Wedding cakes with style
BY TRESA ERICKSON

Wedding cakes today not only look good, but taste good. They also come in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. From raspberry vanilla cheesecake to chocolate mint sponge cake, you can have just about any kind of wedding cake you want. Some of the current trends include:

• Multi-flavored cakes. If you have several favorite flavors and you are having a hard time selecting just one for your cake, this option is ideal. Try choosing a different flavor for each layer of your cake. Or ask the baker to insert a cream filling in one of the layers and preserves in the other. You can even choose a different flavor of icing, like white chocolate or strawberry cream.

• Unusually shaped cakes. Oval, square, rectangular, hexagonal- you name it, and you can have it. You can also mix and match shapes and sizes to create an unusual cake. For a modern cake, select oval layers for the bottom and middle, and a heart layer for the top. Follow a current trend and choose a large square for the bottom, a slightly smaller square for the middle and an even smaller square for the top. Then ask the baker to stack them on top of each other, and voila…a stack of presents. After they are iced, the presents can be tied together with a bow of sugared fruit.

• Colored cakes. The icing on your cake does not have to be white, nor do the rosettes have to be pastel. You can have chocolate icing with red rosettes, or vanilla icing with a touch of lemon and tiny purple rosebuds. You can even match the colors of the icing on your cake to the colors of your flowers, bridesmaids' dresses or decorations at the reception. Just make sure you take a color swatch to your baker.

• Designer cakes. Wedding cakes don't have to be plain. Add a unique touch to your cake with fresh fruit or flowers. For a stunning look, ask the baker to put a single rose on top or a cascade of lilies down the side. If you prefer something a bit sweeter, toss on some frosted nuts or chocolate candies. Try something different and bring in a photo of your gown and have the baker copy the pattern onto your cake.

• Personalized cakes. Feeling sentimental? Find a photo of your parents' or grandparents' wedding cake and have the baker copy it. Then serve the first slices to your parents or grandparents at the reception. If you have extra layer cakes, find good photos of you and your fiancé, and have them transferred to the cakes. Choose an unusual topper, like two plastic gold wedding rings, or have your and your groom's initials intertwined in icing.