Crystal Ross and Kelly Day have a serious baking obsession. After countless hours in the kitchen making gorgeous cakes and sweets, they decided they needed an outlet for their all-consuming hobby. The friends began blogging under the name Gateaux Rose (gateauxrose.blogspot.com) and started making weekly trips to the Farmers' Market, where their creations sold like—fittingly enough—hotcakes.
Gaining a loyal following for weddings and other special occasions, the duo made creations for Father's Day cupcakes (with paper mustaches), medical student exam passing parties (complete with sugar fondant syringe, much cuter than it sounds) and everything from Whoopie pies, candy apples, cake pops, donuts to popular sweet of the moment, French macarons.
For those who feel like stepping outside of the traditional cake box, Ross suggests that couples create a collection of complimentary desserts, no matter how untraditional your tastes may be.
"We're seeing couples lean towards feel-good nostalgic baked goods like pretty bundt cakes and fresh-baked pies," Ross says. "If you're a couple who prefers celebrating with jars of brightly colored candy and big slices of homemade cake, embrace it! And if you're worried about not having enough time to see everyone, consider standing at the dessert table and let your guests serve themselves, this is a fun and easy opportunity to chat informally with all your friends and family."
"There's been a shift over the past year away from one towering fondant covered cake, toward coordinated dessert tables," says Ross. "Brides and bakers are creating spreads of their favourite sweets, making the entire table the focus, rather than the single cake as a centrepiece."
Non-traditional treats are a great way to add unfussy charm and individuality to your dessert choices.
"There's definitely a movement towards simplicity in cake design, many are choosing to use beautiful traditional icings rather than fondant to frost their cakes—there's a warmth and charm to these cakes that I just adore," says Ross. "I'm always excited to see DIY brides who can find their own quirky cake toppers, like unusual vintage figurines, or funny childhood photographs. Bunting and paper flags are also one of my favourite trends, they're simple but oh-so-fun, and can be applied to nearly any form of dessert. For more ornate cakes, a large single hand-sculpted sugar flower is always absolutely stunning."
