Wedding Cake Progress

The lovely bride to be and I spent another happy day playing in the kitchen - both or us were very Jubileed out( okay probable not a word but I love it.) Having spent the weekend in London having a great time though at very separate functions.  We were at the Turner exhibiton and Charlotte was dancing all night on the mail at the concert.  Both of us agreed that London had never been friendlier or more fun. So before the progress on the cakes here is a couple of my London Shots with Mike, Tim and Edwige.

The day was set aside for to marzipan the cakes and working on the basic design ideas.  This cake is going to be lovely - every wedding cake that you do is a reflection of the couple and I always feel very privilege to be involved in it and totally panic stricken - but we are getting there.  No hints as yet but lets say it will be a one of.

Does include a recipe, but mainly my Jubilee week

My Jubilee week started with bunting.  Lydia and I ( friend 12 doors down from me) crocheted bunting and it was brilliant.  Has stood the test of sun, wind and rain.  Mad - yes everyone thought we were but three balls of wool later we had over 40 feet of bunting.

Its my neighbours up the ladders not us you will be pleased to note.  My bunting is the lot hanging in a gently curve, not the plastic going to the tree.  Lydia's house was also adorned.






OK the recipe.  I made a cake for Nunney Village Celebrations - my local WI were asked to contribute to the proceedings - so 240 cupcakes later and one presentation cake later ( the cupcakes were done by 12 wonderful ladies - not me).

The recipe I used for this large affair is from the wonderful Complete book of  Cake Decorating edited by Bridget Jones - first published in 1989 and its been mine and a friend Sally's bible for wedding and birthdays cakes that never fail. The roll out icing on this was a nightmare.  Bought ready coloured and it stretched like mad - will try a different brand next time.  Also involved a lot of photocopying.

Charlottes Wedding Cake

Charlotte doing the mixing

My niece is getting married in July and asked me to make her wedding cake.  Charlotte wanted a fruit three tier cake.  Its a long time since I have done a wedding cake like that - it all seems to be sponge/ fairy cakes recently.  So back to the recipe books and I went through the lot, plus on line and a lot of emailing backwards and forwards with friends who are experts at this.  Charlotte wanted nuts in her cake which I know many will say for a wedding cake is not on, but I think we found the perfect recipe in Glamour Cakes by the wonderful Eric Lanlard.  His rich fruit cake just fitted the bill. 

Our prepared ingredients

Nearly there - it was a very long day

We are going for a 6,8 and 10inch stacked creation and he gives some really good tips on this.  As we progress (we being my niece and I ) I will show you how we are getting on.

Wedding Lunch

Last weekend saw us at the wedding of Judith and Peter. The Buffet was provided by the ladies of the Parish of St James Trowbridge and what a spread it was.  My favourite idea from there was the wonderful cream cheese and mango sandwich in a very light brown bread with a little finely shredded watercress.  Not only lovely to eat but looked great.  The bride and groom looked amazing to - will add a picture later when camera sorted.

A little moan

Just picked up the latest Sainsbury's Mag.  Clever ideas for cupcake recipes but at over 500 calories per item - come on really who wants to consume a third of your days calories in a cupcake? 

Winter Celebration Puds

Well winter has really tucked in for us at last and with a few family and friends birthdays it back to making puds.  I love raspberries and freeze them to use for the winter months.  Katie Stewart's wonderful Hot Raspberry Crumble ( leave out the water) is prefect celebration food or how about from a 1982 Saisbury's cookbook by Josceline Dimbleby Festive Food and Party Pieces, the Winter Raspberries Recipe. Its been developed with frozen fruit in mind -  light, delicious and perfect after a casserole.  Just check out the photos in this book - they are so - well you tell me.  My sister in Jersey who loves to cook tells me her favourite recipe for entertaining is also in this book - its the Spiced Crispy Pigeon Pie.  This is progress we have a book with two people having a favourite recipe in it.

And last but not least - BBC  Food  web site (okay not a Book, but we all use it) from Master Chef recipes the Chocolate and orange bread and butter pudding .  My visitors sat there in stunned silence after the first mouthful - it really is magic.  Created by a Rugby player so you will find that half the recipe will serve 5 - 6.

I have recently been given a bread maker and am hooked on it - any ideas for good Bread recipes/books welcome.

The Perfect cupcake for a wedding

October the 24th -was a major day in our lives.  Our Son Alistair and Lisa were tying the knot and after a lot of chit chat decided to have cupcakes/fairy cakes instead of the tiered fantasy. We could of course spend hours on when is a cupcake a fairy cake, but as Mary Berry said in the Sports Relief British Bake Off - a Fairy Cake being smaller is her favourite with a cup of tea.

Lisa and I started testing recipes - I baking, Lisa and Alistair tasting in early summer and I had a chance to try out favourite recipes on the Buns and Bubbly do for my local WI.  The main recipe used just had  to be the wonderful Peggy Porschen's Lemon Cupcake with a cream cheese and butter icing.  Keeps well, handles like a dream and you cannot stop eating the end results.  These are a selection of the WI cupcakes.

The ones with the raspberries on top are another family favourite from the Salisbury's magazine of several years ago.
Redcurrant and Blackcurrant muffins - I use frozen raspberries instead as its one fruit I manage to grow in abundance.

The other cake recipe we used was the Basic Vanilla Cupcake from the Primrose Bakery cook book.  I found this kept moist, tasted great and though the mix is for 24 cupcakes at a time it holds well before cooking - I like to cook only one tray at a time as my gas oven is not the most reliable.

Then it was on to decorating and displaying - some of our first attempts.

My lovely niece Charlotte came and helped me bake 150 standard size cakes and 50 mini ones - I felt that the mini ones would help with the display.  The bride and groom were to cut an 8inch round sponge cake.

The day before the wedding my willing band of cake finishers arrived - Gill and her two lovely girls -  Kiri and Jo.  I had finalised on 5 designs for the cakes and produced samples to be followed.  All the icings and flowers had been made over the past few weeks so three hours later we were finished.

And the next day we set up at the wedding venue.  I was very pleased and felt that the mix of sizes had been a success.

Okay so three new cookbooks later - one that gave ideas but no recipe I got there.