Designing and creating wedding cakes can be a very lucrative business indeed, whether you're an established baker or a lone cake specialist. However, your cakes won't sell no matter how delicious they are if they aren't displayed to their best effect, and the level of craftsmanship and effort that goes into the average wedding cake is shown off to best effect by a dedicated cake display cabinet.

However, cake display cabinets come in a variety of configurations and models, and choosing the right one for your cake displaying needs can be difficult. To simplify the process, make sure to ask yourself the following questions before investing in any cake display cabinet:

Should the display cabinet be refrigerated?

Refrigerated cake display cabinets cost both to purchase and run than non-refrigerated models but are vital for keeping certain types of wedding cake fresh and at their best. As such, you should take stock of the ingredients you commonly use to create cakes before purchasing a cabinet to display them in.

If your cakes are made with perishable ingredients, such as fresh cream, fruits, mousses, or lighter cake varieties that can go stale quickly, a refrigerated display cabinet should always be chosen. More traditional wedding cake varieties made with fruit cake, fondant icing, and other durable ingredients can be safely stored in non-refrigerated cabinets, but will still go stale more quickly than they would in a refrigerated model. Consequently, it is also important to take stock of your cake business's average turnover to ensure cakes will not be left in the cabinet for excessive periods.

Should the display cabinet rotate?

Rotating cake display cabinets can add a touch of luxury and class to any cake baking business and are particularly prized for showing off every angle of a beautifully crafted wedding cake. However, rotating cabinets cost more to purchase and have higher energy requirements, so you should only purchase one if it can be used effectively.

Ideally, a cake cabinet will be displayed in a central location in your business premises, allowing it to be viewed from all angles easily. Rotating models are worth the investment if space constraints force you to place cake cabinets against walls and tucked into corners -- the rotation of the display plates gives customers a 360 degree view of your cakes despite these visual blocks. Rotating cake cabinets placed in these locations also tend to benefit from extra lighting to counteract shadowing, so try looking for cabinets that feature both rotation and integrated lighting.

How thick should the windows of my cake display cabinet be?

The glass display windows of your cake cabinet are perhaps its most important components, and you should choose the clearest glass possible to show off your wedding cakes (models with perspex and other glass substitutes are not recommended, as these materials can easily become scratches and occluded with heavy use). However, choosing the thickness of glass you want can be more challenging.

Thicker glass and double-glazed display windows will add considerably more weight to a cake display, making it harder to move around even with the addition of castors. Models with thicker glass windows are also commensurately more expensive. However, the extra protection provided by increased glass thickness can help prevent window damage and breakages caused by clumsy customers and staff, and the added heat insulation provided by thicker glass allows refrigerated display cabinets to run more cheaply. This makes thicker glass ideal for displaying fragile, refrigerated cakes.