The piping that I did on the cake above is a Martha Stewart design.

When making, selling, or buying wedding and specialty cakes, there is the factor of the cake serving platter. Because every cake needs to sit on top of something, preferably not the tablecloth or a piece of cardboard, which would just get soggy. Here are my most-used options for cake platters.

Cake Drums

The most affordable option, and my favorite for cake platters are disposable cake drums. Even though they are lightweight and made of cardboard, the 1/2″ versions do not bend. They are grease-resistant and more resilient than foiled masonite boards or pads. There is a great selection of white, gold, and silver cake drums online at Global Sugar Art below. I recommend white as it’s the most neutral color.

► Square cake drums
► Round cake drums
► Rectangular cake drums

I prefer to attach cardboard cake bases to cake drums and boards using glue dots.

Disposable Cake Boards

For lighter weight cakes, a more economical option than cake drums is disposable cake boards. Boards are available in white, silver, and black foils as well but the most neutral color and the one that I recommend is white. Grease-proof disposable white cake boards can be purchased in bulk or individually at Global Sugar Art.

Masonite or Wood Boards Covered in Foil

Covering a board in foil is a classic old school method that it is still widely used. When I say foil here, I do not mean tin foil but rather cake board foil.

► masonite boards
► cake board foil

Masonite is made from compacted wood fibers. It is quite thin considering how strong it is. If you can retrieve the cake platter at the end of the party (like if you happen to be attending the party or you work for the catering company or venue), then you can effectively use the same masonite boards or pieces of wood over and over again. Boards need to be refoiled between uses, however. Here is where you can find a great selection of

Plexiglass

Plexiglass can be handy for achieving some effects.  Because it is transparent, it lends the option of building a display beneath the cake. For instance, I once made a Glenlivet bottle groom’s cake on a plexiglass platter that sat atop a bunch of shot glasses filled with scotch. In the above example, the blue plexiglass gives the impression of water beneath a koi fish cake.The drawback of plexiglass is that it easily shows fingerprints and it bends a little, which is okay for fondant and modeling chocolate-covered cakes but can cause buttercream finishes to crack. Plexiglass can be special ordered at your local plastics dealer in various colors and thicknesses.

Wood Cutting Boards

The cutting board is a viable alternative wedding cake stand. I have seen a lot of creative uses of finished wood or rougher chunks of wood that look beautiful when paired with earthy cake designs. Here is a savory dessert course that I built out of of actual cheese, which is a trend in some places of the world. If you are interested in reading more about this gastronomer’s delight, check out the Cheese Shed, an artisan cheese monger in the U.K. You can even use their interactive cheese cake building software to build your own virtual cake!

Custom Cake Stands

 

The classiest option for a wedding cake is the cake stand. Commonly used sizes for wedding cakes are the 16” round stand and a 14” square stand. It looks best if the stand is not much wider than the cake itself. There are also custom cake stand manufacturers such as Raise the Cake who will design and hand craft unique stands for your occasion. If you happen to be crafty and slick with power tools, you may also consider making your own cake stand.

Check out my Pinterest gallery of DIY cake stand tutorials and ideas, including stands made from all kinds of things you would never guess.

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