Let them eat…anything but cake

WRITTEN BY WANDA CURTIS

One of the many wedding traditions that’s changing today is the white multi-tiered wedding cake. Instead of a tall cake shared by all of the guests, many couples are opting for a more personalized and fun approach to dessert, serving up doughnuts, cupcakes, macarons, or even Maine’s favorite treat — whoopie pies.

According to Rian Hulbert, who owns SugarRay Baking Company in Bangor, wedding cake alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. She said many weddings are now less formal, with Bohemian and rustic-style weddings replacing the traditional weddings of the past. Both young and older couples are looking for something different, she said.

Here are just a few wedding dessert alternatives offered by local bakeries in Greater Bangor.

Doughnuts
Doughnuts have become a favorite wedding cake alternative. They can be served on a platter or hung on a board with pegs known as a “doughnut wall.” Just keep in mind that cake doughnuts hold up better on a doughnut wall than yeast doughnuts, Hulbert said. Doughnuts come in a variety of colors and flavors. Some couples are opting to order wedding cake alternatives in colors that match the colors of the bridal party.

Gosselin’s Bakery in Bangor is one of several local bakeries that offer a large selection of doughnuts, from plain to blueberry glazed to chocolate-coconut. Some bakeries will even coordinate the color of the glaze with the wedding party colors, if requested by the couple.

Cupcakes
Cupcakes are another favorite alternative. They can be arranged on a platter or stacked to form a cupcake tower. They can accompany a traditional wedding cake or replace the cake entirely. They’re easier to handle and serve, rather than slicing a multi-tiered cake into many pieces.

The sCRUMBtious bakery in Glenburn uses all natural and organic ingredients for cupcakes. They offer unique flavors such as green tea, peanut butter ’n’ jelly, peaches ’n’ cream, as well as cookies ’n’ cream, in addition to traditional chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. A tip from the sCRUMBtious bakery: Stick your cupcakes in the freezer for an hour before making a cupcake tower.

Macarons
Macarons (pronounced mac-ah-rons) are another popular wedding cake alternative today, either replacing the cake or served as a complement to the wedding cake. A macaron is a French sandwich cookie often made with almond flour, egg whites, confectioners’ sugar, and food coloring. The colors of the cookies are associated with the flavors, such as green for lime and pink for raspberry, but could be made to compliment a couple’s wedding colors. Two cookies are sandwiched together and filled with a fruit jam, buttercream, ganache, or another tasty filling.

Simply Macarons by Jaelin, located in Bangor, offers many choices for couples looking for something unique to serve their guests. Couples can select from a wide range of flavors, including blueberry-lemonade, orange creamsicle, raspberry mocha, hot cocoa, s’mores, and many more. As with other alternatives, macarons can be served on a platter or stacked into a tower.

Cheesecake
Cheesecakes are an alternative dessert which can be stacked in layers, served individually, or even made into cake shooters in small transparent glasses or plastic cups. SCRUMBtious bakery in Glenburn offers caramel apple cheesecakes as a tasty flavor option perfect for fall.

Whoopie Pies
Why not offer Maine’s official state treat for dessert? The Whoopee Wagon Bakery in Exeter offers more than 300 types of whoopie pies that can be ordered for weddings. Chocolate cake with vanilla filling or peanut butter filling are two of their most popular selections, along with apple cake with a caramel filling. Other bakeries, including SugarRay’s, also offer this Maine favorite as a wedding dessert option.

Cinnamon Rolls
Giant cinnamon rolls are now served at some weddings as an alternative to a wedding cake. They can be stacked into the shape of a cake with cream cheese frosting swirled on top. Or they can be served as individual desserts. Hulbert said smaller cinnamon rolls can also accompany a more traditional wedding cake.

Dessert Bar
Can’t choose just one dessert? For couples who have a difficult time deciding, you can always opt for a dessert bar with more than one of your favorite desserts. Cookies, cupcakes, pies, cake shooters, whoopie pies, doughnuts, or any combination of desserts can be offered on a dessert bar. When it comes to wedding cake alternatives, the sky’s the limit.