Ingredients and flavours
Hello! It’s a new year! And, with a new name and a new website I think it’s the perfect time for a new blog post! A first blog post is daunting so I’m just going to pretend I’m (writing a rather lengthy post) in Instagram. And I’ve decided to talk about something I find easy too – ingredients and flavours!
I love the design element of creating wedding cakes. And I love talking to my couples about all the special and individual details of their day and how I can incorporate these into their cake. But, it’s vital to have good ingredients and flavours too.
To celebrate my rebrand I wanted to add some more, delicious new flavours to my range….
Let the testing begin!
I love fresh coconut cake and felt this would be the perfect addition. I teamed it with with a home made lime curd, lime buttercream and lime Belgian white chocolate ganache. A special family birthday back in August was the perfect opportunity for a large test-bake! So, three grated coconuts and 12 limes later…
I produced this cake…
Sure enough, it was delicious. The creamy flavour of the fresh coconut perfectly balanced with the sharpness of the lime. It received lovely lip-smacking ‘yums’ and ‘ooooos’ from all the party guests. But, when it came to perfectly uniform stripy slices of cake and filling, an absolute necessity for a wedding cake, fresh grated coconut doesn’t make this easy. And, I refuse to use the desiccated stuff or simply add flavouring. So, whilst it continues to be a family favourite (if a little ‘rustic’ when cut) for a wedding cake it didn’t make the cut (pun intended). ***(See update at foot of this blog!)
What did, however, was Caramel & Praline cake.
Scrumptious fillings…
To fill the caramel cake I made almond praline buttercream…
and lip-smackingly scrumptious thick and gooey sea salted caramel sauce. Sorry, I lavished it on the cake then devoured the leftovers so quickly (was at risk of dousing my morning porridge with it) that I have no tempting photos. It’s a well-known fact that our palates tend to crave something salty after something sweet (and vice versa). So, satisfying both these taste receptors in one mouthful is a tried and tested winning combination. Indeed, all three couples from last week’s wedding consultations chose and loved Caramel & Praline as one of their sample flavours.
Caramel & praline cake
Here’s the cake simply coated in almond praline buttercream, topped with shards of homemade almond praline. And, pretending to be a chocolatier, I added some homemade Belgian chocolate almond praline truffles…
Madagascan vanilla, strawberry & white chocolate cake
One of my most popular cupcake flavours is white chocolate and strawberry. A Madagascan vanilla sponge studded with Belgian white chocolate callets and fresh strawberry chunks, topped with fresh strawberry buttercream. The buttercream is an absolute delight. Indeed my previous neighbour once exclaimed to my husband, “How does Amanda get it to taste like that?!” It’s not me, just those lovely, juicy, flavoursome local strawberries. Not the rock-hard, bland Elsanta variety. I wanted to translate this popular flavour into a cake. But, as fresh fruit pieces (due to their shelf life) are a no-no in a wedding cake instead I added a cooked fresh strawberry purée to the Madagascar bourbon vanilla sponge cake batter. Then, I layered the baked cake with alternating layers of fresh strawberry and Belgian white chocolate buttercream. Here’s the cake provided for The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning…
It cuts well and received 100% positive feedback on taste so it also made the cut!
I’m also testing another new flavour which I’m hoping cuts well as the aromas wafting from my oven at the moment are delightful….
So that’s my first blog post out in the open. I’ll report back on today’s test-bake shortly.
Wedding cake consultations
If you’re in the midst of wedding planning and would be interested in an ‘Amanda Earl Cake Design’ wedding cake, check out my Portfolio and Service pages and get in touch!
With love, Amanda x
***Fast forward to September 2017 and I have now had the opportunity to tweak and test the coconut cake recipe. I am delighted to now offer moist coconut sponge filled with zesty lime and coconut rum buttercream and home made lime curd!