Whether the style of your wedding is modern or traditional, your cake sets the tone and adds the finishing touch to your nuptials. It’s also an opportunity to showcase a confectionary delight that guests will admire and appreciate. After all, the cutting of the cake is one of the final formalities, and it’s also the last thing on the menu, so guests are sure to remember it.

There are many aspects that can inspire the theme of a wedding cake; some brides will bring the lace from their wedding dress to a baker to create a very elegant and extravagant cake, while some couples may fall in love with a countryside scene and will want their cake adorned with colourful blooms. Traditionally, your wedding cake would take a cue from your dress and be predominantly white, but thanks to some of Western Australia’s incredible cake artists and bakers, you can now draw inspiration from all walks of life to ensure your cake represent your style as a couple.

Despite helping her grandmother and mother make cakes, lamingtons and other Country Women’s Association-type treats as a child, Adams fell into making bespoke wedding cakes by accident. She worked for a law firm in London many years ago and took part in an in-house baking competition, which she won! “Everyone loved the flourless chocolate mud cupcakes – made for the event, and they then started asking me to make things for them!” she says. “I found I had a love for the creative side of the process. [I loved] playing with recipes and flavours and – of course – the decorating side of things is great fun.”

After much encouragement and support from friends and family, and many years of practice and experience, Adams turned her hobby into Cakes by Dark Cherry – a prestigious small business that is run from her registered home kitchen in Mount Lawley. “One of my favourite things about

running my own wedding cake business is that I get to meet all sorts of lovely people who are planning their weddings and parties,” she says. “Being involved in such special occasions is very heartwarming, and I particularly love the thought of playing a small [yet] delicious part in so many happy days. I also love getting to see that ‘cake face’ – when people first take a bite of one of my yummy cakes at a private tasting or design consultation!”

Peering Into The Process

Offering a truly bespoke service that far exceed  what is traditionally expected of a cake artist, Adams is able to draw inspiration from almost anything to create a truly unique confection. “I am drawn towards things that are a little bit different and unusual,” she says. “If you want a popular design that you’ve seen somewhere before, that is no problem at all. However, if you’ve got some wild ideas, colours or concepts that you’d like me to play with, then we are going to get along great!”

Adams’ first contact with couples is usually via email, which allows her to understand their vision for the big day. “I encourage my couples to send through lots of pictures to help me get a feel for the sort of thing they’re after,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be pictures of cakes; it can be architecture, colours, moods, concept boards, fashion – absolutely anything! I like to then meet my couples face-to-face so we can discuss ideas and I can see their reactions to various things. I also tend to gesticulate a lot, which I find helps get ideas across, so these face-to-face consultations are very important to me!”

Talking Trends

With so many fresh and inventive trending concepts to choose from, finding the perfect cake that’s unique and non-traditional might be easier than you think. It doesn’t have to be complicated