Tag: Masterclass

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

May 22, 2020

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.

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.

15 Must Know Baking Tips For Luxury Cakes

July 1, 2019

Making luxury wedding cakes is both a science and an art form and at Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, it always starts with a great bake.

The foundation for any cake design is a tried and tested cake recipe, paired with delicious fillings that not only taste amazing, but also hold up to the rigours of decoration and stacking. Having experienced many a baking disaster in my time, through trial and error, I discovered some of the secrets to good, consistent bakes.

These 15 baking tips culled from my best selling artisan baking and decorating book OPULENCIA will help ensure that you get closer to baking perfect cakes every time.

BAKING TIPS

The Right Equipment

Start with the right equipment. Ensure you have a properly calibrated oven that you are familiar with, in particular, its quirks. It is also important to use the right type and size of baking tin for each recipe.

The Right Temperature is Key!

Preheat your oven until it reaches the desired temperature at least half an hour before baking. For some ovens a light will go out, some will bleep. To be certain your oven is at the right temperature though, check with an oven thermometer.

Mise en Place

Practice the method professional chefs call ‘Mise en place’. This is where you assemble all your ingredients and equipment, ticking them off your list before you start baking.

Accuracy – Weigh and Measure Everything

Be accurate with the weighing and measuring of ingredients to achieve consistent results.

Achieving Moist Bakes

Place a shallow pan of water at the bottom of the oven especially when baking fruit cakes, or if the cake is quite large and requires a longer baking time.

Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature

Butter, eggs and milk should be brought to room temperature before baking to prevent any curdling later on.

The Creaming Process

Cream the butter and sugar together at a very high speed until the colour pales to nearly white and the mixture is light and fluffy. Do not set a time limit for this step. I often advise that you walk away from the mixer during the creaming process, only interrupting to scrape the bowl down once or twice.

Sift the Flour

When sifting your flour, lift the sieve high as this allows more air to be incorporated.

Types of Cocoa Powder

There are generally three types of cocoa powder, natural (more bitter and acidic), Dutch processed (less bitter and alkaline) and black (deep chocolatey flavour and least bitter). If the chocolate cake recipe contains baking powder, use the Dutch processed or the black cocoa powder. If the recipe contains baking soda, use natural cocoa powder.

Best Kept Secret for Sponge Cakes

You may add 1 or 2 tablespoons of meringue powder to your batter to help your sponge cake rise.

Use Sponge Flour

For Luxury Wedding Cakes, use sponge flour or cake flour where you can. The lower protein, finer granules and extra sifting of the flour makes for a light and airy cake.

Follow the Recipe to the Letter

Follow the recipe as accurately as possible, but keep in mind that the outcome will depend on a number of variables such as your oven stability, quality of ingredients, the process and equipment used.

Always Line Your Baking Tin

I always line my baking tins before adding cake batter. This ensures the cake is released easily from your baking tin every time without fail. I use greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Cake release sprays also work, but I prefer to line my tins for that added assurance.

Trouble Shooting

If a cake is too crumbly, this may be a consequence of using too much flour, insufficient moisture in the cake mix or under-mixing. On the other hand, over-mixing can result in overdevelopment of the gluten in the flour, giving the cake a coarse grain or large and uneven holes.

Is My Cake Done Yet?

Test whether your cake is baked using your sense of smell, observing the colour (cakes should be a nice golden brown), using your sense of touch (when pressed in the centre, a well-baked cake should spring back immediately) and lastly, a skewer inserted through the centre of the cake should come out clean.

We hope that you find these tips useful.

For more fool proof recipes and tips, head over to Amazon, where you can buy our ebook OPULENCIA.

The United Colours Of Massa Ticino

June 25, 2019

Our love for creating beautiful luxury bespoke couture cakes knows no bounds and we always ensure we use the best ingredients possible. This ranges from the ingredients used in our bakes to the best the sugar paste and fondant we use in enrobing all our cakes.

For the past 10 years, we have exclusively used Massa Ticino, arguably the best sugar paste in the world. We share a little insight as to why it will always be our go to sugarpaste/fondant below.

The origins of Massa Ticino sugarpaste

Made in Switzerland by chocolate manufacturer Carma, Massa Ticino sugarpaste was invented in the beautiful canton of Ticino, the Italian speaking part of the country by two brothers.

Carma’s founding father Carl Maentler was so taken by the invention that he decided to industrialise the product in 1963 and it quickly earned a reputation for being the world’s best sugar paste.

How I got to know about this fabulous product

Many moons ago, I decided to take a class with the awesome Colette Peters, the originator of contemporary wedding cake techniques that are widely used today. During the course of the class, she used this amazing sugarpaste, Massa Ticino Tropic, which was very elastic, with great workability. It did not rip, tear or crack! It seemed almost like a miracle, especially for such an inexperienced newbie like myself. She even poked a hole in the sugarpaste with a knife and we watched in awe as she smoothed over the hole in no time.

When I came back to the UK, I started a quest to find a stockist for Massa Ticino and with great difficulty, I tracked the only stockist down. Years later, with the advent of social media, I was able to make direct contact with a Carma representative and introduce them to a number of online cake product retailers. This coincided with the launch of their colour range and the rest as they say is history. I am now very proud to be the UK’s ambassador for this incredible sugarpaste, a role I have had for 5 years.

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The colourful world of Massa Ticino

Carma invested a lot of time and energy to develop and produce their distinct colours of sugarpaste that has the same consistency and workability of Massa Ticino tropic. They include three primary colours, Lovely Red, Mellow Yellow and Sailing Blue and also Grass Green, Perfect Purple, Chocolate Brown (which has real chocolate in it!), Pitch Black, Pretty Pink and Vintage Ivory. The colours were achieved using all natural ingredients and they are free of E numbers or Azo dyes. They are also gluten and dairy free and suitable for vegans.

With these colours they also developed a colour mixing guide (CMG) to help create a variety of tones, tints, hues and shades and the guide can be found at www.massaticino.com/cmg. It is in the form of a comprehensive colour wheel and easy to use. All you have to do is click on the colour you wish to create and the sugarpaste colour combinations and proportions will be detailed.

Using pre-made coloured sugarpaste for mixing, instead of gel or paste colours, gives accurate and consistent results that can be replicated over and over again. This method is less messy and darker colours can be produced without adversely affecting the texture, pliability and consistency of the sugarpaste.

Our colourful cakes

At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, when designing a luxury wedding cake or a bespoke couture celebration cake, colour is one of our first considerations. We have been fortunate to attract clients who want something a little different from the norm, and the diversity of our cakes range from our classic baroque designs to more contemporary cakes.

Using Massa Ticino sugarpaste has enabled us to achieve incredible designs over the years and we look forward to create more in the future.

For more information on how we can create your bespoke luxury cake contact us at

info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or 07958069116

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium Is Delighted To Present Karen Tran’s Opulence At The Savoy

March 18, 2019

Karen Tran Royal Gala Dinner at the Lanesborough in London

We are delighted that for the second year running, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium will be partnering with the iconic hotel The Savoy, Jane Riddell of Planned to Perfection and WildAbout to welcome the flower empress, world-renowned floral designer Karen Tran for her annual three-day Floral Experience Masterclass from 16-18^th April 2019.

This masterclass will then culminate in a by invitation only, VIP gala dinner on Thursday 18^th April in The Savoy’s stunning Lancaster Ballroom.

Last year, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium was instrumental in creating what was considered to be the event of the year and we are really looking forward to creating another luxury wedding cake masterpiece to compliment the stunning florals.

Karen will share her expertise of transforming any location into a breath-taking event space with her masterclass students. She will teach them how to create the most astonishing floral designs and show-stopping displays, while sharing her knowledge of the luxury weddings and events industry. The masterclass will also feature a select number of guest speakers from the events industry.

On Thursday 18^th April, “Opulence at The Savoy” will conclude in a magnificent gala dinner, brought to you by award winning luxury Wedding Planner, Jane Riddell, from Planned for Perfection, in association with wedding cake designer, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, and Karen’s UK support florist, WildAbout. The Savoy and Karen Tran will host the event, where VIP guests will enjoy an evening of timeless glamour in the London landmark hotel.

“I am absolutely delighted that The Savoy is hosting this year’s London Masterclass and I cannot wait to see my floral designs in one of the most prestigious hotels in London. I very much look forward to welcoming students from around the world to the masterclass and to a magnificent gala dinner celebration” says Karen Tran.

Sasha Cullen, Wedding Sales Manager at The Savoy says: “We are really excited to be hosting the Karen Tran Floral Masterclass at The Savoy. We have such incredible creative’s in our Industry who continue to inspire us throughout our events careers and Karen is one of them. We cannot wait to see what she creates; and what better venue to host this extravagant spectacle than where Glamour first began”.

Jane Riddell, owner and creative director at Planned for Perfection, added: “I am thrilled to have been asked by Sasha and her team at The Savoy to bring the Masterclass to London again this year. Last year’s gala dinner was a huge success and this year’s floral experience is all set to be another incredible few days”

Tickets can be purchased at

www.thefloralexperience.com/course/london/

ABOUT THE SAVOY

www.thesavoylondon.com

The Savoy is the only luxury hotel on the River Thames, perfectly placed in the heart of one of the world’s most exciting cities. 267 rooms and suites are accompanied by some of the most well-known restaurants and bars in London, alongside magnificent and varied meeting space.

With exceptional service at the heart of everything, a Savoy experience is built on memories created and stories told across the generations. You don’t just stay at The Savoy, The Savoy stays with you.

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Karen Tran – www.karentran.com

The Savoy – www.thesavoylondon.com

Planned for Perfection – www.plannedforperfection.co.uk

WildAbout – www.wildabout.co.uk

Elizabeths Cake Emporium – www.elizabethscakeemporium.com

Karen Tran Royal Floral Masterclass

December 17, 2018

In a few weeks all eyes will be on the UK as we celebrate the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle. After the engagement was announced, I was approached by world renowned flower guru and icon Karen Tran who wanted me to work with her on bringing a rather special floral masterclass to London. I asked event planner extraordinaire, Jane Riddell of Planned for Perfection to work with me on this project. Along side the very talented, supportive and generous Leanne Roberts-Hewitt of WildAbout, we set about planning the the most anticipated royal inspired gala in the events industry calendar.

From the onset, my preferred venue for the royal inspired floral masterclass was The Lanesborough in Hyde Park, London. The former St George’s Hospital was originally opened in 1733 and now has a reputation of being one of the best hotels in London. It has a long standing association with the royal family with the late Princess Diana often taking Prince William and Prince Harry there for tea and the Great Hall of the hotel actually has an entrance that is only accessible to Her Majesty the Queen. To top things off, the hotel actually has an aptly named Royal Suite (the most expensive in London) that overlooks Buckingham Palace Gardens!

The three day royal wedding inspired floral masterclass was attended by students from all over the world and they alongside Karen, her team and WildAbout delivered a grand wedding breakfast fit for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle. The outcome was a perfect blend of outstanding American floral design in a typically English regency style setting.

The floral filled gala was a breathtakingly beautiful kaleidoscope of pastels, whites and golds.

Karen transformed the wedgwood blue Belgravia room designed by the late Albert Pinto into a floral wonderland featuring the most dramatic floral tunnel and tablescape laden with exquisite blooms supplied by Piet Van Kampen of G Fresh. She used a combination of blush and peach roses, white hydrangeas, seasonal tulips in white and pinks, hyacinths, phaelanopsis and cymbidium orchids to create her signature tall cascading table arrangements. In between the tall arrangements were baroque gold candlelabras and along the length of the tables were low groupings of flowers in beautiful hand cut vases and gold candlesticks.

The floral tunnel and archway of beauty that framed the entrance to the Belravia room stood at an impressive 12 feet tall and 14 feet wide and was a sight to behold. Decorated with a flower carpet made up of thousands of roses, hydrangeas and orchids, it featured a tulip canopy and was topped off by magnificent branches of cherry blossom.

In the centre of the room the focal point was the impressive 6 foot cake in wedgwood blue and peach designed by us at Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium. Inspired by the ceiling of the Belgravia room, it featured hand painted clouds, the signature mouldings of the baroque design of the ceiling, hand made peach and pink sugar roses, piped scroll work and a hand painted royal crest. The cake sat on table completely covered with a ‘cloth’ of peach and pink roses.

The evening began with guests being given a red carpet welcome by the famous Lanesborough butlers. They enjoyed a cocktail reception in the beautiful Great Hall whose grand staircase had been decorated with thousands of blooms.

The guests included a mix of the best event planners and notable florists, editors of bridal magazines, bloggers, influencers and fashion designers to royalty. They sipped on specially created floral inspired cocktails, the finest Champagne and canapes from the Michelin starred kitchen of the hotel. Niche London String Quartet and magician Richard Parsons entertained the guests.

After the cocktail hour guests were ushered in to the dinning room which had been transformed into a floral wonderland. They all enthusiastically applauded the very regal Karen as she made her entrance into the room. The guests were welcomed by Head of Events, Antoinette Lettieri who had worked incredibly hard in bringing the event to The Lanesborough.

For the first course, guests were delighted with scallop carpaccio and roasted beetroot tartare served with berries and pomegranate yoghurt. The gasp inducing main course was a very delicious stone bass baked in globe artichoke with samphire seaweed and lemon butter and crunchy green asparagus parcel with an incredible burratina. For dessert, the pastry chef created the glossiest chocolate pudding with a perfect mirror glaze layered with the lightest chocolate cream, cocoa streusel and chocolate sponge; a perfect blend of texture and smoothness.

The food and drink was served on never seen before charger plates, supplied by Whitehouse Crockery, who also provided the china, crystal and gold flatware. The tables were dressed with linen from Over The Top Linen Hire and Great Hire provided the white and caramel CKC chairs. The opulent gold foil stamped menus and place cards in wedgwood blue were by Grosvenor Stationery Company who also made the invitations and thank you cards.

In between the main course and dessert, guests were entertained by a duo of opera singers who performed a few arias including the flower duet by Lakme.

Jane of Planned for perfection who meticulously planned the event, said “Elizabeth has been the driving force behind bringing Karen’s wonderful royal master class to London. Thank you Elizabeth for asking Planned for Perfection to join the collaboration and to choreograph this evening’s event. Karen thank you for your inspirational artistic talent. A fabulous team has worked so incredibly hard to bring everything together culminating in this wonderful environment.

Congratulations to you all, especially to Leanne of WildAbout, her team and masterclass students who have worked tirelessly with Karen to create these exquisite surroundings”

The event was captured in all its glory by fine art wedding photographer Roberta Facchini and Vogue Wedding Films. We can all agree that this night of floral celebration full of awe inspiring beauty produced by the queen of florals, Karen Tran was indeed perfect for the royal wedding.

SUPPLIER CREDITS

Venue: The Lanesborough, London – www.oetkercollection.com/destinations/the-lanesborough
Wedding & Event Planner: Planned for Perfection – www.plannedforperfection.co.uk
Cake: Elizabeths Cake Emporuim – www.elizabethscakeemporium.com
Support Florist: Wild About – www.wildabout.co.uk
Stationery: The Grosvenor Stationery Company – www.grosvenorstationerycompany.com
Photographer: Roberta Facchini – www.robertafacchini.com
Videographer: Vogue Wedding Films – www.vogueweddingfilms.co.uk
Hair /Make up: Diana McDonald – www.dmwmakeup.co.uk
Entertainment: Niche Quartet – www.nichelondonquartet.com
Candles: Wick and Tallow – www.wickandtallow.com
Crockery, Cutlery & Glassware: www.eventcrockeryhire.co.uk
Magician: Gloucestershire Magician – www.gloucestershiremagician.co.uk
Opera singers: Fiona Haynes & Atinuke Koyejo
Master of Ceremonies: Lanesborough Butler
Chair Hire: Great Hire – www.greathire.com/uk (Chandelle Chairs – Gold / Latte)
Linen: OTT rentals (Libby) – http://www.overthetoprentals.co.uk
Illustrator: Poppy the Illustrator – www.poppywaddilove.com
Karen Tran’s Dress – The Wedding Club www.thewedding-club.co.uk
Flower Supplier – Piet Van Kampen G Fresh

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