Mini-Wedding Cakes Recipe

This Mini-Wedding Cakes Recipe is a stunning and delicious recipe, which is made with marzipan and a rich yolk-based buttercream. It’s a professional-style celebration cake, ready in about 5 hours (including cooling and assembly).

Jump to Recipe

Mini-Wedding Cakes Recipe Ingredients

A classic combination for a truly impressive and professional-style cake.

For the Marzipan Cake:

• 16 ounces marzipan (almond paste)
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 20 ounces (5 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 large eggs
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Butter and flour, for the pans

For the Italian Buttercream (French-Style):

• 7 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 24 egg yolks
• 4 pounds (16 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

For Assembly & Decoration:

• 2 pounds fondant
• Red, blue, and yellow food coloring (optional)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons egg whites (for royal icing)
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

How To Make Mini-Wedding Cakes

A step-by-step guide to this stunning and delicious celebration cake.

Part 1: Make the Marzipan Cakes

1. Prep Oven and Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour one 9-inch round cake pan AND one 9×9-inch square cake pan.
2. Combine Ingredients: In a food processor, pulse the sugar and marzipan together until they form fine, sandy crumbs. This prevents lumps of marzipan in the batter.
3. Cream the Mixture: In a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar-marzipan mixture and beat well until light and fluffy.
4. Make the Batter: Add the vanilla. Add the eggs two at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ginger. On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in batches, mixing just until combined.
5. Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter between the prepared pans (fill them about 3/4 full). Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in their pans.

Part 2: Make the Buttercream

Note: This recipe uses egg yolks, making it a rich “French” style buttercream, though often referred to as Italian in home recipes due to the syrup method.

1. Make Sugar Syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine the 7 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240°F (the “soft-ball” stage).
2. Whip and Combine: While the syrup cooks, whip the 24 egg yolks in a stand mixer until light, pale, and fluffy. With the mixer running at a moderate speed, very carefully and slowly pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream down the side of the bowl into the whipping yolks.
3. Finish the Buttercream: Continue whipping the mixture on high speed until it has cooled down to room temperature. Once the yolk mixture is cool, add the softened butter in small batches, mixing until each addition is incorporated and the buttercream is smooth, silky, and emulsified.

Part 3: Assemble the Cake

1. Cut and Frost Tiers: Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Leave the 9-inch round cake whole (this is your bottom tier). From the 9-inch square pan, use round cookie cutters (or a knife and template) to cut one 5-inch circle and one 3-inch circle of cake. You will now have three tiers: 9-inch, 5-inch, and 3-inch. Coat each cake layer with a smooth layer of the buttercream and freeze until firm (at least 30 minutes).
2. Cover with Fondant: Divide the fondant and knead in food coloring to create your desired pastel colors. On a surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar, roll out a circle of fondant large enough to cover one of the cake tiers. Drape it over the frozen, frosted cake. Use a fondant smoother or your hands to smooth the sides, then trim the excess fondant at the bottom. Repeat for all three tiers.
3. Stack and Decorate: On a large cake platter, place the 9-inch tier. Top with the 5-inch tier, then the 3-inch tier. Run a long wooden skewer down the center through all three cakes to secure them.
4. Pipe Details: Prepare a simple royal icing by whipping the powdered sugar and egg whites until stiff and pipeable. Use a piping bag with a small round tip to pipe decorative details (dots, pearls, or swirls) onto the fondant.

Recipe Tips

• Marzipan Texture: It is crucial to blitz the marzipan with the sugar first. If you just throw chunks of marzipan into the butter, they will never break down and you will have heavy lumps in your cake.
• Buttercream Temperature: When making the buttercream, do not add the butter while the yolk syrup is still hot. It will melt the butter and turn into soup. The yolk foam must be cool to the touch.
• Fondant Success: Freezing the buttercream-frosted cakes before covering them with fondant provides a hard surface to work on, ensuring sharp edges and a smooth finish.
• Support: While a skewer works for this mini version, if you are transporting the cake, you may want to put small dowels or bubble tea straws into the bottom layers to support the weight of the cakes above.

What To Serve With Mini-Wedding Cakes

This is a heavy, rich, celebration cake best served in small slices.

• Champagne or Sparkling Wine
• Fresh raspberries or strawberries on the side to cut the sweetness
• Strong coffee

How To Store Mini-Wedding Cakes

• Room Temperature: Fondant cakes are generally best stored at cool room temperature (out of direct sunlight). However, this buttercream has a lot of egg yolks. It is safe at cool room temp for the day of the event.
• Refrigerate: For longer storage, refrigerate the cake. Note that fondant can sometimes “sweat” or become sticky when removed from the fridge due to condensation.

Mini-Wedding Cakes Nutrition Facts

(Per slice, assuming 30 small wedding-sized servings)

• Calories: ~850 kcal
• Total Fat: 55g
• Saturated Fat: 32g
• Cholesterol: 290mg
• Sodium: 220mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 85g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: 75g
• Protein: 8g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used. This is a very high-calorie special occasion dessert.

FAQs