Beyond Cake: 5 dessert ideas

image courtesy of Pink Posh Photography

Nowadays, many couples are choosing to establish their own “traditions” by building a wedding as individual as their relationship.  Lately, we at Plush Catering & Events have seen this trend moving into the dessert arena as more couples depart from the traditional tiered wedding cake, opting instead for fun desserts that not only taste divine, but are also entertaining!

Here are 5 of our favorite dessert-alternative innovations from recent events:

Churros
Crispy, light, and delicious, Churros are a deep-fried, airy pastry popular in Mexico as an after-meal treat or a late night snack.  Often sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, we serve ours with an array of dipping sauces to please the palate.  At Renee and Matt’s wedding our chef started making churros just as the party started winding down – an event we like to call “Late Night Churro Madness!”  Guests gathered around to watch as the churros were made, then enjoyed eating them with two fantastic dipping sauces that Renee & Matt had picked out: Chocolate and Mexican Cajeta – a thick, rich caramel.

Mexican Crepes
Popular and versatile, Mexican crepes can be served as a meal (usually savory) or as a dessert.  For Marc and Jaime’s beach wedding in April we set up a crepe station after the dinner buffet where our pastry chef made crepes as the guests watched in delight.  After a piping hot crepe came off the griddle, guests could fill it with their choice of: fruit, nutella, kahlua, caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, whipped cream,and top it with vanilla bean ice cream.

Dessert Table
The most common request we are getting this season is for dessert tables.  A dessert table can be set up right after dinner or later in the evening when guests might want a sweet snack.  In January we put together a small dessert table for Ricky and Phi-Van’s wedding which included pieces of their wedding cake, mini kahlua and chocolate crème brulees, mini cheesecakes, mini fresh-fruit tartlets, tiramisu in martini glasses, fresh fruit skewers, and mini coconut flan.

The best part about dessert tables is that they’re completely customizable – making them a great choice for couples who want a wide variety.  A dessert table can be as big or small as you want and can include as many different items as you can dream up, plus our extremely talented pastry and dessert chef can create or replicate any dessert.  For Christina and Ezra’s wedding in March 2012 we are creating a custom dessert bar that will include several Mexican candies and Mexican wedding cookies in addition to an assortment of their favorite desserts.

Party Favor Desserts
Want to make an impression on your guests?  Desserts can also be packaged and given to guests as favors.  For Renee and Matt’s wedding our pastry chef baked over 200 Mexican wedding cookies, which we packaged in beautiful gift bags to match their wedding colors.  A bag of these delectables greeted each guest at their place-setting as a portable snack or take-home treat.

Or walk the line of tradition and innovation like Laurie and Chris, who have asked our baker to make a traditional three-tier cake for their New Years Eve wedding, which they will cut for traditional pictures.  But afterward guests will be served beautifully decorated individual frosted cakes in lieu of messy slices.   We did something similar at Lauren and Brian’s wedding at the end of May.  They wanted to serve guests a traditionally Mexican Tres Leches cake, which is very moist and impossible to make into tiers.  So, to compromise, our baker made 30 individual Tres Leches cakes – each garnished with fresh fruit – to serve alongside slices from the traditional tiered cake.

Interactive Desserts
Forget your grandmother’s advise to “not play with your food!”  We have designed several fun, interactive desserts that are sure to bring a smile to guests’ faces.  We already mentioned the churro bar, which awes guests of all ages as they watch the desserts being made by hand.  In addition we have new and exciting offerings for our dessert tables, including desserts served in shot glasses, and new dessert ‘action stations’ that will remind you of childhood camping trips!

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Feeling inspired?  Contact Plush Catering & Events