The wedding cake (in Italian, torta nuziale) is the cake for the cutting and the toast. It can be made by the caterer, an outside pastry shop or a cake designer, and the choice changes costs, rules and logistics. If it comes from outside, the caterer may charge a cake-cutting fee to store, cut and serve it.
Sometimes the showpiece cake and the portions served to the guests are not the same cake: one is for looking at, the other is cut in the kitchen. In summer, cream, custards and mascarpone must be kept cold until the cutting, and decorations should be chosen with the heat in mind. The cutting usually ends the dinner and starts the party, often together with the dessert buffet and the confettata.
What to ask
Ask whether the cake is included in the menu, whether you can taste it at the tasting, whether an outside cake is accepted and at what cost, and who receives it on the wedding day. You will find everything in the guides to wedding cake and confettata and to wedding cakes and cake design.
