For those of you who know me well, you will know that I absolutely love baking! From cupcakes to brownies etc. But there is one friend out there that seems to know me very well indeed, as this friend asked me to make her wedding cake. When she first asked me I felt disbelief, yet honoured that she wanted to entrust me with one of the main components of her big day. After discussing the style of cake which her and her husband to be desired, I took the leap and said YES. Fortunately for me neither of them wanted a traditional wedding cake covered in fondant icing with decadent handmade flowers. So the research for a naked wedding cake began. The research consisted of looking through plenty of pretty cakes on Pinterest- making my mouth water in the process. And browsing the web and cookery books to find a suitable recipe. It was certain that the cake was to be decorated with plenty of seasonal berries and fresh flowers. I now needed to find a cake recipe that was simple enough to follow and produce a big enough and sturdy enough wedding cake. This is when I came across Frances Quinn’s "Summer's Day Wedding Cake". I am not certain how many times I read over this recipe prior to making it but let’s say it always seemed be open in my web browser. Approximately four months prior to the wedding I decided to produce a sample of the cake for Naomi, Ben and family to try. This is when adjustments to the recipe began in order to make it more “me” and to also cater to a large group of taste buds.
Adjustments made:
- The tiers to the cake were to contain less lemon zest due to using…
- Homemade lemon curd instead of shop bought- a lot more lemony and zingy!
- The stock syrup was not going to contain mint
- The cakes would be 30cm, 22cm and 14cm in diameter
- Two cakes would be made to form the top tier.
So I went ahead and made one with less lemon zest and homemade lemon curd to go between the layers along with the mascarpone. The practice run was a success, the cake mix was quick and easy, it baked evenly and a beautiful golden brown. Also as the cake recipe contains ground almonds in addition to flour it created a sturdy sponge along with keeping it moist due to the natural oils from the almonds. I am not going to lie, it definitely went down a treat and this was before adding the seasonal berries.
As the wedding day gradually approached I began to worry. I would sit in front of my computer screen simply staring at the cake recipe with butterflies dancing in my stomach. But I had to pull myself together and get organised. So I created myself a ‘to do’ list for the week leading up to the wedding day. This consisted of shopping, baking, lemon curd making, slicing, assembling and decorating. The fantastic thing about this cake recipe is that I was able to start baking tiers three days to prior due to the fact that it keeps perfectly fresh double wrapped in cling film and in an airtight container (extra precaution).
Top tip: If you are baking the cake in a traditional oven at home I would suggest that you bake each cake one at a time as this ensures an even bake. Due to the cake being naked you want each tier to be the same shade. This is a lengthy process as it requires a lot of waiting around however it is worth the final result.
Also the stock syrup could be made a few days ahead too. The lemon curd was made by my wonder woman Mum the day before the wedding. I felt like I could sit back, relax and put my feet up. Yet the worse part was to come- slicing each cake in half and mounting them to form one wedding cake. On the day of the wedding I rose early and got a strong cuppa in me to calm my nerves. It makes me laugh now that I felt so nervous but I wonder how Naomi and Ben were feeling at this point in time. I mean they were the ones getting married!
Top tip: To slice a cake in half you will need a ruler, toothpicks and a long sharp knife. First step is to trim off any cake from the top so that you have a flat even surface. Then measure the depth of the cake to find the halfway point, insert toothpicks at the halfway point around the cake. Use the toothpicks to slide your knife along, start by running the knife all the way around the cake along the tooth picks, gradually moving it through the cake. This should ensure that the cake is cut evenly in half.
When it comes to assembling a cake of this size it is important that you:
- Have everything prepared and ready to hand
- Give yourself plenty of time as rushing leads to silly mistakes
- Remember to insert straws into each size tier with a little sticking out as this will give support to the cake
- Place a thin cake board between each size tier as this will also provide support but will enable you to dismount the cake easily for cutting
- And finally have an awesome support team in place, to keep you calm and reassure you.
And with a huge sigh of relief, it was done, I had done it! Yet, throughout the whole ceremony I kept thinking to myself “I hope it is still standing!”
I would not have been able to do this without my beautiful Mum and boyfriend- thank you! I also want to thank Ben and Naomi for trusting and believing in me, it was such an honour to make your wedding cake. So there we have it, I can now say that I have made a wedding cake, I still cannot believe it.
If you would like to have a go at recreating this cake for a special occasion and have any questions please feel free to ask. I will try to give you as many tips and pointers as possible.
-CookmansCreations
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