Here's the joke: The wedding day was so emotional, even the cake was in tiers!
But what are tiers? Are they the same as layers? (Hint: no.) What is torting? (Hint: that's to do with layers.) And what do barrels have to do with cake? Here is our guide to some of the cake lingo that can leave you scratching your head.
Sometimes I've had customers describe a cake they are making and say "it's got two layers. One layer is smaller than the other." I get confused because in my mind, that is a very odd way to arrange layers of cake. Or they'll say "it's going to be a three tier cake" and after some more questions, I realise that we are not talking the same language, and they are making a cake with three layers of cake, not a three tiered cake.
So, put simply, a tier of cake is made of 2 or more layers of cake. Imagine you are making an 8" cake (mmmm, cake!) The cake has 3 x 1" tall layers of cake and 2 x layers of filling. All those layers together create a three layered cake OR one cake tier.
Repeat after me: Three layers of cake is not a cake with three tiers.
One layered cake by itself is one tier.
A smaller layered cake stacked on top of a larger layered cake is a two tier cake.
Wedding cakes often have three, four or more tiers, depending on how showy offy the couple are ;-) The tiers can either be directly stacked upon each other or separated by pillars or stands.
Cake tiers come in varying heights. Modern cakes tend to be much taller than they used to be as they make more of a visual impact in this Instagram fuelled world of ours. When describing the height of a tier, get familiar with these terms:
Standard: In the olden days, this would have been around 3" tall. Today, as the fashion is for taller cakes, a standard height is more like 4" tall - some decorators would even consider 5" their standard height - and is made up of two or more layers of cake with fillings.
Extended: Around 6" - 7" tall. Think of it like one and half standard height cakes.
Double Barrel: 2 x 4" tall, so 8" - 9" tall. This will require some extra structure to stop the cake collapsing on itself. It's a good idea to also put a board in the middle of the cake to make it easier to cut.
Triple Barrel: Not for the faint hearted! This is a 12" or taller whopper.
Most serving guides will give you portions for a standard height cake. For double and triple barrel cakes, you can double or triple the servings. When looking at serving guides, you need to remember that they are based on the cake being cut into square pieces, not cut into wedges as is often done with a round cake at a party.
Here is a great video on how to cut a cake into square pieces:
To make things even more confusing, serving guides will also give you different sized portions. And if you're like me, these sizes never sound like enough cake, but don't forget that the height of the cake makes this a lot bigger in person!:
Party serve: 2" x 2" x height of cake
This is a nice sized piece when everyone is there for cake and there are no other desserts on offer, like you would serve at a party on a paper napkin. I would use this size for a dessert serve of a sponge cake.
Dessert serve: 2" x 1" x height of cake
This would be the size you'd go for at a wedding if the wedding cake is the only dessert. It'll most likely come with some sort of fruit and cream accompaniment.
Finger / coffee serve: 1" x 1" x height of cake
Served when dessert has finished, often with tea and coffee. Most people don't want a massive chunk of cake on these kinds of occasions, but a little taste is perfect.
Such a strange word, but this is really just splitting or dividing a cake into layers and adding a filling between the layers. This will help give your tier extra height, as well as extra deliciousness when eating. If your cake is dry, torte it into two or three layers, spray some sugar syrup on it, add buttercream or ganache to the the layers and voila! Your cake will be delectable!
You can torte a cake with just a knife, or there are many levellers on the market to make the job easier. Check out our blog on levellers here!
The term slab cake is pretty interchangeable with the term sheet cake. It's a big, flat rectangle cake.
As they are rectangle they can easily be cut up into squares and will feed a lot of people - perfect for a large informal gathering!
You'd be forgiven for thinking they are a bit old fashioned as it's the kind of thing you can buy at Woolies or Costco. You know, where they pipe some icing around the outside and a sweet message in the middle. But slab cakes have come a long way! Due to their large flat surface area, they are a great canvas for decorating. Check these beauties out!
Wedding cakes can get very expensive, especially if you have a lot of guests. One way to keep the cost down is to get a kitchen cake. It's essentially a slab cake kept out of sight until it's cut up and served, so it doesn't need to be decorated like the main cake on display. This way, instead of needing a massive four tier cake, you can get a smaller three tier cake and a kitchen cake or two to make up the portions.
If you think of the layer of icing around a cake as its "clothes", a naked cake is exactly that: a cake without its clothes on. Naughty! The layers of cake and filling are fully visible, and the cake may be topped off with a dusting of icing sugar, and have some berries or flowers for decoration. Think boho chic. Think rustic. Think vintage.
Heavily accessorised naked cakes for the win!
OK, this lamington cake is probably not technically a naked cake, but it follows the principles and looks DELICIOUS!
If we continue the "clothes" analogy, a semi naked cake has its underwear and a negligee on - it's covered, but only just ;-) These cakes are a bit more elegant, I think, as the buttercream or ganache scraped around the outside kind of neatens everything up.