Hi Cakers - I’ve been asked to do a Groom’s Cake for a friend (in 2 weeks).  They want a fairly plain chocolate cake, so I’d like to fancy up the presentation a bit.  I was thinking of placing fern fronds (or something like that) under the cake base, then place various fruits all around (maybe sugared ones). 

Any advice from some of you who have done this before?  Thanks so much!

Patrincia - 02 January 2008 08:51 PM

Hi Cakers - I’ve been asked to do a Groom’s Cake for a friend (in 2 weeks).  They want a fairly plain chocolate cake, so I’d like to fancy up the presentation a bit.  I was thinking of placing fern fronds (or something like that) under the cake base, then place various fruits all around (maybe sugared ones). 

Any advice from some of you who have done this before?  Thanks so much!

Hi Patrincia,

Some people may be wary of ferns because some have been implicated as potential carcinogens, and some are noxious, and the safe ones to eat are the ones at the fiddlehead stage.  Though the ferns are not meant for eating, some guests might pick at it and nibble (isn’t there a similar story in the Cake Bible about someone eating flowers?).

What about trying rosemary?  It is a nice evergreen, and may be a nice touch to a winter wedding.

Good luck on this.

Thanks for your reply Julius - the ferns wouldn’t be touching any part of the cake.  They would serve more as a table decoration (between the tablecloth and the cake base).  I’ve seen many photos of similar presentations, so I know it’s a fairly common practice.  .... I was just looking for words of wisdom from anyone who has experience doing this. 

Happy Baking and Happy New Year!