Want to serve something really new and trendy in your wedding dessert bar?  Forgo the cupcake tower and instead, serve authentic French macarons, an up-and-coming wedding trend.  But to do so, make sure they are delicious.   Luckily, we live in close proximity to Manhattan and the outer boroughs, where the real deal can be found.  Here are eight great options, according to this article in The New York Times:

ALMONDINE 85 Water Street (Main Street), Dumbo, Brooklyn, (718) 797-5026, and 442 Ninth Street (Seventh Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 832-4607; $1.75 each.

BISOUS CIAO 101 Stanton Street (Ludlow Street), Lower East Side, (212) 260-3463; $2.50.

LADURÉE 864 Madison Avenue (70th Street), Upper East Side, (646) 558-3157; $2.70.

LITTLE OVEN 12-07 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, (718) 440-9438; $1.75.

LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT 1018 Madison Avenue (78th Street), (212) 744-7117; $2.75.

LA MAISON DU MACARON 132 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, (212) 243-2757; $2.50.

TAKAHACHI BAKERY 25 Murray Street (Church Street), TriBeCa, (212) 791-5550; $2 to $2.25.

VENDÔME at Charbonnel et Walker in Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue (49th Street), (212) 588-0596; can be ordered for local delivery, (917) 892-2127, vendomenyc.com; $2.60 to $3.

North Fork Weddings: Couples want smaller cakes and more variety
By Samantha Brix

Foodies addicted to television shows about baking may assume the current wedding cake trend calls for an extravagant, over-the-top creation.

But “that’s just television,” says Keith Kouris, baker and owner of the Blue Duck Bakery Café in Southold.

Mr. Kouris and other local bakers say North Fork weddings often feature smaller cakes than in years past — but couples now want more than just cake.

Enter the dessert buffet.

Couples are increasingly choosing cakes with curbed eye-popping appeal and instead requesting long tables of desserts filled with cupcakes, cake pops, tiny cheesecakes and miniature pies.

Miche Bacher of Sacred Sweets in Greenport said the dessert buffet, which can also be made mobile on server trays, is a growing trend that allows guests to taste many different sweets at one wedding. Miniature truffles, bite-size cannoli cookies and small ice cream cones are some treats she’s seen debut in the dessert buffet.

The make-my-cake-smaller trend may be partly attributed to the weakened economy, local bakers say; cakes ordered from North Fork bakeries and pastry studios can cost from $2 to $60 a slice, and smaller cakes mean smaller bills.

Mr. Kouris said people tying the knot on the North Fork are “drastically cutting down on the size of the cake.”

He said couples with 200 guests have ordered cakes that feed only 50 guests and a sheet cake kept in the kitchen feeds the rest.

Still, bakers say there are plenty of couples in the market for high-end wedding cakes involving intricate sugar patterns and extensive techniques.

Regardless of how expensive a cake is, bakery owners say autumn weddings tend to call for heavier cakes with rich frostings like chocolate merlot cake with blackberry buttercream frosting, carrot cake with cream cheese filling and red velvet cake with buttercream icing.

Some brides and grooms are ordering towers of cupcakes in the same flavors, but the popularity of the handheld dessert has lost a bit of steam.

“Last year was the year of the cupcake,” Ms. Bacher said. “This year is the year of the red velvet cake.”

Other fall favorites include apple cake with caramel butter icing and pumpkin cake with cream cheese filling, orders that can be filled at Butta Cakes Greenport Cupcake Factory, which also makes traditional wedding cakes.

Ms. Bacher said some couples are asking for more unique cakes like cardamom cake with pear-ginger filling or wine-flavored cakes like merlot, chardonnay and sparkling wine.

“We’re pretty adventurous with our palates and we encourage our brides to be adventurous as well,” Ms. Bacher said.

Another growing trend is serving pies in addition to — or instead of — a wedding cake.

Christopher Junda of Junda’s Pastry Crust and Crumbs in Jamesport said more people are opting for pies at their fall weddings this year. One couple recently requested he bake a table full of pies instead of a wedding cake, and several couples have ordered extra miniature pies to send home with their guests.

Bride-and-groom duos are increasingly giving sugary sweets to their guests when the reception is over, bakers say, and the dessert buffet can even double as a parting gift.

“Brides might have little to-go bakery boxes be the party favors,” Ms. Bacher said.

Fondant is a moldable sugar dough that gives a smooth finish to cakes and can be cut and molded into anything, from 3-D animals to intricate initials. Fondant cupcake toppers are a simple way tie in party themes and impress attendees, while still enjoying the art and act of baking desserts at home.   So do give these a try if you are planning a bridal shower, for the rehearsal dinner or even as a way to decorate your wedding day cupcakes.

Yes, it’s beautiful, but take a look at the two cakes that Oheka Castle created for our royal wedding cake segment on News 12 — which do you like better?

Speaking of News 12, we also showcased gorgeous custom wedding cakes and desserts from Long Island bakeries — our thanks again to Madame Butterfly Cakes, Macayla Michaels Desserts, Cupcakes Catering, Cookies by Design and Sweet Karma Desserts for their contributions, below.    We also thank ADA Studios for providing us with these great images!

In addition to the wedding cake, the couple also asked McVitie’s Cake Company to create a chocolate biscuit cake for the reception at Buckingham Palace.  The chocolate biscuit cake will be made from a Royal Family recipe and was specially requested by Prince William.  How comically British — a biscuit cake.   Will there be tea and crumpets with that?

More about last night’s event later…

Betty Crocker has designed four wedding cakes just for Prince William and his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton.   So from now until March 18, Betty Crocker invites you to visit BettyCrocker.com/RoyalWedding to view the cake designs, inspired by the traditional British phrase “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” and to vote for your favorite cake.   The winning cake will be announced on March 23.    Here’s a peek at two of the confections: