Tag: wedding cakes

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ONE TIER LUXURY WEDDING CAKES

May 20, 2020

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.

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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.

Tulip Fever, shoot for Elizabeth's Cake Emporium

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.

ELIZABETH’S CAKE EMPORIUM PARTNERS WITH HELLO MAGAZINE AND BRIDELUX

April 28, 2020

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium has partnered with HELLO magazine and Bridelux for a Great British Luxury Wedding giveaway in honour of the selfless service provided by key workers to our nation recently.

These are indeed unprecedented times, the like which many of us have never experienced before. In the UK, we cannot express our gratitude enough to all the key workers that have kept our country going. On a personal level, Elizabeth, our founder, is honoured to have family members who are serving as key workers, putting their own lives on the line every single day!

We firmly believe that love and gratitude are best expressed through our actions, therefore we have teamed up with other luxury wedding suppliers, HELLO magazine and Bridelux to give away an entire luxury wedding to a deserving couple.

Everything from the venue, food and drink, wedding dress, wedding outfits, stationery, flowers and of course the luxury wedding cake from us will be free. There will even be a wedding planner and stylist to make sure everything is in place. All the couple has to do is turn up, relax and enjoy their big day.

NOMINATE

For details on how to nominate someone deserving, please visit THIS LINK

Are you a beaming bride or groom to be? Do you love the idea of creating your dream wedding with one of our luxury wedding cakes? Give Elizabeth a call on 07958069116 or send an email to info@elizabethscakeemporium.com

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Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium’s : Classic Blue Luxury Wedding Cakes

January 16, 2020

Pantone has unveiled its colour of the year for 2020 as Classic Blue, Pantone 19-4052 – a colour reminiscent of the sky at dusk. As we move into a new decade, this universal favourite represents stability, calmness, tranquility and dependability and it’s a perfect base on which to build as we cross over into the roaring 20s.

At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, Classic Blue is a colour we adore, as shown by its regular use on some of our luxury wedding cakes. Generally, it is easier to make white and pastel luxury wedding cakes but darker colours such as Classic Blue often present an added layer of difficulty. This is due to the fact that blending colours to get the exact shade or hue of Classic Blue can be tricky, as the undertones could be warm or cold. Blue is also one of the hardest colours to determine the undertone, as it is naturally a cool colour. In fact, many cool colours are blue based so it does require a deep knowledge of colour intensities and values to achieve the desired shade of blue.

Of course, Classic Blue is a colour that works well with white, and traditionally, this tends to be the colour it is often paired with. However, it works brilliantly with metallics such as silver and gold as the rich depth of colour it provides allows metallics to pop. It also works well with bright colours such as yellow and marbelized, the colour gives a contemporary feel to any luxury wedding cake.

We look forward to making many more Classic Blue wedding cakes for our 2020 couples, so contact us at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or on 07958069116 for a consultation.

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium named Best Cake Maker at the Bridelux Awards

December 31, 2019

We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium has been named as the best luxury cake maker at the Bridelux Awards. The only prestigious luxury wedding award of its kind in the world, this award was the latest accolade for Elizabeth Solaru who was also a speaker at the Bridelux Symposium.

Presented at The Savoy, London, the illustrious judging committee included Simon Leadsford of Conde Nast, Jade Beer former Editor of Brides, George Hammer founder of The Wedding Gallery and Caroline Neville.

According to Elizabeth, “To be named as best luxury cake maker at the Bridelux awards is incredible and its one of the highlights of my career so far. To be chosen from such a talented line up of nominees is a huge honour, especiallly in my speciality area, which is luxury wedding cake”

To commission your luxury wedding cake contact us at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or on 07958069116.

Top Ten Wedding Cake Trends for 2020 by Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium

December 10, 2019

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In many wedding receptions, luxury wedding cakes are often a most welcome sight and as we often joke, the only guest at a wedding with it’s own table! At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, the sheer diversity of our luxury wedding cake designs range from grand wedding cakes that grace exclusive palaces to the most delicate one tiered wonders.

Our reputation for producing some of the best luxury wedding cakes in the world often precedes us and we constantly endeavour to keep abreast of trends by actively listening to our clients and creating original designs and delicious cake flavours.

The start of a new decade, 2020 is set to be an exciting year for weddings, and individuality will be huge. Couples are no longer content to be offered cookie cutter, identikit wedding cakes and are now proactive participants in the design process and flavour choice.

Wedding cake flavours are also set to be more adventurous in 2020 with sophisticated flavour pairings, seasonality and sustainability being huge considerations.

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1. Grand wedding cakes

A grand wedding cake symbolises bringing a fantasy to life and is the pinnacle of luxury wedding cakes. Usually tall and imposing in size, these multi tiered confections tend to be the focal point of a wedding reception. In some cultures, it is believed that the number of tiers is directly proportional to the longevity of the marriage, so the more cake tiers, the merrier!

2. Pearlencia

Known as the queen of gems, pearls have been a part of bridal couture for many years. No longer consigned to grandma’s jewellery box, they have even been seen on the red carpet, with Harry Styles causing a stir when he wore a single pearl earring to the Met Gala. Pearls are set to be huge in 2020 and luxury wedding cakes adorned with edible pearls even more so.

3. Floating tier wedding cakes

We made our first floating tier wedding cake in 2012. It was inspired by the wedding cake from the film Sex and The City 2 and featured thousands of crystals on custom made cake stands. A clever way to add height and illusion to a luxury wedding cake, it’s great to see this trend is now a firm favourite with luxury brides.

4. Split wedding cakes

Split wedding cakes or half and half wedding cakes have gone from wannabe upstarts and have taken on a life of their own. They range from quirky and fun to elegant and intricately crafted. For a couple who crave something different, split cakes reflect the two sides of a whole and offer a way of incorporating a couple’s histories and passions into a cake.

5. Something cake, something blue

Pantone has declared Classic Blue as the colour of the year for 2020. Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights every couple’s desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build their partnership as they cross the threshold into a new era. We look forward to seeing couples make bolder choices by incorporating ‘something blue’ into their wedding cakes.

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6. Carved cakes redefined

Carved cakes are a wonderful evolution and expression of individuality and are set to take the luxury wedding cake landscape by storm. These gravity defying edifices can be studded with coloured rock candy or pearls for a more sophisticated look.

7. Rococo love

Rococo emerged in Italy and France as a very significant movement in the art world. Created by craftsmen, this highly ornamental style is perfect for wedding cakes as it allows for the use of mouldings and gilding which is often suited to stately homes and royal palaces.

8. Textured wedding cakes

There are different types of textures that can be applied to a luxury wedding cake surface and these can range from barely there geometric iterations (perfect for contemporary designs), smooth frosting stripes, wafer paper frills to bas relief. Texture is a great way to add interest and dimension thereby creating elevation and personalisation.

9. Fault line wedding cakes

As a keen student of geography, I was aware that fault lines represent fracture lines on the surface of the earth. Years later, I never knew it would be the inspiration for a whole new cake design. Fault line cakes are all the rage at the moment and at Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, we have created a very sophisticated version which is already popular with our 2020 couples.

10. Watercolour cakes

Painting a wedding cake is the ultimate way to personalise one. Anything from, pretty florals to contemporary graphics and scripted calligraphy are some of the ways. In 2020, we predict that darker, bolder colours will come to the fore and we will also see art and wildlife inspired hand-painted wedding cakes.

We hope that what we see as the wedding cake trends for 2020 provides some inspiration for you.

If you are getting married in the near future, do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or by speaking with us at 07958069116.

Visit our instagram page at @elizabethscakeemporium and let us know what you think about our latest creations.

Celebrating Pride

August 29, 2019

At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium we are often approached to collaborate on styled shoots due to the fact that we have a reputation for being one of the best cake companies in the world. When Amie Bone approached us we did not hesitate to say yes as we knew this was going to be rather special.

THE SHOOT CONCEPT

This concept, conceived and styled by Amie Bone with additional styling and co-ordination by Charlotte Munro, takes a different look at relationships. In an era when men and women are supposed to be from “different planets” and unable to communicate, many gay men and straight women seem able to connect almost effortlessly.

This shoot was created as a celebration of PRIDE and modern relationships and friendships.

THE VENUE

The beautiful and unique Aynhoe Park was the location for this shoot. At the heart of 250 acres of Capability Brown Cotswolds countryside, the 17th century 28 bedroom home is a country house of stories and surprises – a place where the extraordinary happens every day. It was therefore perfect for this unusual shoot.

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DECOR AND DETAILS

Amie designed an incredibly wild cascading floral tablescape featuring an explosion of greenery and flowers. She used runners of coral peonies, gloriosa, orange and deep pink roses, pink sweet peas and hydrangeas, orange gladioli, green guelder roses, yellow calla lilies, ranunculi and tulips in abundance to create the most opulent look. Interspersed within the floral runner were bespoke bird cages and luxurious gold candelabras.

Each place setting had a charger plate by Whitehouse Crockery which was topped with gold-edged watercolour men and place card from EG Lettering and sweet treats from Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium.

THE CAKES

We designed a trio of luxury wedding cakes and sweet treats in black and gold. Black sugarpaste is tricky to work with as it marks easily and any errors tends to be exaggerated. Thankfully, we only use the best sugarpaste on the market, Massa Ticino, which we are brand ambassadors for.

The main cake was a tall and dramatic 7 tiered confection in black decorated with baroque detailing and sugar flowers in pink, yellow and orange. The cake was set with a lush greenery backdrop and looked absolutely incredible.

The other two cakes included a one tiered crackle effect cake topped with sugar roses and a three-tiered cake black cake with pink marble veining accented with gold. There were also matching black and gold cupcakes, mini magnums and cookies for the dessert table.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The shoot was brilliantly captured by San Shawe of Sanshine Photography, one of the top wedding photographers in the World. I am sure you will all agree that this unique luxury shoot is simply stunning!

THE CREATORS:

Venue: Aynhoe Park www.aynhoepark.co.uk

Photographer: Sanshine Photography www.sanshinephotography.com

Floral design: Amie Bone www.amieboneflowers.com

Styling & Coordination: Charlotte Munro Weddings www.charlottemunro.co.uk

Hair & Makeup: Team Glam www.teamglam.com

Luxury Wedding Cakes and Dessert Table Treats: Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium www.elizabethscakeemporium.com

Stationery: EG Lettering www.eglettering.com

Charger Plates & Glassware: Whitehouse Crockery www.eventcrockeryhire.co.uk

Wedding & Engagement Rings: The London Victorian Ring Co www.london-victorian-ring.com

Dress: Chantal Mallett http://www.chantalmallett.com/

Furniture: The Prop Factory www.propfactory.co.uk

Candles sticks, birdcages & table décor: Wedding Day Hire www.weddingdayhire.co.uk

Models: Meg Makin, Michael Gray, Sam

Suits: Tailor-Made www.tailormadelondon.com, Chester Barrie www.chesterbarrie.co.uk

10 Wonderful Creative Twists on Wedding Traditions

July 15, 2019

Photo by Sweet Ice Cream Photography on Unsplash

Wedding season is among us and love (and planning) is in the air! For guests, this time of the year means hunting for that fashionable wedding outfit and unique wedding gift. But for the bride and groom, it means hunting for ways to make the wedding itself modern and exciting.

Today weddings are a chance for couples to show their creative personality through certain aspects of their big day. Old-fashioned customs are up for debate, and creative twists on old traditions are becoming increasingly popular. If you’re a modish couple looking for ways to give your nuptials a twenty-first-century spin, you’ll find that these next few tricks take old-hat traditions to a whole new level.

Putting on the Veil

The veil traditionally symbolizes modesty and a means to prevent the groom from seeing his beautiful bride until the ceremony is complete. It acts as a long sheer mask or the opportunity for the bride to make a dramatic statement. A new take on wearing a veil is not wearing one at all! Brides have moved away from the elaborately long veil, and on to a barrette with flowers and pieces of a veil attached. This creative trend emphasizes the DIY era and shatters the original meaning behind wearing the mask.

Switching Out the Place Cards

The process of choosing a seating chart is stressful, especially when there’s drama in the family! Once the placement is finalized, getting guests to their seats is the next challenge. Couples have started to use fun and creative ways to seat their guests rather than having place cards. A unique idea is to have some guests arrive and see a sign that reads “Take A Shot and Take A Seat” and below sits a full shot glass with their seat assignment attached.

Another fun twist guests will be excited to see is a sign that reads “Snap a Photo and Sit Down” with a photo wall and a Polaroid camera. This is particularly creative because the photo taken replaces the seat assignment card on the wall.

Making Memories Last

A guestbook is the most fabulous keepsake from this special night. It’s where you will get to look back years down the road on the day you tied the knot and see what your attendees had to say. The typical sign-in book is a thing of the past because couples want a more creative way to remember their night. A fun example is using a photo booth, where two copies are printed but one is put in a scrapbook where guests can write a meaningful message to the couple. Another example is a “Words of Wisdom” box, where guests write their marital two cents on a card and slip it into a box.

Dancing in Style

Slow dancing with your partner and all eyes are on the two of you for what seems like an eternity- nothing in the world seems to be more nerve-wracking. To give the crowd a goofy surprise, try an exciting choreographed routine! This is sure to bring laughs from around the room, and give you and your loved one a fun-filled memory you’ll never forget.

Personalising the Bar

Who doesn’t love an open bar? Well, modern couples are adding an even more fun addition to the wedding bar scene. Signature cocktails are an opportunity for the bride and groom to reflect their personal traits or characteristics. The bride’s tipple might be called “Blushing Bride,” and the groom’s might be named “Blue-eyed Groom.” This is a fun way to get the guests to enjoy a drink in honour of the happy couple.

Changing the Food Scene

Steak, chicken, or seafood? It’s that big decision that will be a defining factor for your big day. This crucial part of a wedding will stick with guests for years to come; if you completely change the norm of what is expected for dinner, it’ll be twice as memorable. Popcorn station, a s’mores bar or all-you-can-eat grazing table – the opportunities are endless! Imagine showing up to a wedding and seeing a fully stocked burrito bar in the far corner. This creative culinary twist is something you wouldn’t expect.

Personalising the Bar

Kicking it off on the sweet side, the most exciting change in the wedding world is how wedding cakes are presented. If you and your bae want to stay up to date with fashion trends, then deciding on a hip wedding cake is very important. A wedding cake on display is the ultimate eye catcher when you walk into reception, and the traditional pure white cake just isn’t surprising anymore; people want excitement. Glam cakes, themed cakes, and alternative cakes are providing the surprise element to most modern weddings.

Glam Cakes

A glam cake is a simple twist to traditional cakes that has the word “bling” written all over it. This style adds a bit of spice to the plain white base. Glitter and diamond jeweled ribbons line the cakes to make them sparkle and shine. Some couples might even add pops of colored flowers or edible intricate designs to make it really stand out.

Theme Cakes

Themed cakes have become all the rage over the last few years. It’s not just kids who get to express their love for fantasy and fiction in their cakes! Whether it be Game of Thrones themed, Star Trek, or even something as simple as a botanical garden, couples have been doing it all.

Alternative Cakes

For all non-cake lovers, there’s plenty of other options for you. Another rising trend in the world of wedding cakes is not even having a cake at all. Not everyone has a desire for an elaborate three-tiered cake, and that’s entirely okay. A chocolate covered strawberry mountain, three tiers of brownies and cookies, or a three-tiered donut cake!

The most popular alternative to the cake as of 2019 is a cake pop or cupcake wedding cake. Cupcakes and cake pops are no longer considered children’s treats; they’re now wedding must-haves! This trend snowballed as people began to realize that not everyone wants to take a whole piece of cake, plus grabbing a cupcake or cake pop is so much more inviting.

Taking the Pain Out of Dancing

The dance floor is arguably the most popular part of a wedding reception. It’s also the perfect place to show off your sexiest dance moves and totally let loose after a few glasses of celebratory champagne. But what’s one thing that puts a big damper on the dancing festivities? For women, the answer is definitely high heels. Couples are now placing a basket next to the dance floor filled with foam sandals for their female guests to wear so they can dance the night away pain-free. This simple fix is extremely creative and a must-have at your wedding.

Finding the Perfect Favours

Wedding favours have always been tricky. How do you choose gifts to say thank you to your loved ones who attended your wedding? It’s traditional to give a box of candy that has a ribbon attached with a saying of love. Lately, it has become popular to mix it up. Mini succulents with the date and couple’s last name engraved into the pot is a cute way to say thank you. Another option is personalized pint glasses! My favorite example and one I would run to grab is the after wedding snack box. This handmade box comes with fries and a coke, or any food you wish to provide so that guests can have a snack from the bride and groom on the way home.

Spicing Up the Send-off

The formal exit of the bride and groom from the reception is the customary way to send off the happy couple on their honeymoon. Traditionally, guests throw rice above them to symbolise prosperity and good fortune. This tradition has taken on new forms as it has become increasingly common to get creative with wedding gestures. Instead of throwing rice, guests have found new objects to throw above the couple. Some objects include confetti, flower petals, balloons, and bubbles. These give a unique aesthetic to the wedding send-off, which will also undoubtedly make for amazing photographs.

For more information on how we can create your bespoke luxury cake contact us at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or at 07958069116

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium at The Langham

July 5, 2019

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THE VENUE

Recently, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium was commissioned to make a wedding cake for an incredible wedding at The Langham. This luxury 5 star hotel in the heart of London is home to Michel Roux’s restaurant The Landau. With him being a major, major crush of ours, it was all we could do to stop fangirling when we met him.

The venue holds all types of celebrations, from the lavish to the intimate. The Grade II ballroom has been recently lovingly restored with contemporary features that enhance its period detail.

As you enter the room, the dramatic neo-classical pillars and sparkling hand blown Murano glass chandeliers will take your breath away. There is also direct access from the Grand Ballroom to the Courtyard Garden a hidden gem oasis of calm in the middle of a very busy London.

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THE CAKE

Our beautiful bride wanted a tall and elegant show stopper cake befitting of her special wedding reception. A very positive and enjoyable first meeting and consultation revealed a bride that was right up our street. She wanted glamour, drama and a huge, huge cake different from the norm!

We responded by designing an eight tier luxury wedding cake in silver and white, embellished with iridescent and sparkly cut out scrolls, leaves and flowers inspired by the glittered embellishments on her custom Galia Lahav dress.

We created a bespoke luster dust mix which we painted the cake which gave the wedding cake a pearlised sheen. The cake was finished off with flowers from acclaimed florist Ricky Paul. The delicious cake flavours included Raspberry Ripple, Luscious Lemon and Chocolate.

Our bride was absolutely over the moon with her cake and the day after her wedding we received a lovely message that read “Elizabeth, the cake blew me away!! It was 10 times better than what I expected. Thank you so, so much”

We would love to create your luxury wedding cake, so give us a call on 07958069116 or email us at

info@elizabethscakeemporium.com

Award winning author of OPULENCIA available at AMAZON

www.elizabethscakeemporium.com

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.

Introducing Luxury Wedding Planner Lindy Dowling

June 27, 2019

On today’s blog post, I thought I’d switch things up a bit and have a guest blog post. In our 13 years of making cakes we have worked with many amazing wedding planners. Those that stand out to us are those that put their clients at the centre of all they do and treat their suppliers with kindness and dignity.

Lindy Dowling is an awesome luxury event planner we’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of times and every time has always been a delight! She attracts clients from all walks of life, as she is always calm, lovely and unflappable. She tells us a little about herself and her plans for the future.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Lindy, I’ve been planning weddings and events for a very long time now, predominantly covering London, The Home Counties and The Cotswolds. I have experience with all budgets and pretty much every wedding you can imagine over the years and I have loved being a part of each one.

I’m a calm, confident, positive person. I take pride in the experience I have and love nothing more than planning new events, meeting new clients and developing long lasting relationships along the way.

How did you get into wedding planning?

I had my own floristry business for a short while, after taking a break from my City job of 10+ years. Luckily I met a wonderful planner at a wedding fayre, who I then began working alongside. She gave me the motivation to set up my own business. I’ve always been incredibly organized and reliable as well as being very passionate about weddings, so it felt like a natural progression for me to break into the wedding planning industry.

What is a typical day like for you?

First tea! I start my day by checking emails, my to-do lists for the weddings I’m currently working on, followed by calls or meetings with my lovely clients and suppliers alike. You won’t find me on social media much. I’m quite old school in that respect and humble with my work. Predominantly my day is spent liaising with suppliers and working on my client’s schedules and budget sheets – very glamorous!

Your most favourite wedding to date?

I come away from every wedding thinking it’s my new favourite. I’ve been incredibly lucky to plan many glitzy, glamorous and high profile weddings over the years. However, some of my most memorable weddings have been those with a simple ceremony at a London Town Hall, followed by a classy, elegant reception. I love having the ceremony in a separate location away from the reception – it allows for the wow factor when guests arrive full of anticipation (and a glass of bubbly) at the reception.

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Five tips for couples looking to get married;

1. Set a budget and aim to stick to this throughout the planning process. If you don’t have a clear budget set, it’s too easy to be dazzled and before you know it your costs are spiralling out of control.

2. Be realistic about guest numbers and invite those family and friends who are important to you – not just because you feel under pressure to have them there. It’s your day after all.

3. It’s never too early to start work on your table plan. Most of my clients find this the most stressful part, but it doesn’t need to be if you begin this way ahead of time.

4. Book your Photographer asap! The best photographers get booked up super fast, so it’s always key to book at the very beginning of your wedding planning journey. I always say ‘After the big day has been and gone, you’re left with wonderful memories, a wedding ring and your photos’. Don’t scrimp on the photographer as it’ll end up being so much more important as years go by. I still look at my Grandparent’s wedding album now – it’s something I’ll treasure forever now they’re gone.

5. Take time out to enjoy the planning process. Book a weekend away before your big day – just the two of you and relax, leave the plans at home and enjoy each other’s company.

What lessons have you learned along the way?

Gosh, I could write a book on my experiences and the lessons I have learnt throughout my time as a wedding planner! That’s why I value my experience so highly. I get countless emails each day from people wishing they were a wedding planner, regarding the profession as being uber glamorous with days spent sampling cakes and wine. In reality it is extremely hard work and much more labour intensive on the day than you would imagine. Most wedding planners will tell you the day after a successful wedding you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Name your top 5 venues and what venue would be your dream venue to work with?

The Wallace Collection, The Savile Club, Claridge’s, Aynhoe Park and Petersham Nurseries. I don’t really have a dream venue in mind which I’d like to work with, as for me it’s more about finding my dream client. I’ve been extremely lucky over the years to have worked for so many lovely clients, whom have become friends.

What has been the biggest wedding catastrophe you successfully averted?

One of my clients bridesmaids left her dress in a taxi on the morning of the wedding. After numerous calls, I was able to track down the driver whom I arranged to meet to collect the dress. Luckily the bride was none the wiser! I also remember fixing a damaged wedding cake alongside a wonderful florist many years back now. Again, my clients had no idea and the cake looked great!

What are we to expect from you in the future?

I don’t have any grand plans to expand or evolve. My future plans are to continue to create wonderful, memorable, timeless events for my clients. After all – it’s always about them for me.

For incredible wedding inspiration and to contact Lindy, visit her website at https://www.lindydowling.co.uk/

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