How to Cut and Serve a Cheese Wedding Cake: A Practical Wedding-Day Guide
A cheese wedding cake makes a delicious alternative to a traditional sweet cake. It looks impressive, gives your guests a selection of cheeses to enjoy and can become a real centrepiece on your special day.
But once your cheese cake arrives, what happens next?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you…
This guide explains how to store, assemble, cut and serve a cheese wedding cake, including the equipment you will need and what to do with any cheese left at the end of the celebration.
What is a Cheese Wedding Cake?
A cheese wedding cake is a tiered arrangement made from whole cheese wheels, large cutting cheeses, cheese truckles and smaller cheese barrels.
The cheeses are stacked in gradually smaller layers to create the familiar shape of a traditional wedding cake. However, instead of cutting through sponge and icing, guests can enjoy a variety of savoury flavours and textures.
The main features of cheese cakes for weddings include:
- A mixture of cheese sizes, shapes and flavours
- A firm and stable base made from a larger cheese wheel
- Smaller truckles, barrels or heart-shaped cheeses on the upper tiers
- Decorations such as fruit, herbs, flowers or ribbons
- Crackers, chutneys and other accompaniments served alongside
Chuckling Cheese wedding cheese cakes arrive deconstructed and need to be built before the event. This protects the individual cheeses during delivery and allows you to decorate the finished cake to suit your wedding theme.
When to take the cheese out of the fridge?
Cheese usually tastes better when it is not served fridge-cold. Allowing it to warm slightly can help bring out its flavour, aroma and texture.
As a general guide, take larger cheeses out of the fridge at least one hour before they are due to be served. Smaller truckles and barrels may need less time, particularly in a warm venue.
However, food safety must come first.
The Chuckling Cheese Company advises storing cheese celebration cakes below 5°C. The Food Standards Agency also recommends keeping fridges at 5°C or below and states that chilled buffet food should not remain out of refrigeration for longer than four hours. Keep away from radiators, direct sunlight and other sources of heat. For a summer wedding, especially one held in a marquee, wait until closer to serving time before bringing the cheese into the reception area.
Should you assemble the cheese cake at the venue?
Whenever possible, transport and store the cheeses separately before assembling the cake at the venue.
A fully assembled cheese wheel wedding cake can be heavy and difficult to move. Transporting it in separate layers reduces the risk of the tower leaning, falling or damaging the smaller cheeses.
Before the wedding, agree who will be responsible for assembling it. This could be your caterer, wedding coordinator or a trusted member of the wedding party.
Place the largest and firmest cheese on a strong, level cake board or serving board. Add the remaining cheeses from largest to smallest, following the arrangement planned for your cake. Make sure every layer is stable before adding the next one.
If your cheese wheel cake contains a particularly soft cheese, ask your supplier whether cake boards, separators or supports are required between the tiers.
Which cheese knives and serving tools will you need?
Prepare the following before serving:
- A large, sharp knife for firm cheese wheels
- A serrated knife for hard or crumbly cheeses
- Smaller cheese knives for individual truckles and barrels
- A cheese wire for softer or sticky cheeses
- Clean chopping boards or serving boards
- Small tongs or serving forks
- Separate spoons for each chutney
Where possible, give each cheese its own knife. This helps keep the flavours distinct and reduces the risk of transferring ingredients or allergens between different foods.
How to dismantle a cheese wedding cake safely
Do not try to cut the entire cheese wedding cake while it is still stacked.
First, remove any flowers, ribbons, fruit, toppers or other decorations. Check carefully for floristry wire, cocktail sticks or supports that should not remain near the food.
Starting at the top, lift each cheese onto a separate clean board. Continue until the large base wheel is the only cheese left on the main display board.
Dismantling the cake from the top down makes it safer to cut and gives the catering team more space to create neat portions.
How to cut cheese wheels, truckles and barrels
Different shapes need slightly different cutting methods.
Large cheese wheels
Cut a large round cheese wheel in half, then divide each half into quarters. Cut the quarters into smaller wedges from the centre towards the outer edge.
For a very large or firm wheel, the wedges can then be divided into smaller slices or bite-sized pieces. Cutting from the centre helps ensure portions include both the middle and outer part of the cheese.
Cheese truckles
A waxed truckle can be divided into halves, quarters and then smaller wedges or slices.
You can remove the wax before portioning, or cut through it and allow the wax to be removed from each serving. Remember that the wax is there to protect the cheese and is not edible.
Cheese barrels
Place the barrel securely on a clean board and cut it vertically from the top to the base. Divide each half into smaller wedges or slices.
Aim for manageable portions rather than very large chunks, especially when guests will be trying several artisanal cheeses.
Should guests cut the cheese themselves?
Although a self-service cheese wedding display can look relaxed, asking the caterer to prepare the first portions is usually the easiest option.
Pre-cutting part of each cheese gives guests an idea of the intended serving size. It also prevents queues around the display and avoids several people trying to cut a large cheese wheel with an unsuitable knife.
The caterer can keep the remaining cheese chilled and replenish the boards when required. This prevents the whole selection of cheeses from sitting out for longer than necessary.
For self-service, provide a secure cutting area, suitable knives and one utensil for each cheese.
How should you label the cheeses and allergens?
Place a small label beside each cheese showing its name, flavour and important dietary information.
You should also provide clear information about allergens in the cheese, crackers, chutneys and other accompaniments. Milk is the most obvious allergen in cheese, but flavoured cheeses and accompaniments may contain additional allergens such as mustard, nuts, gluten or sulphites.
Food Standards Agency guidance says buffet allergen information should be provided for each food item separately, rather than for the buffet as a whole. It should be visible, easy to read and accessible to guests. Original product labels and ingredient information should be made available for the caterer. Separate utensils should also be used to reduce cross-contamination.
Arranging crackers, chutneys and serving plates
Arrange crackers, biscuits, chutneys and fruit around the main cake or on separate serving tables.
Provide plenty of small plates, napkins and forks. Place a separate spoon in every chutney jar and avoid putting wet chutneys directly against the cheese, as this can make the display messy.
What should you do with leftover cheese?
Return suitable leftover cheese to the fridge as soon as possible. Do not refrigerate cheese that has remained out beyond safe serving guidance.
Wrap each variety separately in greaseproof paper or suitable food wrapping before placing it in a sealed container. Keeping the cheeses separate helps prevent stronger flavours from affecting milder varieties. Always follow the storage instructions and date information on the original packaging.
Cheese can be enjoyed on cheeseboards, added to sandwiches or used in sauces and other cooked dishes. Some hard cheeses may also be suitable for freezing, but always check the individual product instructions first.
Ready for your special day?
With a little planning, cutting and serving a cheese wedding cake can be simple.
Confirm your venue’s fridge space, choose someone to assemble and dismantle the cake, prepare the right tools and keep allergen information close to the display. Once everything is in place, you and your guests can get on with the important part — enjoying the cheese!
Explore our range of Cheese Celebration Cakes and create a delicious centrepiece filled with your favourite British cheeses.