Vanilla Rum Cake With Dulce de Leche and Other Excellent Decisions

There are some things in life I am willing to debate.
Wedding traditions.
Whether you really need favors.
How early hair and makeup should start.
Whether we have enough candles.
I will hear arguments.
Vanilla rum cake with dulce de leche?
No.
The matter has been settled.
Thank you for coming.

Some Flavors Just Know What They're Doing

I love an unexpected flavor combination.
Something you taste and immediately go:
Wait. What's in this?
That's fun.
But I also have a deep appreciation for combinations that don't need to prove anything.
Chocolate and espresso.
Passion fruit and vanilla.
Vanilla rum cake and dulce de leche.
Nobody at the table is confused.
Nobody needs a diagram.
They simply belong together.
And because apparently this is what we're doing this week, I would like to discuss them.
At length.

Chocolate Mousse + Espresso

Of course.
We could move on, honestly.
But let's give them their moment.
Chocolate mousse is rich, soft, creamy and unapologetically dessert.
Espresso walks in with bitterness and says:
Enough.
That's why they work.
The coffee cuts through some of the richness of the chocolate without making it less chocolatey.
If anything, espresso makes chocolate taste even more like chocolate.
Which feels like witchcraft, but I'm not asking questions.
And after dinner at a wedding?
A little chocolate mousse.
A little espresso.
A tiny spoon.
Maybe everyone leaves me alone for four minutes.
Beautiful.

Passion Fruit Mousse + Vanilla

Now we go in the opposite direction.
Passion fruit has opinions.
It is bright.
Tart.
Fragrant.
A little dramatic.
I respect it.
But put all that acidity next to soft, creamy vanilla and everything settles down.
Vanilla doesn't compete with passion fruit.
It lets passion fruit be passion fruit while quietly making the whole thing smoother.
This is the dessert for the person who says:
“I don't want anything too sweet.”
And then finishes the entire thing.
As you should.
It's especially lovely after a heavier dinner because it feels lighter and brighter without tasting like somebody gave you fruit because dessert was cancelled.
That would be unacceptable.

Vanilla Rum Cake + Dulce de Leche

Hello.
Here we are.
Vanilla rum cake already has everything going for it.
Soft vanilla.
Warm rum.
Moist cake.
That slightly deeper flavor that makes it feel richer than regular vanilla cake.
And then someone adds dulce de leche.
Why?
Because happiness exists.
Dulce de leche brings that deep, milky caramel flavor that works ridiculously well with rum and vanilla.
It is warm.
Rich.
A little indulgent.
Possibly unnecessary.
Which is exactly why I love it.
Not every decision needs restraint.
Sometimes the correct answer is:
Yes. Put the dulce de leche on it.

This Is Also Why I Love Tastings

I know.
I accidentally became useful again.
But tastings are fun because a flavor written on a menu and a flavor sitting in front of you are two completely different things.
You may read:
Vanilla rum cake with dulce de leche.
And think:
That sounds sweet.
Then you taste it and realize the rum changes the vanilla, the filling isn't as sweet as you expected, and suddenly you're protecting your sample from your fiancé.
Information has been gathered.
Decision made.
Or maybe you were absolutely convinced you wanted chocolate cake until someone handed you passion fruit mousse and now we're rewriting the dessert plan.
Also fine.
This is why we taste things.
Preferably several times.
For accuracy.

Your Wedding Cake Does Not Have to Please Everyone

I would like to release couples from this burden.
You do not need to find the one cake flavor that every person at your wedding considers their favorite.
It cannot be done.
Someone doesn't like chocolate.
Someone thinks fruit belongs nowhere near cake.
Someone only likes vanilla.
Someone wants red velvet.
Someone will tell you buttercream is too sweet while eating their second slice.
These people cannot be governed.
Choose something you actually like.
If you want to offer two flavors, lovely.
If your cake has different tiers with different flavors, wonderful.
If you want cake plus another dessert, excellent.
But please don't turn dessert into a United Nations negotiation.
It's cake.
We're supposed to be having a good time.

And Cake Doesn't Have to Do All the Work

This might be my favorite part.
Wedding dessert does not have to mean one giant cake standing alone in the corner under a spotlight.
You can have cake.
And mousse.
And affogato.
Obviously.
Maybe mini desserts.
Maybe something your family makes.
Maybe a dessert from your culture.
Maybe something you always order when you go out together.
Maybe your favorite bakery makes something so good that you don't particularly care whether it looks traditionally “wedding.”
Bring it.
Dessert is one of the easiest places to let the wedding loosen its tie a little.
Dinner can be elegant.
The tables can be beautiful.
The candles can be glowing.
And then somebody can walk out with tiny cups of chocolate mousse.
Nobody is going to complain.
And if they do?
I'll take theirs.

Dessert Doesn't Have to Match the Wedding

Your passion fruit mousse does not need to coordinate with your flowers.
Your dulce de leche does not need to be represented in the color palette.
Your chocolate mousse does not need a little gold leaf on top because your chargers are gold.
Please let the mousse live.
Dessert's primary responsibility is to be delicious.
That's already a very important job.
Of course it can be beautifully presented.
We like beautiful things around here.
But I would rather have a slightly imperfect slice of incredible rum cake than a flawless architectural dessert that tastes like absolutely nothing.
Every time.

The Best Dessert Tables Look Like People Ate Dessert

This may be controversial in the age of perfectly photographed wedding details.
I love seeing a dessert table after people have gotten to it.
A slice missing.
A spoon left behind.
A little chocolate on a plate.
Someone went back for another one.
The cake has actually been cut.
The espresso cups are accumulating.
That's not the dessert display being ruined.
That's the dessert display succeeding.
You bought it for people to eat.
Let them eat it.
Please.
Especially the chocolate mousse.

And Then There Is Affogato

I know affogato technically had its moment earlier this week.
I don't care.
Vanilla gelato.
Hot espresso.
That's it.
No twelve ingredients.
No architectural garnish.
No explanation.
Hot meets cold.
Bitter meets sweet.
The gelato starts melting into the espresso.
And suddenly I am dancing at somebody's wedding while holding a tiny spoon.
We have already established this.
Please respect my privacy.

So What Should You Serve?

I have no idea.
That is between you, your taste buds and whoever is making dessert.
This is not secretly a post where I tell you everyone should serve my favorites.
Although, looking back at the last several paragraphs, I understand how you might have reached that conclusion.
What I actually want is for you to have fun with it.
Taste things.
Try the combination you weren't expecting.
Order the thing you always order.
Bring in the dessert your family loves.
Choose the cake flavor you keep thinking about three days after the tasting.
And sometimes?
Choose something for no reason other than:
That is ridiculously good.
That is enough.

I Will Not Be Taking Questions

Chocolate mousse + espresso.
Passion fruit mousse + vanilla.
Vanilla rum cake + dulce de leche.
Affogato whenever possible.
These are my findings.
The research was extensive.
The methodology was delicious.
The conclusions are final.
I will not be taking questions.
A Very Lovely Wedding