Let’s talk about wedding cake. Who doesn’t love cake?! Nobody? That’s what we thought. The tradition of cutting a wedding cake goes back centuries, and it’s meant to symbolize good luck for the couple and their guests in attendance. To learn more about baking wedding cakes and what makes them so special, we chatted with Johannah Zuniga, master baker and owner of Dream Cakes. She shares her background in baking, what inspires her, and why wedding cakes are still the number one wedding dessert.
How did you get into the industry?
Oh, what a fun story! When I moved here 10 years ago, I went straight to baking and pastry school at Oregon Culinary Institute, followed by an internship and four-year career at Black Sheep Bakery (where Megan [Anderson] and I met and worked together). At the time, Amanda Felt owned BSB and she was friends with Judy Reese, who was the previous owner of Dream Cakes. Whenever Judy needed a vegan side cake she’d order it though BSB, and I was the one making them. Years later when Amanda was getting married and needed me to pick up her wedding cake from Judy, I was told that she was selling Dream Cakes and I should consider buying it. I fell in love with Dream Cakes immediately, and nine months later I bought it.
Photos by Kimberly Kay Photography, Ben Pigao Weddings, and Aniko Photography
What sort of wedding desserts are trending right now and why?
You don’t want me to answer this honestly, trust me. I’ll just say this, donut walls are cool and all but you can have a donut any ol’ day. A wedding cake is special, cake in general is special, it’s meant for special occasions, occasions that are usually associated with making fond, fun memories. It’s not your average American breakfast pastry that’s usually found at the office…just saying.
What differentiates a great wedding cake baker from a mediocre baker?
EVERYTHING is made from scratch and by-hand start to finish! Believe it or not, there are a lot of pre-made fillings and cakes out there that usually contain an insane amount of preservatives—yuck! We make all of our fillings and cakes fresh and from scratch, using as many locally-sourced ingredients as humanly possible. Yes, this takes a million times longer than just buying it from the store, but the flavor is undeniably better.
Photo by Aniko Photography
What’s your favorite part about baking wedding cakes?
Oh gosh, the whole process! Both Megan and I have pretty bad OCD issues, so the whole process satisfies the need for routine, counting, and making something. Both of us really like cleaning too, and there’s always a mess to clean afterwards. I’ve been baking since I was 4; to be honest I simply don’t know how to do anything else. It’s the best and I feel so lucky that I get to do this.
How do you stay inspired in your field?
The couples actually. I love it when they have ideas and give us freedom to roll with it. I’m queen procrastinator, so I like when someone give us a challenge and I sit around stressing about it for days before finally getting brave enough to tackle it, and it almost always turns out great. I guess to sum it up, stress keeps me inspired, haha!
Photos by Dylan M Howell
What are your recommendations for choosing a wedding cake?
Two things: Pick something that you both like, but remember that you’re serving a lot of people and you do actually want the cake to get eaten, so try to satisfy both the “rich” and “light” cake lovers. For example, we allow clients to choose a different flavor combo for every tier, so we recommend picking two combos for a 50/50 divide. So picking dark chocolate cake with salted caramel, and white butter cake with lemon curd and fresh berries satisfies almost everyone. The other thing we recommend is not getting crazy with the flavors. Not that many people like rose flavored things; know what I mean? Keep it basic. And lastly, try not to think or stress too much about it. Whatever you choose is going to be good.
How do you see the industry evolving over the next five to 10 years?
I have no idea, but we’re ready for it!
Related: 7 Must-Have Wedding Vendors
After working in the wedding industry for over nine years, we’ve learned a thing or two about how to make a wedding day successful, but even we aren’t experts on every aspect of weddings! As part of a special guest series, we’re speaking with local vendors who work in the industry—from coordinators and cake designers to photographers and venues—to help you make the best decisions when it comes to planning and choosing vendors for your day. Look out for another Q&A coming soon!
Additional photo by Dylan M Howell
