Dessert Ideas with Diana Sproveri

by Elizabeth Jenkins, Posted Sep 23rd 2010 1:30PM

Courtesy of Diana Sproveri

Though your mother may shudder reading this, the truth is that wedding cake isn't for everyone. As the bride, you shouldn't feel bad if you don't want to have one at your reception. Los Angeles pastry chef Diana Sproveri, whose celebrity clients include David Schwimmer, Jennie Garth and Lisa Loeb, shares her ideas for making dessert memorable -- whether it includes cake or not!

What's the trick to selecting a wedding cake flavor that everyone will enjoy?

I think it's important to offer a simple, universally-liked wedding cake flavor, like vanilla, chocolate or raspberry. You want to avoid more complex cakes, like carrot cake, or anything with nuts, because fewer people will eat them.

Is there a particular type of wine or cocktail that you think pairs well with wedding cake?

I recommend serving either white wine or champagne with dessert regardless of whether it's vanilla or chocolate. Red wine tends to overwhelm the palette a little bit, whereas white wines and champagnes are a little cleaner.

If a couple wants to serve both wedding cake and a traditional dessert course, what is a good pairing?

I would say something lighter like crème brûlée, tiramisu or chocolate-vanilla mousse, as opposed to something heavy like flan. Anything that is lighter will complement a heavier cake. You don't want to serve something cake-based and then have cake again later in the night.

How does the season affect the choice of dessert?

If you are having an outdoor wedding in the summer, for example, you want to serve lighter desserts, nothing super-heavy. You could do petits fours or lighter pastries, things with citrus flavors. For a winter wedding, you can get a little bit richer with your desserts, like crème brûlée or warm molten chocolate cake.

Should you give guests a choice when it comes to dessert?

You don't necessarily want to give them a choice, because then you would be overpaying to ensure that you have enough of each kind. What a lot of people do at seated dinners is serve two different kinds of dessert. One person gets one kind and the person next to them gets the other kind and so forth. This works well if you have a multitiered wedding cake with alternating flavors.

If a couple does not want to offer wedding cake, what are other yummy dessert options?

Every bride is looking for that unique thing. I did a Lollibakes wedding recently. Those are fun little bites of cake that I make. They are essentially cake on a stick, dipped in chocolate. What people like about them is that you are not locked into one flavor. Cupcakes are still big for the same reason -- maybe not as much on the coasts, but in Middle America they are still popular. You could set up a sweets table after dinner since people are consuming alcohol and want a little something to munch on while they are dancing. Also, coffee with the dessert is an absolute must. Have your caterer set up a coffee station near the sweets table.

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What kinds of things can you offer on a sweets table?

You can do whatever you want. It's your wedding! If you have an outdoor wedding in the grass and you want to be rustic, little pies or tarts are a great idea. You could do a table just with cookies, but they should be gourmet cookies, not your basic oatmeal raisin. You will want to find different ways to present them to dress them up a bit. For example, I like to serve shot glasses filled with milk with a miniature chocolate chip cookie on top. I also like to do frosting shots, like a cream cheese frosting shot with a raspberry coulis on top. You could do a "bar" table and fill it with brownies, blondies and all types of bars.

If you are creating a sweets table, how many pieces or bites per person should you plan on?

If you are serving cake in addition to having a sweets table, you should plan on two or three bites per person. If you are not serving cake, you should plan on three or four bites per person. In my experience, you get 50 to 70 percent of people who take one to two bites, then the other 30 percent or so who stand at the table and literally eat 10 to 15 bites. They make up for the people who only eat one or two.

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Tags: cupcakes, dessert, diana sproveri, wedding cake, wedding cakes, wedding favors