Lights, camera and action

It was a very eventful month, July with a number of tricky cakes to do! The most exciting bit for me was being shown on Wedding TV (Sky Channel 277/278, http://www.weddingtv.com/) on the 13th of July and I didn't even get to see it. What I did get to do though was an hour and a half long shoot with Wedding TV where I got to talk about cakes (my favourite subject) and do a cake decorating demonstration. The producer, Rachael, was absolutely lovely and we had a great time during the shoot. The venue was at the fabulous Courthouse Hotel Kempinski (http://www.courthouse-hotel.com/) located just across from Liberty's. The hotel was originally a courthouse and a number of famous people like Christine Keeler, John Lennon and Oscar Wilde were tried there. It has a fabulous roof garden and some of the original cells have been kept as part of the decor.

The month ended with me making a Tinkerbell fairy garden cake for Disney which went down a storm.

Please find below more on the A to Z of Wedding cakes:

W for Website

A number of reliable cake designers will post pictures of their creations on their websites, enabling you easy access to their portfolios at a click of a button. This is a great source of ideas for your wedding cake and you will instantly know if you like or dislike a particular cake designer’s style.

X for Xtras

To quote a strap line from a famous advert, every little helps. All the added extras such as the delivery and set up costs, cake stand and cake knife hire costs do add up and when deciding your budget be clear whether it’s inclusive of extras or not.

It's been a while...........................

It's been a pretty eventful month for me with incredible highs and some really awful lows. It has also been very busy and we are getting more enquiries. We've also trialed some cupcakes with a couple of restaurants and I'll let you know how we got on very soon. I almost had tea with Martha Stewart (the USA's equivalent of 'Dame' Delia Smith) alongside eighty other women at Wedgwood, but unfortunately, she had problems with getting a visa (it's not like she's some gun toting or dope delaing criminal!) so the event was cancelled. The lows were really awful but I've learnt a great deal from them and the biggest one includes never entrusting the care of a cake to a third party! People not used to transporting cakes think it's just a matter of putting it on the back seat of a car, and driving as they normally would. Cakes are very fragile and should be handled with great care.Is it any wonder if after slamming on the breaks a number of times the cake comes flying?

Ah well, I suppose what is done is done! Now continuing with the A to Z of Wedding Cakes:

U for Unusual

If you want something a bit unusual and off the beaten track, a cake that will be a talking point, then Elizabeth’s Emporium will happily design such a cake for you. For example, the current trend is the cup cake tower, where hundreds of cupcakes are displayed in multiple tiers. We have made such cakes, custom making various stands using fabric, ribbon and even the same material as the wedding invitations! The advantage of a cupcake tower is that it is easier to serve, it can double as dessert (our triple chocolate cake with raspberry coulis always goes down brilliantly) and you can have a variety of cupcake flavours to offer your guests.


V for Value Added

As you would be spending quite a considerable sum of money on your wedding cake, choose a cake maker that will contribute something special towards making your wedding great. It could be lending you an unusual cake knife, a great cake stand, a fabulous table cloth or even being a surrogate therapist.

Make cupcakes not war......................

It's been a VERY busy week! A week of exhibitions, photo shoots and delivering on orders. Although I am very exhausted I am also very happy. On delivering the cupcakes above, I was described as the best cupcake maker ever by the client. They also said that my cakes are too pretty to eat. I hope the cupcakes exceed their expectations and lead to more orders and referrals for Elizabeth's Emporium. I am looking forward to the next few weeks when we'll be making more fabulous cakes so watch this space.

Continuing with the A to Z of Wedding Cakes series:

S for Size or Servings

The size of the cake should ideally be appropriate to the number of guests. So if you are expecting hundreds of guests, for instance, you will need several cake tiers. However, it is estimated that in any average wedding up 30% of your guests might not eat cake. For brides on a budget, to save money, you can be creative by serving the wedding cake as dessert or you can

copy a practice in the Phillipines and parts of China whereby a Styrofoam cake is hired for the cutting ceremony but a plainly iced cake is served to guests.



T for Tastings

Some wedding cakes can be a case of style over substance. It is important that your cake tastes as good as it looks. A good cake maker will offer you a tasting of a variety of flavours of cakes from which you can make your choice. At Elizabeth's Emporium, we offer up to six different tried and tested cake flavours and fillings. We would also suggest that you try and book your tasting session alongside the menu tasting at the caterers or your chosen venue. This will enable you determine which of the cake flavours compliment your menu the best.

Before I sign off, I will like you to please visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bone-marrow/ sign and pass on a petition by the now world famous Adrian Sudbury to the Prime Minister. Adrian's dream before he dies is to change the education policy to require schools/colleges/other institutions to educate students about bone marrow donation. Please find it in your hearts to help make this courageous man's wish become a reality.

Have a lovely bank holiday!

Give a little

About a month or so ago, I read an article in a national newspaper about a very brave young man called Adrian Sudbury, who had been diagnosed with two forms of leukemia, making him a medical first (please read for yourself by visiting http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/).

Since then, I have been an avid follower of his blog, liking his natural and very inspirational style. A few days ago, he discovered that his bone marrow transplant has not worked and he has in his own words suffered a RE E E LAPSE. He has chosen to end all treatment and spend whatever time he has left with his family. He however has a mission and that is to get as many people as possible onto the national bone marrow register. I have been on the Anthony Nolan Trust register (http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk/) for the past ten years although I am yet to receive a call. I registered when I was working as a scientist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children as a result of a plea for BME donors for a patient called Daniel De Gale. A couple of years ago, I met Daniel's mother at another bone marrow donor drive and she told me that Daniel was in remission and was about to go to university. She also checked to see if I was still on the register and indeed I was.

My plea is for more people to step forward and register. If a total needle phobic wuss like me can volunteer so can anyone. I pray that Adrian will recover and I hope that one day, scientists will find a cure for all forms of cancer.

On the 8th of May I was at the launch of Rachel Elnaugh's new book called Business Nightmares. It's one of the best business books I have read this year and I am now reading through it for the second time. She has shown tremendous strength of character by demonstrating dignity under fire and recovering from an enormous set back in her business life. I urge anyone in business or wishing to start a business to read this book.

We will continue with the A to Z of Wedding Cakes series next week.

The camera never lies

Why oh why can't I take a decent photo! This has been the bane of my life, considering how important decent photos are to my work. Anyhoo, I suppose I just have to keep on practising till I get it right. Another week of cakes, cakes and more cakes which is very good for us. Also, Elizabeth's Emporium got chosen from thousands of businesses for a pilot leadership programme sponsored by the London Development Agency. We are very grateful for the opportunity and also very excited and can't wait to get started.

As always, we continue with the A to Z of Wedding Cakes series below:

Q for Quality

You want you cake to accurately reflect your sense of style and elegance. When looking at wedding cakes, pay attention to important elements such as flavour options, and other details such as the finishing touches, how cakes are displayed and the accompanying accessories to ensure that they are what you require.

R for Reception

As the cake will take centre stage at the reception, discuss possible display areas and how the table will be dressed with your event planner or venue and cake maker. If for instance the cake will be iced entirely in butter cream for a summer wedding, it is advisable not to display the cake in a hot room or place it near a window. Also, placing the cake table next to the sound system may not be a good idea, as the vibrations could destabilise the wedding cake.

All things cake and wonderful

Time sure does fly when you're having fun! I can't believe it's been a few weeks since my last blog. We've had quite a few enquiries, bookings and meetings with potential clients which all went well. There have also been a number of marketing opportunities which we couldn't have imagined, so it's all good. All I'm allowed to say at the moment is watch this space for an announcement in the nearest future.

We now continue with our A to Z Guide to Wedding Cakes below:

O for Order
As soon as you can, obtain a written quote on aspects of the cake design, flavour, the number of tiers, delivery costs, hire charges and other details. This will give you time to see if every requirement of yours had been noted accurately and to also raise other issues that you might have. It is also worth providing the cake maker with the name of a designated person on site who s authorised to take delivery of the cake. At Elizabeth's Emporium, we may also ask for a signature ad take a digital photo as confirmation that the cake, was delivered in great condition.

P for Price

While it is advisable to shop around for the best price in order to get value for money, you may have to pay a premium for a particular cake designer’s brand, design, experience and reliability. For brides on a budget, please do not be afraid to approach a cake maker whose work you like. A lot of charm and wanting to be a part of your special day may persuade a cake maker to work with a limited budget that will get you what you want for less money.

Cake my day!

Another week, another tasting. This time a delightful couple who once again voted our chocolate cake to be the best they've ever had! Although they had made up their minds about the cake flavour they wanted for their wedding, it didn't do them any harm to try our other cake flavours, which all went down very well. The style of cake they chose is one of my favourites but they've added their own twist and I can't wait to show you all the final product.

I also had a very productive meeting with one of the biggest party planners and props hire companies in the country and it never ceases to amaze me how lovely people from the big name companies can be. I undertook a tour of their props warehouse, which was divided up into various party themes and it made my week. My favourite prop was a huge, white blinged up sled constructed for a snow queen party. I imagined myself (being the cake queen extraordinaire of course) sitting on it and waving regally to all my 'subjects'! As my sister would say, in your dreams missis!

As usual, please find the continuation of our A to Z series below:

M for Marzipan

Commonly used by cake decorators to cover fruit cakes, it is made from almonds and has a sweet, distinctive taste. It helps to protect the cake from drying out, preserving all the moisture in the cake. However, be aware that some of your guests might be allergic to nuts in any shape or form and it is advisable to warn such guests.

N for Notice

It’s best to give your chosen cake maker as much notice as you can, preferably a minimum of three to six months’ notice. This will ensure that there is enough time to discuss and execute every detail of the design and content of your cake and there is also enough time for the designer to incorporate any changes. Having said that, you will find that some bakers can accommodate time constraints if you ask very nicely. At Elizabeth's Emporium we have certainly accommodated a bride who rang us in a panic after being let down by her cake maker. We had just two weeks to out together a delicious three tier confection that resulted in one of the nicest letters we have ever received from a bride.