How to Look for Cake Ideas

Cakes are often the culinary centerpiece for a variety of social occasions and meals. Whether you are looking for cake ideas for wedding cakes, birthday cakes, or simply a cake for next Sunday's dinner, your options may seem overwhelming. Or, you may have looked through endless books and websites and not have seen anything you love. Fortunately, with the many ways to customize cakes, you can find inspiration for a cake that meets all your criteria and stuns your guests. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Visit a few local bakeries. They will usually have compilations with illustrations of their past work. They may even have enough samples or finished products for you to get an idea of what you want. Talk with an employee about different flavors, toppings, and decorations. This will help you get a better idea of what choices you have, and narrow them down to what you want.

Browse through cake websites. There are a number of websites that feature cake recipes with illustrations. Some sites compile pictures of cakes for people to copy for their own special events.

Look through an illustrative recipe book. As with websites, there are books that contain hundreds of examples of cakes. Some are intended for cooks and come with recipes, while others are simply compilations of photographs of special types of cakes.

Watch one of the many recent TV shows about cakes and baking. Currently there are an abundance of TV shows about bakeries and cakes for special events. These include "Ace of Cakes," "Last Cake Standing" and "Amazing Wedding Cakes." These shows showcase several types of cakes every show and may inspire you with a specific idea.

Look back through history or to other cultures for more ideas. Like with many other types of foods, different types of cakes go through trends. Some ways of making cakes are recent or particular to this country. You may end up finding yourself drawn to a cake that was more popular in a different decade or that is regional to a different country. For example, a baba is a type of Russian cake traditionally served at Easter. Wedding cakes in the 19th century were often made with citron, a citrus fruit.