Sky High, I'm Gonna Testify

I'm sure that probably the best view of London can be seen from the 40th floor of The Gherkin (30 St Mary's Axe). Last week was the cake and menu tasting of a lovely couple and from what brides tell me, this is one of the most enjoyable parts of planning the wedding.

The manager and staff of Searcy's pulled out all the stops and a great time seemed to be had by all. On our part we at Elizabeth's Emporium provided five different cake flavours, one which was specially made at the request of the couple. We had a lot of fun trying to perfect the recipe, which went down very well. The next stage will be discussing and finalising the specifics of the cake, which we are very excited to be making, as it is so apt for such a cosmopolitan couple. So watch this space.

Now we continue with our series, the A to Z of Wedding Cakes below:


G for Ground work

You have to do a lot of ground work to uncover the right cake designer but it is worth it for the peace of mind and confidence it will give you in the long run. Always ask friends, family and recently married couples for recommendations, or you can ask your event planner to source someone for you. Another good way to uncover someone is via your reception venue; as they are likely to have used rigorous criteria to vet and select their cake suppliers. Therefore, word of mouth can be your most powerful search tool!

A lot of cake makers will showcase their creations on their websites and this is a time for you to see whether you like their work. Designs can range from the simple, traditional, modern, cool to the elaborate. When you do make contact, ask them how they would describe their style and in turn, expect to be asked questions about the date of your wedding, the number of guests you expect the cake to feed and the style and feel of your wedding. Arrange a meeting to view their portfolio and discuss your ideas but most importantly this would be a good time to see if there is a good personal connection or chemistry as trust is a crucial element in your relationship.


H for Hire costs

Just like it is essential to choose the right accessories for your wedding dress, the right accessories and how a cake is displayed can make all the difference. It is advisable to think about whether a cake table will be provided, its location, how it will be dressed, and about other accessories such as the cake stand and the cutting knife.
However, the right accessories may come at an extra cost, so ensure that it is included as part of the package when you book your venue. If not, so make sure you bear this is mind when discussing your requirements with your cake maker and the venue.

Flashdance...............................

First, when there's nothing but a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind..............................................

Ever since I saw the movie Flashdance many moons ago, I have harboured secret ambitions to overcome my shyness and strut my stuff on stage. Alas, I grew into adulthood, became somewhat responsible and that was the end of that dream.

Until I met a fabulous dance teacher called Tara (http://www.funkydance.co.uk/) who taught what she called 'Funky Dance'. After months of classes and rehearsals, a mixed group of us which included children, girls, and ladies of a certain age like me, performed in front of a paying audience of three hundred and five hundred in the first and second shows on Saturday the 16th March.

It was both the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I have ever done and my family and friends were very pleasantly surprised at how good and professional we were. So a big thank you to Tara, her husband Piers who helped with the music, lightning and stage effects and most of all to all the brave ladies who felt the fear and danced anyway!

Now what does all this have to do with cakes, you might ask. Well pushing oneself to do something different and totally unexpected is risky but definitely worth it even if one falls flat on one's face! At Elizabeth's Emporium, we try to do something different from the norm in our own way and hopefully it pays off in the end!

It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do

I had the pleasure of attending a number of exciting events in the past week. The highlights for me was meeting highly motivated entrepreneurs who were very keen to share their knowledge and experience and listening to passionate speakers educate me about their respective areas of expertise. One thing they all had in common was their belief in their ability to change the world for the better. They have made me think about using Fairtrade products more often and when placing my order for ingredients this week, I found myself asking my various suppliers questions about their supply chain.

For more information on how you can help make a difference, please visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

I also had a generous offer to join a register of TV experts and I will let you know how I get on in due course!

Continuing our series on the A to Z of Wedding cakes:


E for Etiquette

Read up on wedding etiquette, so you know who has the responsibility for doing and paying for what. For instance, in some cultures the father of the bride bears the responsibility for a large part of the wedding costs, but increasingly, couples are now paying for their own wedding. When it comes to the wedding cake, there is now a trend towards not just going for the tradtional three tier cake but alternatively, having a cupcake tower made up of individual cupcakes or fully iced mini cakes. Some couples also request a groom’s cake at the wedding, which could be a novelty cake that reflects the groom's hobbies or passions.

F for Flavours and Fillings

Gone are the days when wedding cakes were heavy, stodgy fruit cakes. Nowadays, you can choose from a variety of flavours, ranging from chocolate, vanilla, carrot and lemon cake to unusual flavours like banana, lime and coconut and coffee and walnut. We've even had requests for Red Velvet cake and Apple Cinnamon cake.
Fillings can range from French vanilla buttercream and white and dark chocolate ganache, to orange buttercream, mocha buttercream, lime cream cheese to Morello cherry. For a bit of variety, you can have different flavoured tiers to cater for different tastes and to offer variety to your guests.

The A to Z of Wedding Cakes

Moving on from the excitement of our collaboration with Wedgwood (yay!) we are continuing our series on the A to Z of Wedding Cakes.

C for Chemistry

Just like any other relationship, no matter how talented a cake designer is, there should be a positive chemistry between both of you. He or she should be finely attuned to your requirements and should be able to guide and steer you in the right direction, making helpful suggestions on possible designs, flavours and fillings.


D for Design, Decorations and Dietary Requirements

If you don’t have a particular cake in mind, or even a photograph, make a collage of all the things that inspire your style and take it along to your cake maker. In terms of the cake decorations, a talented cake designer can match the details on your wedding dress for instance or the exact colour of your bridesmaid dresses if you provide a swatch of the fabric. Let the cake maker know your favourite cake flavour but also be open to trying out as many cake flavours as possible.
If you are vegan, vegetarian, have certain dietary requirements or allergies, please let the cake maker know, so he or she can accommodate this. It is possible in these times to have great tasting and looking cakes that suits every dietary requirement.

Elizabeth's Emporium Cakes in the Wedgwood Shop Window

We are delighted that something exciting has happened to Elizabeth's Emporium this week!

The latest adventure started a month ago when Elizabeth's Emporium was asked to design and create a fabulous wedding cake for the flagship store of Wedgwood at 158 Regents Street, London W1. Wedgwood, England's finest china company, has been synonymous with beauty, craftsmanship and innovation for over 250 years and it is an honour to collaborate with such an outstanding company.

Taking pride of place in the display is a white, three tier hexagonal wedding cake, covered with sugar flowers and silver dragees. The gorgeous canape sized and large sized cupcakes, made to complement the wedding cake are black and white and have been displayed beautifully on assorted cake plates.

We are so delighted to have our work show cased in this manner and we hope that this would be the beginning of many such partnerships :)