
I just went to a wedding where the bride LOVED ice cream! So they had a grooms cake for HIM, but her 'cake' was actually a galvanized tub of ice full of gallons of vanilla and chocolate ice cream! They fed each other spoons of it and all the guests got a scoop of each! It was FABULOUS! And the ice cream was so much better than the cake...
My cousin did pie because he doesn't like cake either.

Neat idea! Unfortunately, I'm afraid of it all melting - we are having dinner outside next to the beach in Bermuda in July.

I just had fresh mint homemade ice cream for the first time and thought I died and went to heaven. FRESH MINT and chocolate chips!

 

[Cyren]

Starryeyed, I hate cake too! Just as another suggestion, Ms. Flutter had a bananas foster station, an idea I just

!

 

[starryeyed]

Ok, so I think something with a cool design in fruit on the top would make a really nice presentation. So how do these sound:

1. Belgian white chocolate & key lime mousse with lemon shortbread crust, fresh fruit topping, passionfruit coulis drizzle and Chantilly cream.

2. French-style (i.e. - the light one) mascarpone cheese cake with pignoli cookie crust, fresh fruit topping, and tropical fruit coulis drizzle, pignoli pieces, Chantilly cream.

3. Fresh fruit tart with cannolo cream (i.e. - ricotta) filling, pistachio cookie crumb crust, fruit coulis drizzle, Chantilly cream, pistachio pieces.

Presentation with plenty of fresh mint leaves.

THOUGHTS?

 

[kcoursolle]

I''ve been to weddings before with dessert buffets or non-traditional desserts, and they were *very* well received!! Everyone was really happy, so no worries about that. My advice would be to have a couple of options for your guests since you are going with something specific that not everyone will like.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 5/31/2007 5:09:13 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I''ve been to weddings before with dessert buffets or non-traditional desserts, and they were *very* well received!! Everyone was really happy, so no worries about that. My advice would be to have a couple of options for your guests since you are going with something specific that not everyone will like.

Hi KC. Actually we are only 7 people. I was hoping for something that DF and I could cut together and share with everyone. Do you really think I need at least 2 desserts?

 

[LollyBear]

How about a Croquembouche?

 

[KimberlyH]

We skipped on the cake and had the caterer offer two types of dessert, our guests got to choose. It worked out perfectly.

 

[monarch64]

Starry, #1 sounds DIVINE!!

Actually all three sound great but I love key lime anything, hee hee!

 

[princesss]

Those all sound amazing. Wow.....

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think when the time comes, I''m going to want pie. There''s the most amazing pie up on Long Island (I don''t live there or anywhere near, but man what I wouldn''t give for this pie....) and I think it''d be fun to just stack a bunch of pies...fruit pies, cream pies, all kinds of pies....Mmmmmm...

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 5/31/2007 6:54:43 PM
Author: StephensBride
How about a Croquembouche?

How gorgeous is that! WOW! Do they have to make them with that eclair-type cream?? Probably not, right?

 

[starryeyed]

Thanks Monarch, thanks princess.

The Executive Chef asked for three ideas. I'm no pastry chef, so it doesn't seem fair that I should be providing the choices.....

Kim, since we are only 7 people, I was really hoping for one dessert. I am giving those Godiva wedding cake-shaped chocolates with dark chocolate ganache as favors, so I figured that would be like a second dessert.

 

[enbcfsobe]

you could probably get them filled with whatever type cream you wanted. i was actually trying to find a picture of the same thing -- they are gorgeous and very unique.

 

[basil]

Croquembouche!!

I saw that on some food network show at one point and it looked so cool. It''s really dramatic looking, plus, it has the advantage of being traditional for a wedding (in France) but not cake. Whereas pie, tart, etc aren''t really traditional, but I don''t know if that matters to you.

Though I have to admit, kinda stumped on how so many people can NOT LIKE CAKE!?!?

 

[eks6426]

My husband I didn't want to do a wedding cake either. We actually had each of our favorite desserts from childhood...made by our mothers. His was apple pie and mine was zuchinni chocolate cupcakes. We used tiered pie holders to make them seem more "wedding-y". We had a framed story of the desserts on the table with them. People loved them and the sentiment behind.

Here's the story we framed (names changed of course):

Desserts by our Family

Have you ever been ready to order dessert at a nice restaurant, but were disappointed to find that they didn’t offer wedding cake as an option? Neither have we!

When we were making all of the decisions that go along with a wedding, we just couldn’t get excited about wedding cake. Then it hit us. What would we really like to have?

For Island Dreams, this would have been one of her dad’s fabulous ice cream sundaes complete with homemade hot fudge, bananas, walnuts, & whip cream….but since we couldn’t figure out a way to keep the sundaes from melting she chose her 2nd favorite family dessert—the chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The secret ingredient is zucchini, which helps make the cupcakes very moist. Island Dreams remembers many summers “out on the farm” just waiting for the zucchini to grow large enough to make the cupcakes.

For Mr. Island Dreams, his mother’s apple pie has been his lifelong favorite dessert. Although she is convinced that it is best served warm from the oven with ice cream, Mr. Island Dreams has always favored it the next day, especially for breakfast. “One of this world’s best places to be is in the swing on mom and dad’s porch, early in the morning with a piece of yesterday’s apple pie and a cup of coffee.”

As a bonus, Mr. Island Dream's sister has contributed her world famous (well almost) ILLINI CRISPIES. These cookies have been enjoyed by our whole family at many tailgate picnics.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/31/2007 6:54:43 PM
Author: StephensBride
How about a Croquembouche?

Mmm. My personal FAVORITE.

 

[LollyBear]

Date: 5/31/2007 7:55:28 PM
Author: starryeyed

Date: 5/31/2007 6:54:43 PM
Author: StephensBride
How about a Croquembouche?

How gorgeous is that! WOW! Do they have to make them with that eclair-type cream?? Probably not, right?

I''ve never tried it, but I''m sure you could have them fill the pastries with any cream you like. I saw a special about them on Food Network which is why I had to suggest it. It looks so yummy and if DH and I weren''t cake fans, I would have definitely done one of these instead.
I think it would look beautiful decorated with your wedding flowers and you can still do the traditional cutting and feeding. Win-Win!

 

[surfgirl]

I think you can do Croquembouche with either a whipped cream filling or an eclair-type custard filling, and both could be variations, such as vanilla, chocolate, fruit and cream, etc. so all the little "croques" could be a variety of fillings? Or...how about DONUTS! YUM

! Little bags of homemade donuts, glazed and cinnamon sugar coated in little brown bags? Or...since you''re a small party of people...make it yourself ice cream sundae bar?

 

[Fancy605]

Date: 6/1/2007 4:59:50 PM
Author: surfgirl
Or...how about DONUTS! YUM

!

For a while in the Atlanta area it was popular to do Krispy Cream doughnuts instead of cake.


Staryeyed, I think all 3 of the ideas you listed sound DELICIOUS! I especially like the sound of that mousse. Yum!

Maybe you could ask your 7 guests to see what they would prefer?

 

[Kit]

I totally support your non-cake dessert!

I love cake, but am just not a wedding cake kind of bride. Ideally we''ll do a "viennese display" which is like a big dessert buffet. Hopefully the budget will allow it...

 

[sunshine14]

Date: 6/1/2007 4:59:50 PM
Author: surfgirl
I think you can do Croquembouche with either a whipped cream filling or an eclair-type custard filling, and both could be variations, such as vanilla, chocolate, fruit and cream, etc. so all the little ''croques'' could be a variety of fillings? Or...how about DONUTS! YUM

! Little bags of homemade donuts, glazed and cinnamon sugar coated in little brown bags? Or...since you''re a small party of people...make it yourself ice cream sundae bar?

Croquenbouche is a beautiful dessert, but take it from me...it is not the kind of thing that holds up well in high heat/humidity. It was funny when starry first asked the question my instinct was also croquenbouche...just for the fact that it is beautiful, deeeelish, and classic. However, once I read that the wedding is going to be in Bermuda, I can just picture the whole thing toppling over!

It is basically held together by sugar...and if doesn''t stay at the right temp...it falls apart.

I used to be a wedding planner in my former life....and I''ve seen one go down before!

I do love the idea of picking whatever your fave dessert is and going with it! The pie sounds amazing! I think guests like things that are unique with a story behind it...

Good luck deciding! They are all amazing choices!

 

[akw94]

Wow, I think all your choices sound wonderful. I''d probably pick #1 if I had to choose and then #3 as my second choice but that''s only due to my personal taste. Are you definitely only having 1 thing or would you offer a selection?