Victoria Glass - Boutique Wedding Cakes: bake and decorate beautiful cakes at home

boutique

wedding cakes

boutique

wedding cakes

bake and decorate beautiful cakes at home

Victoria Glass

photography by Laura Forrester

Designers Luis Peral and Barbara Zuiga

Editor Rebecca Woods

Head of Production Patricia Harrington

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Stylists Luis Peral and Victoria Glass

Indexer Hilary Bird

First published in 2012

by Ryland Peters & Small

2021 Jockeys Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

519 Broadway, 5th Floor

New York, NY 10012

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text Victoria Glass 2012

Design and photographs

Ryland Peters & Small 2012

The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN: 978 1 84975 678 5

ISBN 978 1 84975 263 3

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for.

Printed in China

All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

Use either metric or imperial/cup measurements, do not use a combination of both.

All eggs are large (UK) or extra large (US), unless otherwise specified. It is recommended that free-range, organic eggs be used whenever possible.

Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. All ovens work slightly differently. We recommend using an oven thermometer and suggest you consult the makers handbook for any special instructions, particularly if you are cooking in a fan-assisted/convection oven, as you will need to adjust temperatures according to the manufacturers instructions

Philadelphia (full-fat, not the reduced fat variety) has been specified for icings as this is the only brand I have found which doesnt turn to liquid when whisked with an electric hand whisk.

contents

The wedding cake offers you the perfect opportunity to showcase the style and personality of the couple its celebrating, whether thats bold and distinctive, classic and elegant or a reflection of the bride and grooms personal obsession with the family tartan. Whatever design path you choose, you can always throw a few surprises into the mix. This book provides you with a deliciously varied and exciting range of flavours, from timeless sponges to indulgent and unique combinations. All recipes include quantity charts for different sized and shaped pans at the back of the book. This means that you can pick and choose both the flavours and size of your cakes to suit your taste, as well as use the cake recipes for other occasions once the wedding cake has been baked, decorated, sliced and, finally, eaten.

The cake is an important focal point at a wedding reception, creating an eye-catching centrepiece for the day. But just because a wedding cake, with all its weighty symbolism of union, prosperity and fertility, is traditional, it doesnt mean the design or flavour has to be.

I have carefully paired each showcased design with a different and fitting recipe, but these pairings are merely suggestions. There is absolutely no reason to follow my lead. In fact, I actively encourage you to forge your own flavour path and pick and choose recipes according to your own taste and considerations. Light, citrusy notes may be preferable for a date in the middle of June, whereas an indulgent Black Forest cake can work wonders to warm the chill of a cold, November night.

Personally, I always favour serving the cake as dessert as it is the perfect way to be both economical and indulgent. So often, the cake gets cut and wheeled out at about 10 oclock, when guests have already eaten a three-course meal and drunk enough champagne to launch a fleet. This way, your guests wont be too stuffed to eat it and your delicious efforts are guaranteed to be better remembered, as well as enjoyed. If, on the other hand, the cake is going to be served late in the evening with coffee, make a note of the dessert choice to avoid any flavour repetition a lemon cake will seem less enticing after a lemon tart.

You neednt feel that you should stick to just one recipe the bride and groom may have incompatible tastes when it comes to cake and you may need to cater for specific dietary requirements. Whatever the reason for opting for more than one cake flavour, be it necessity, gluttony or indecision, guests will certainly be grateful to be offered a choice.

Years ago, I made a wedding cake in the under-equipped kitchen of a holiday rental cottage as a gift for a friend. I had brought my own pans, rolling pin and piping nozzles, but nothing else. I had no measuring scales, electric whisks or spatulas and had to mix the cake batter in a saucepan, as the cottage didnt have a single mixing bowl. The only measuring tools I had were a couple of tablespoons, teaspoons and a vintage Pyrex jug. Although this situation could never be described as ideal, it certainly proved to me that you dont need state-of-the-art facilities to get the job done and done well. Although flashy electric mixers and digital scales will always make the job easier and quicker, youll be amazed at what can be achieved with little or no expensive or specialized tools. Specific equipment is needed for some of the cake designs in this book, but others require little more than what youll find already in the back of your kitchen cupboards. If you honestly assess your own levels of skill and confidence before starting your cake, you shouldnt find too many bumps in the road. An optimistic, gung-ho spirit will serve you just as well as any fashionable kitchen gadgets.

Now, deep breath, shoulders back, and pop on your pinny. Youre about to make an exquisitely beautiful and delicious wedding cake.

My aim is to de-mystify tricks of the trade and help guide you, while avoiding being too prescriptive. Although I offer you design and flavour pairings, there is still plenty of room for the cake you create to reflect your personal creativity. This is especially important to bear in mind should anything not go entirely to plan. If your icing skills arent quite as flawless as you had hoped, or your sugar flowers not quite as neat as natures, there is no need to feel deflated or disappointed in yourself. For the best results, follow my guide to assessing the kind of baker you are on , so that you can steer away from any projects that may lead to a nervous breakdown. Everyone is different. We approach work differently, set differing timetables and deal with stress differently, so just work out what fits you best. The more you enjoy working on this project, the more likely you are to succeed and be proud of the results.