Tag: Cake Industry

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

chocolate-cakes

My love for chocolate started from when I was little. My grandmother owned a cocoa farm and would often regale me with tales of her fight against the pests that attack cocoa trees and the many organic ways in which she tried to prevent such attacks. She loved pitting her wits against these unseen agents, determined to get the maximum harvest from her farm. The odd thing was growing cocoa pods was actually not that profitable. She just liked the idea of besting those pests, hopeful of harvesting a good crop.

Chocolate comes from the seeds of the cocoa pod which grows on the cacao tree. These seeds have a bitter taste and must first be fermented in order for flavour to develop. After fermentation,  the beans are dried, cleaned and then roasted. The shell of the cacao bean is then removed to produce cocoa nibs which are ground and this is pure chocolate in a rough form. This cocoa mass is usually in a liquid form (chocolate liquor) which is then mixed with other components to form commercial chocolate. The liquor may also be processed into its two component forms, namely cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Of all our luxury wedding cake flavours, our ultimate chocolate cake is one of the most requested.

chocolate-cake-table

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Recipe

This moist cake has a rich flavour and light texture and it’s been the perfect foundation for over 20 of our flavoured chocolate cakes. It is delicious when paired with gorgeous ganache, rich pastes, buttercream, curds and purees.

Ingredients

 There is enough for at least one 20cm or an 8 inch round cake

  • 140 ml water
  • 200g Carma Swiss dark chocolate (about 60% cocoa solids)
  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 130g dark brown sugar
  • 130g caster sugar
  • 40g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 200g self raising flour, extra fine sponge flour or cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 large eggs
  • 70ml whole milk
  • I teaspoon instant coffee granules

Method

Assemble ALL the ingredients making sure that the eggs, milk and butter are at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 160C (Gas mark 3) on a conventional oven or 150C on a fan assisted oven. Line the inside of your cake tin with greaseproof paper as shown.

Pour the 200ml of water into a bowl and stir in the coffee granules. Add the butter and chocolate pieces. Microwave for about 4 to 6 minutes on medium power. Half way through, give the mixture a good stir.  Keep an eye on the microwave as you do not want the liquid to boil.

Next add the dry ingredients into the bowl of the mixer. Mix thoroughly using your hands to get rid of any lumps that may have formed, especially with brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together lightly. Using the paddle attachment, set the mixer to the slowest speed and add the cooled chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients. Next add the egg mixture slowly and once thoroughly combined pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake at 160C for  at least 1 hour 30 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin and wrap in several layers of cling film and store in a cool, dry refrigerator.

Variation

Add the zest of one orange and 2 teaspoons of very good quality orange extract for a delicious chocolate orange cake.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ONE TIER LUXURY WEDDING CAKES

Wedding Photography by Anna Marie

According to folklore, traditionally,  a wedding cake is made up of three tiers. The bottom tier, the largest, is meant to be served at the wedding for guests to eat at the reception or wedding breakfast. The middle tier would be cut, wrapped in parchment and sent out to friends and family unable to attend the wedding feast. Finally, the top tier was preserved and saved for the christening day of the first child of the union.

With our current “new normal”, intimate weddings with fewer guests will be de rigueur in the immediate future. This then leaves us with a problem of the three tier cake being surplus to requirements. Fear not, for at Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium we have the solution for you!

If you’re looking for beautifully crafted luxury wedding cakes that make as much impact as multi tiered confections for your intimate wedding, you may want to  consider serving several smaller, one-tier luxury wedding cakes. This has the advantage of providing your guests with the option of a variety of flavours and a pretty cake table better suited to your needs.

Our cakes have often been described as edible works of art as each one is bespoke and custom made to the needs and requirements of our clients. A lot more thought and time has to be put into crafting one tier cakes in order to make an impact but thankfully this can be achieved with the following tips:

– Ask your cake maker to make your one tier luxury wedding cake extra deep. This will create some extra height and drama (think of all those layers when the cake is cut), and the bonus is, you will also get more cake!

– Cake stands make a luxury wedding cake look more elegant. If you opt for multiple wedding cakes, cake stands with differing heights create a very cool and contemporary look. Alternatively, you may choose to display your cakes  on beautiful cake stands of the same style, shape and colour for a unified look.

– Texture can be an amazing way to create impact with a one tier luxury wedding cake. Sugar frills, gold leaf, crackled sugarpaste/fondant and bas relief are some of the ways to add detail and interest.

– Explore the possibility of having an unusual shaped one tiered luxury wedding cake. Geometric shapes like hexagons, octagons and even heptagons work very well for a contemporary wedding.

–  You may also want to consider having your cake decorated with the same monogram from your wedding stationery and handcrafted sugarflowers that match those from your wedding for a pulled together and finished look.

As the lockdown begins to ease and we look forward to celebrating weddings again, creating a beautiful one tier luxury wedding cake for your intimate wedding will be our pleasure.

Email us at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or call us on 07958069116 for a chat about how we can create something special for you.

ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE WEDDING INDUSTRY DURING THIS CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

These are very unusual times. The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has been sweeping the world, since it’s emergence a few months ago.

At Elizabeth‘s Cake Emporium, we believe that our health and the health and well being of our clients is of utmost importance, and understandably a number of events have been sensibly postponed. We do not advocate cancellation at this point for the reason that when all this is over, we all need something lovely to look forward to and what better than a special celebration! We are also offering a cake delivery service, subject to a minimum order, with consultations held via the telephone or online.

In the meantime, we have compiled a list of the best online resources available to our clients and industry colleagues with the hope that we are in some small way contributing to their mental, emotional and physical well being.

The list is by no means comprehensive but it’s a start. I hope you find this helpful.


If you have any more resources we should be aware of, kindly email it to me at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com

Please keep safe and stay healthy!