Compared to the event and the decorations involved, it may not seem that the cake stand itself is a critical part of the equation. What most people overlook is the fact that the way in which the cake is displayed is the critical factor, especially when the cake itself becomes the focal point of the affair. Cake stands have been used for many occasions, the most elegant ones being employed for displaying the cake at wedding receptions.
However, they can also be used for cake presentations at birthday bashes or to turn an ordinary breakfast into a more festive affair. One way or the other, the cake stand becomes the stage for displaying that tasty dessert. Listed below are a handful of examples of the different types of cake stands out there in the marketplace. Regardless of the event that you are planning, this should give you an idea of all the options to choose from.
The Standard Pedestal Type
The pedestal type is probably the most common type of cake stand in use today. Whether it’s in the home, at a bakery, or on a coffee shop counter top, the pedestal cake stand is normally what you see. The diameters of these typically range between 6” to 12” and stand somewhere between 6” and 9” tall. Additionally, the pedestal types are topped with a glass cover in some instances as well making them ideal for displaying a single or double layer cake, doughnuts, or muffins.
Wedding Cake Stands
There are numerous opinions regarding the ideal wedding cake stand. The current school of thought is claiming that the 3 tiered pillar display is becoming passé, for the most part, and that cake designers today are opting for a cleaner, shorter, and simpler look. This is not a hard and fast rule so we wanted to cover the 5 most common wedding cake stands that are still in use today, specifically the Floating, Grouped Arrangement, Pillared, Tower, and the Traditional stands.
The Floating Cake Stand employs the use of a central stabilizer located at the back of the stand giving the impression that the cake layers are “floating” on their bases
Grouped Arrangement Cake Stands are very versatile in that they are designed for you to display more than one cake at a time in a variety of ways. Grouped arrangements can be displayed asymmetrically (no particular display pattern) if you want to be different from the norm. However, the standard three group arrangements are cascading, rounded, or stair stepped.
Cake stands that are Pillared come in a variety of designs and styles, but they typically employ bases and pillars between each of the cake’s tiers. They can be short or tall based on the diameter or width of the cake layers. Despite the current school of though mentioned above, the pillared cake stand is still considered to be one of the most elegant ways that you can display a cake.
Similar to the pillared cake stand is the Tower. The tower effect is created by using a single column through the middle of each cake layer, therefore creating the tower effect.
The Traditional Cake Stand is normally a three tiered affair since most wedding cakes are created in three tiers. They can be round or square, and are typically manufactured in one of three designs – pedestal, plateau, or un raised.