If dessert is your favourite part of a meal, chances are you're a cake lover. Cakes, which have been part of civilized diets for centuries, are still popular in these days of low-fat this and low-fat that. It seems we still like a little indulgence now and then. But with our busy lives, buying the ingredients and making our own cakes takes up too much of our precious time. Sure, you can pay a visit to your local bakery, but there's now an even easier way to have your cake and eat it too -- order it online.

Nova Scotia's Larkin Bake Shop specializes in wedding cakes and special occasion cakes, which you can order online, including children's birthday cakes decorated with favourite characters from Pokemon to Pooh Bear.

Because of the perishable nature of cakes, many online bakeries prefer to deliver locally. Sweetcakes lets you browse their cake gallery and order electronically for delivery in the Toronto area. For the Calgary area, log on to Cake Works Cakes to order gateaux for virtually any occasion. If you live in Alberta or British Columbia, Minnella Enterprises will deliver gourmet frozen cakes with an Italian flavour, such as tiramisu.

All cakes, all the time

Cakes are a great way to celebrate special occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, retirements, and holidays such as Christmas. Choosing a cake for any special occasion, however, presents a range of choices. Layered or not? Chocolate, vanilla or fruit-flavoured? Do you want a special shape or flavour? What should the salutation say? How many people will it serve?

Many of the e-retail web sites have answers to your questions, or they post e-mail addresses and fax and phone numbers with experts on the other end. Or, you can visit any specialty bakery for guidance.

Deciding what type of cake to order is also a major part of planning a wedding. Will it be a traditional English fruitcake with rolled fondant, or the classic wedding cake with multiple tiers, or something completely different? Obviously, the likes and dislikes of the bride and groom are important, as is matching the style and budget of the wedding. Most bakeries that make wedding cakes will have someone to consult with, and today, you can get just about any type of cake you like made for a wedding.

But whatever type of event you have planned, remember to order your cake in plenty of time for delivery -- at least a week. Wedding cakes are often the most ornate, so make sure you place your order 3 weeks to 2 months before the wedding.

No more fruitcake

Tired of fruitcake for Christmas? Next time try a buche de Noel, the traditional French cake, often chocolate, shaped like a log, and decorated with delectable mocha buttercream. If you love baking and have the time, try making one yourself with a recipe from http://www.cakerecipe.com/ -- whether you're looking for a cake for a birthday, Christmas or another holiday, there's a handy listing of cake recipes by category. Don't forget our lifestyle Food & Drink section at http://www.hautecouture.info/lifestyle/index.htm where you can find delicious dessert ideas and find the perfect wine to accompany your indulgence.

Let them eat cake

Dufflet Rosenberg, proprietor of Dufflet Pastries http://www.dufflet.com/, has been selling cakes since 1975, when she started making specialty desserts in her home. Today, she has a large wholesale business, some retail, does a little catering and owns her own cafe and shop in Toronto, which also sells unique baking ingredients for do-it-yourselfers.

Rosenberg stresses that when consumers consider ordering a cake, they need to find a baker who uses top-quality ingredients. Appearance is also important. "It really depends on your own taste," she says, adding that the price should match your budget.

For special occasions, customers want everything from old-fashioned to contemporary. For years, her company's best-selling cakes have been chocolate-raspberry truffle cake, cappuccino dacquoise and white chocolate mousse cake. For weddings, the best sellers are made of non-traditional golden sponge, carrot or chocolate fudge cake, tiered and decorated to satisfy the continuing demand for a traditional appearance.

For birthdays and special occasions, you can get a cake that really suits the person and the occasion. We've all seen cakes in the shape of Barbie or Ninja Turtles, but Rosenberg says the sky's the limit. One special cake for a corporate event was decorated as a realistic-looking Visa card.

Cakes today

Cakes go in and out of fashion like everything else. Today, according to Rosenberg, "There's a renewed interest in classic and modern French-style pastries, so we're seeing an increased interest in things like mousse and puff pastry."

One might think that low-fat cakes would be a hot market item. They do exist, but they're not popular. "There's absolutely no interest in low fat," says Rosenberg, "We used to carry low-fat cakes, but we don't bother anymore. Dessert is there to indulge in; for us to enjoy something really great."

So when it comes to cake, full speed ahead and damn the calories!

Glossary

Baba is a small cake made from yeast dough and sometimes containing currants or raisins. They're soaked in sugar syrup and usually flavoured with rum.

Buttercream is a mixture of sugar and creamed butter, sometimes mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, and used to frost and fill cakes.

Dacquoise is a classic French cake made of baked nut meringues layered with buttercream.

Ganache is a rich chocolate mixture made by combining chopped semisweet chocolate with boiling cream, then stirring until smooth.

Royal Icing is a mixture of confectioners' sugar and egg whites, dried to a hard consistency. It's the traditional icing for wedding cakes.

Quirks

The English love their cakes. Scones are small cakes served with clotted cream and strawberry jam, most commonly for afternoon tea. For an authentic recipe for yeasted scones, go to the British site www.realcakes.co.uk/page4.htm. You'll also find a unique recipe for making and preserving friends!!!! -- a recipe we all could use!