Once bitten forever smitten - Alternative Christmas Cake

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Once bitten forever smitten - Butter vs Virgin Rapeseed Oil

The nice people at Quex foods gave me some Virgin Rapeseed Oil to try in my cakes. So the first experiment was to make a Carrot cake - mainly because in this recipe you melt the butter so I figured I could just swop the oil for the butter and keep everything else the same. Recipe is posted right at the end of the blog if you want to try for yourself.

 After gathering together all ingredients, lining two identical cake pans and warming the oven I made the two mixtures simultaneously so they could be baked together. In all the pictures the Rapeseed cake is on the right and the Butter cake on the left.

 The oil mixture is slightly brighter orange!

Rapeseed oil is not a cheap alternative to butter but it has many advantages for your health as it contains no animal fats and it is rich in Omega 3. It comes in 250ml bottles and you need 120 ml for a full size family cake. Unsalted Butter is often on offer at around £1.20 for 250g and you need 120g to make the same size cake. However some websites say use less oil than you would butter as about 15-20% of butter is water. So maybe the next test should be to use only 100ml oil.

 They look the same before they go into the oven

The finished cakes really do look identical but the big question is texture and taste! My initial tasting was that the Rapeseed Oil cake had a stronger taste - and was slightly nutty but I knew which was which. Blind tastings over the next few days by builders, friends and familygave the following results :
apart from me noone could tell the difference in taste! I think this could have been the very strong flavour of orange and carrot masking any of the other ingredients. Regarding texture there were a couple of people who thought the Butter cake was lighter and a couple who said the Rapeseed Oil cake was more crumbly - but as the cakes were being literally scoffed as I watched I'm surprised they didn't choke when they tried to speak.

The real winner here is you - use Rapeseed Oil and be good to your body or use butter if you have it in the fridge - no one can tell the difference on taste; the big question now is what difference will it make to a sponge cake?
Best Wishes, Janet
If you want your Birthday Cake or Wedding Cake made free from butter email me.

Recipe for Simple Carrot Cake
120g grated raw carrot - peel top & tail before grating
120g sugar - can use your favouite - I use caster sugar as it gives a lighter finish
150ml orange juice and zest - or you can substitute premium OJ
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
100-120ml Virgin Rapeseed Oil - or 120g unsalted butter
Place all ingredients in saucepan and simmer for 5 mins till sugar melted and carrots soften. Cool for 5 mins till you can put your finger into mixture and it not be too hot.
2 large eggs beaten with fork in a jug
240g Self Raising flour sifted with
2 teaspoons baking powder
Stiring the cooled carrot mixture with a wooden spoon add the eggs in a thin stream beating at the same time - If you dont you will get lumps of scrambled eggs in your cake. When all the egg is beaten in add the sifted flour mixture - it will froth a bit from the heat acting on the baking powder - mix it quickly but well and pour into a prelined cake tin 20cm. If you use two cake tins it will cook faster and you dont have to split the cake to fill it with your chosen filling.
Bake for 40 minutes in a fan oven at 130 or 150 in a conventional oven - reduce time to 25 minutes if using 2 cake tins. Cake will bounce back to a finger push and it will smell cooked.

Once bitten forever smitten - Cake Toppers

Whats the best way to top off your cake - well its easy if its your birthday just add candles - light and get singing! But if its your wedding cake or your baby's christening then maybe what you want is something special to mark the occasion.
Toppers fall into categories I will label as Edible, Perishable and Keepable.

Edible toppers are made of sugar paste and can be made by your cakemaker into any shape or form you desire. From delicate peony petals to baby shoes they adorn your cake, look lovely and if you have a sweet tooth are just right for getting an extra sugar buzz. These baby pink converse trainers are made of sugar paste so they are definately Edible but you could put them in an airtight box with a sachet of silica jel and they would long enough for your baby to admire them.

Edible sugar roses have been the bridal topper of choice for many decades - and these two examples of claret roses in a posy and a single green rose show you how differnt styles can be achieved.

Keepable Toppers are not made of edible products - they can be made of porceline like the ones made by Kate at Atopofthetier. The beauty of commissioning a keepable topper from a porcelin artist or model maker is that they will make the figure look like you and make it really personal. I love these two guys I used to decorate my Chocolate Cake at The Leeds Castle Weddding Show. This cake prompted a couple to order a cake for next summer with themselves on the top tier and their children represented on each of the ledges of the other tiers. This is a lovely gesture as sometime children can feel a bit sidelined when parents get married.

Another popular choice for a topper are Diamante Initials which look fantastic with diamante edged white cakes - perfect for winter weddings.
Perishable cake toppers are flowers or fruit - so think strawberrys dipped in chocolate and piled high or a delicate posy to match the bridal bouquet. You can't keep them as a memento but if they create the look you want -  Go for it! This cake had flowers to match the table decorations and it was perfect.

All of the above designs can be made for you by Janet at Delicakes. Book a Design & Taste session by email today. Wedding cakes should be booked 6 months in advance to guarantee availability especially for Summer 2012  weddings as some dates have already gone in May & August.
Best wishes, Janet

Once bitten forever smitten - Wedding Fairs

In my last blog I discussed the decline in wedding numbers every year and so I have to ask, "why are there so many wedding fairs every Autumn?

I know we ladies like a good excuse to shop but I seriously believe the wedding fair market may now be offering so much choice it is just making things harder for couples to make decisions. Its a good principle to bring all wedding industry services together but now every venue holds at least one wedding fair throughout the winter plus there are the big shows like Leeds Castle and Detling.

Last weekend I exhibited at The Wedding Show at Leeds Castle, there were lots of Brides, Chief Bridesmaids and Mothers having a fun day out window shoopping all the fantastic services the wedding industry can now provide. I only met a handful of Grooms and all of them had a wedding date for the next six months. So it seems to me that guys don't get involved till it gets proper serious or do they just want to be involved in the fun stuff like tasting cake? Joking apart the Bride has a lot more to think about and needs a longer lead time to research the market and plan the details of the big day. However my advice is don't go to every one you see advertised and if your wedding is in the next 6 -9 months go to 2 or 3 shows then start booking your suppliers or you'll miss the chance with the one you really want.

On the point of avalability last year several couples were turned down by Delicakes as there just wasn't the capacity to make any more cakes.  So despite the downward trend in wedding numbers in the UK,  Delicakes have doubled the Wedding Cake capacity for 2012 and either Linda or Janet will take sole responsibility for your cake design, creation and delivery. Mind you even with Linda and Janet working flat out July '12 is definately going to be a tricky month to get a bespoke wedding cake and some couples will have to have the takeaway service or find another less busy cakemaker.

One of the really pleasurable parts of planning is going to your Design and Taste together. Would you buy your Wedding Dress or Tux without trying a few on? Of course not - so why would you order a cake that hasn't been designed and made just for you?

All Design and Taste sesssions in October are now booked but if you are free on November 19th or December 3rd you can book with Janet by email.
Just a quick note to any couples looking forward to a 2013 wedding - why not order a birthday cake or christmas cake so you can have an advance taster of your wedding cake. Best wishes, Janet

Once bitten forever smitten - Marriage in decline!

Marriage is now a choice rather than a norm. I have been browsing the Office of National Satistics reports on marriage rates in the UK and it is very clear there are fewer marriages now than 10 years ago. In fact the trend downwards as a percentage of adult population is even more evident as population is rising but marriage rates are falling. The chart below shows thousands of marriages from 1950 to 2009 (last year for ONS data).

Chart showing decline of marriages in the UK

So how come if actual numbers are in decline the wedding industry is growing in glamour, spectacle and pounds spent every year? Well it's really because getting married is now a real choice (rather than conforming to parental pressure or society) so as the chosen option we want to spend time effort and money making our weddings glamourous and spectacular.

There are also other ceremonies now that have helped the 'Wedding' industry blossom including Civil Partnerships, Renewal of Vows and a noticable trend towards Big Christenings for the first baby - particularly when the parents have not had a big wedding celebration for themselves.

If you are getting married in the next year you will be investing a lot of time and effort to make your wedding day extra special because it is literally the first day of your new life. Make sure you choose the right professionals to translate your wedding vision into a photobook, video, floral display or Cake!
Using a bespoke cake maker is easy if you are based in SE London or Kent. Phone Janet for Design & Taste consultations  01732 843518 or text 07714286911 (24/7)
check out this website for ideas www.weddingdelicakes.co.uk or email your questions to Janet

Once Bitten - Forever Smitten - Best Value

Are you a price savy bride or a spend thirft groom? The thing is no matter what your normal habits are, when spending on your wedding different rules apply. Who is paying? and are they just handing over a lump sum for you to spend or are they trying to give you something that's not quite perfect. Are the families paying for the reception and the happy couple footing the bill for everything else? Are you hoping to save money by makeing do?

During this wedding season I have had a Sister & Brother, a Step-Mum, a Grandad, and of course the Father of Bride pay for wedding cakes. Paying for the cake is a delightful way of contributing to the couple's big day so providing they still get to choose the cake filling and design its a gift that will be remembered by all of those attending. Savy brides have even been known to add the cake to their wedding list!

 Now I have wetted your appetite with pictures of some of this season's most beautiful wedding cakes there is some good and bad news. Bad news first........due to the ever increasing costs of ingredients, electricity and transport prices will be increasing prices for the 2012 wedding season and theGood News is you still have 4 weeks to book your Design & Taste session and get your 2012 wedding cake at 2011 prices.
Still more Good News.....in order to help you plan your costs I will be accepting the full payment in 3 installments rather than 2 so its easier to reserve the cake of your dreams and pay for it next year.

Book your Design and Taste session now for 2011 prices or come to The Wedding Show at Leeds Castle on October 15th and 16th to register for a discount voucher.  Remember to visit the website for lots more ideas for Wedding Cakes or Birthday Cakes and to Order
Best Wishes, Janet

Once Bitten Forever Smitten - Ultimate Wedding Cake

The ultimate design in my opinion is a four tier cake displayed on a pedestal stand. Perfectly iced in an antique white smooth fondant and decorated with a side design.

This stunning cake has all the elements that I love and that I am sure in time it will become a classic. The fantasy flowers were made to match the flower on the bride's dress and the dusky pink and apple green tinting was used to tie in the bridesmaid's dress colours. The flowers were made in Flowerpaste which means that while technically edible they can be carefully detached from the cake, wrapped in tissue and kept in a keepsake box - perfect for using again on the 1st Wedding Anniversary Cake.

The Ultimate Birthday cake has to be a cake that is just person perfect. Are they simple or complicated? do they like a lot of bling or a sharp style statement? What's their favouite flavour? Do they want to share it with everyone in the office or just their nearest and dearest? That's the beauty of a custom made cake - like a custom made suit you can get a perfect fit.

to order any size cake just email or text me 07714286911and Delicakes will make you the perfect cake.