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| Liam, jumping for joy at his mum and dad's wedding |
Circumstances were against
me.....my ancient but much loved Kenwood mixer finally died a few days ago. I
had already made the large bottom tier fruit cake, but still had various
chocolate sponges to make. Amazon came to the rescue, and my new Kenwood mixer,
looking remarkably like my old Kenwood mixer, arrived within 20 hours of the
latter’s demise.
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| 2 Kenwood mixers, the old and the new. |
The trusty K beater has changed
shape, and the pyrex bowl has been replaced by a stainless steel one, some very
solid metal bits have been replaced by plastic....but otherwise.....not much
has changed in 50 years.
I have chosen to retain the pyrex
bowl.... I discovered that the stainless steel one was so cold, that even with
room temperature eggs, things curdled too easily. The stainless steel bowl will
be kept for pastry.
The various cake
components....rich chocolate, less rich chocolate, plain sponge and very rich fruit
cakes.......all to be iced and assembled.
As no one in the family likes
marzipan ( except me) and Mark actually has a nut allergy, I smeared a thin layer
of buttercream icing under layers of royal icing ( made with egg white
substitute).
A friend’s daughter made the
gorgeous roses......thanks Katy.
One of Jodie's friends made some beautiful peg people, to represent Jodie and her family.
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| Peg people...from left to right, Liam, Kieron, Jodie and baby Izzie |
And finally, it was ready to
transport.
 |
Matty, had the enormous responsibility of carrying the cake to the wedding venue.   but who would ever notice the slight cake imperfections, when Jodie's beautiful radiance shone so brightly . |
Hello Janice:
ReplyDeleteThis was obviously a joyous occasion. The happiness of it all shines through every line. As you say, possibly the cake was somewhat overshadowed by the sheer exuberance of the wedding but it certainly looks very professional from here. What a responsibility but you have carried it off to perfection!
Congratulations to the happy couple!
It was such a special day J & L, joyous describes it perfectly....and the cake was ok too. Thanks for your comments.
DeleteGoodness gracious but you are brave! I love the idea of having three layers of different cake -- keeps everybody happy that way. And the cake looks wonderful and so special. Your daughter looks a very beautiful and happy bride.
ReplyDeleteIt's just great to be able to read your blog again. Thank you for being such a faithful reader while my online capabilities were so limited.
I didn't think offering to make the cake was brave at the time..... I did this last week though ! It has been good to read your blog while you've been away, but I'm looking forward to greater contact with the new net book, hope it is as good as you hope.
DeleteJanice, it looks superb - so elegant and professional and I know it matched Jodie's gorgeous flowers too from the fb photos.
ReplyDeleteMy recent cake attempts were failures though I had to go ahead and finish one of them for Ruy's birthday, otherwise we'd have had nowhere to stick his candles. I need a foolproof chocolate cake recipe that can be made in one tin - that middle-sized one looks just right.
Glad you had such a good day.
Axxx
Thanks Annie... I had no real doubts about the cakes themselves... I just wished I had practiced the icing more. Those flowers were very strategically placed !
DeleteThe chocolate , middle tier is a Mary Berry tray bake sponge mix recipe...couldn't be easier...honest.
It was a brilliant day, we're still grinning from ear to ear. Jxxx
The cake looks very stylish, and sounds delicious! My sister made my wedding cake, and when I look at photos (which I don't very often, but strangely did today) it is all the more special for being home made. What a happy occasion it must have been - your daughter looks radiant. I bet, though, that Matt was glad when that part of his role was over!
ReplyDeletex
Thanks Alix... as I said, the icing didn't really cope with too close inspection.....but it was home made.... and my first ever wedding cake. ( I suspect it will be my last as well ). Matty coped very well with his onerous responsibility, but I think he needed several stiff drinks afterwards !
DeleteWhat a beautiful, happy bride!
ReplyDeleteYour post just bubbles through with the happiness of it all.
The cake looks wonderful...I'd never have thought of doing different types of layers.
Just one thing...does Matty have nerves of steel? Rather him than me even if the car was travelling at walking speed!
Oh, she was so beautiful ( she is always beautiful, but she just shone all day, as brides should). Thanks for the comments about the cake.... as mentioned....close inspection was best avoided. Matty was a star, no one else volunteered for the job, and he managed very well. Husband, Mark, father of the bride drove the car.....very carefully. Jx
DeleteThe proof was in the eating and the slice served up Janice was delicious! I have to agree with the fly in the web - Matty must have nerves of steel. If anything had of happened on the journey maybe we would never caught sight of him again but as with everything else on the day it all went perfectly. A day that will live long in the memory.....
ReplyDeleteIt was a great day wasn't it Rick. I'm glad the cake actually tasted ok... or at least the top tier did. ( Mark and I have had several pieces of the bottom fruit tier since the weekend...and that's pretty good too ).
DeleteMatty did well didn't he....but perhaps I am to blame for the number of alcoholic drinks he subsequently felt the need to consume. It was lovely to share the day with the Bewsey bunch ( or most of them) ....looking forward to the next family wedding, with Mark and Shardae. Jx
Well done. The cake looks wonderful and the occasion happy. Congratulations to the family.
ReplyDeleteMy Kenwood chef 'died' a couple of yeas ago but had done excellent service. It was a 1981 (wedding present) bright orange model with the stainless steel bowl and just about every attachment going. The bowl was a great size for making large fruit cakes.... not that I have any wedding in the pipeline!
Thanks Gaynor...I was incredibly sad at the moment I threw the old Kenwood ( minus the brilliant pyrex bowl) into the electrical appliance recycle skip. If the new one makes as many great cakes as the old one has in its lifetime, it will be brilliant. J.
DeleteNot for any comparisons but because I'm very proud of my friend, check out www.scattercake.co.uk - My best friend, also Annie, is brilliant at everything from playing the piano, painting, fine art and baking, and she now has her own cake business based in Oxford. She is such an artist and - damn her - makes fantastic chocolates too!
ReplyDeleteYou should have given me this link before I had the nervous breakdown over the royal icing ! x
DeleteYou made the cake so quickly Janice even though your Kenwood died, you did a brilliant job - it looks fantastic, and I bet it tasted delicious.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased that everyone had a wonderful day, and congratulations to Jodie and Kieron and their little family. Look forward to seeing the wedding photos next.
The bottom tier, which was a fruit cake was actually made about 6 weeks ago... I only had the chocolate middle tier and the plain sponge and chocolate sponge top tiers to make the week before the event. However...it was pretty stressful ! It was a beautiful wedding , although of course, I may be a little biased.
DeleteThis cake is truly a labor of love, Janice, and to me looks perfect in every way! We were just at a wedding a few weeks ago and all marveled at the wedding cake, much like yours, for we knew it was homemade. Once we tasted it, we knew for sure.
ReplyDeleteLiam looks like he is having fun and Jodie, well, Jodie radiates bridal beauty and happiness. I'm smiling these many miles away.
Thanks Penny, it was a truly perfect day. Some of us have been humming Lou Reed's "perfect day" since Saturday. Weddings can certainly bring out the best in people.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cake Janice...I never knew you could bake so well. It looks awesome. The Bride looks very beautiful. What an honor to be asked to bake a cake for the wedding.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your family!!!! Looks like a fun day with lots of memories to last a long time.
It was a wonderful day, we're just about coming down to earth now. Thanks for your kind words. J.
DeleteMade with love and eaten with happiness - I bet it tasted wonderful, Janice. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Perpetua.... I can vouch for the fruit cake tier....it is wonderful and the bit that I was allocated to bring home will last till Christmas. J.
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