Samantha and Bart's Wedding Cake

In October 2013 our dear friends here in the Netherlands were getting married and asked me to make their wedding cake.

The bride choose colors of white and gold and I began to research how to use edible gold. A place in the UK sells gold both in transfer sheet and loose leaf form, so I decided to try both in 23 and 24 carat. After making the floral design based on the wedding invitations, I attempted to apply gold directly to smoothed chilled buttercream icing- and as a bonus this test cake was made up of 8 versions for the bride and groom to have a cake tasting.

The easiest version to work for me with was the 23ct 80x80 transfer sheets. Since the gold is affixed to paper, it is simple to trace the pattern onto the paper (use your pattern correct side up- the other side will go directly onto the cake), cut with scissors, and apply, soaking the paper side with either water or vodka (dries quicker) using a brush.  Leaving a small piece of paper that is bigger than the pattern for you to hold onto helps with removal of the paper. Maybe you are wondering if you can 'taste' or notice texture of the gold- definitely not. It is thinner than paper and has no flavor or texture, and as it is actual real gold, which is fairly inert, it passes right through the body. It is an edible additive, listed in the EU as an ingredient: E175.

For the first time I was creating a four-tiered cake, and using a brand new (a gift from the bride & groom!) 12" cake pan for the bottom layer. Of course I had to make a test cake of the bottom tier - and luckily my friend Viktorija's birthday at the end of September was perfect timing.

Above you can see the wedding invitation next to the test cake. Because this process results in some cracking of the gold on the buttercream, I piped white outlines on top of the gold, both for three dimensional effect and to disguise the cracks. Using a floral design works well for this because nature has irregular aspects, allowing the imperfections to contribute to the naturalness. 

The bride and groom choose the flavor of strawberries and cream over the other filling options: lemon cream, chocolate ganache, and vanilla buttercream. I used my basic buttercream for the icing on the outside of the cake, ensuring a smooth finish and worry free sitting at room temperature for hours before being served. Below: the bride, her cake, and me (even the wallpaper matched the theme!) 

The experience of creating a wedding cake for dear friends was both stressful and wonderful, and made me so happy to see their joyful faces and hear the compliments from the guests on the taste. Doing two different test cakes and cutting all the flowers ahead of time made it possible for me to create the (unstacked) wedding cake in one day. Preparation and my fabulous mother babysitting my children was the reason this could happen.

Thanks, Mom! You are the best!

Thanks to my husband for his photographs. We enjoyed every minute of this amazing event and I felt both fortunate and blessed to be a part of it. Samantha and Bart, we wish you all the best in marriage and life!

For more pictures from the wedding, Click here for the photographer's photos (The second photo is me adding the final borders to the cake and further down you see Dina helping with the rings.) 

Berry Dream Parfait

When Dina was a couple of months old I took her to the 'Consultatiebureau' which is Dutch for 'place to take your kid for wellness-visits and immunizations'. On this particular visit I met Viktorija and her baby, Leticia.  I feel lucky to call Viktorija my friend. She and her family are from Croatia and so have very interesting recipes to share with me! One of her most favorite desserts is something like a 'berrymisu' which reminds me of tiramisu but with berries instead of coffee. It is best made the day before you want to serve it, as the flavors blend together beautifully in the fridge overnight. If you don't have the exact measurements for this recipe, or you have something similar, do not worry. Viktorija would say, "Make it how you want! Use what you have!" and my favorite, "Relax!"

Berry Dream Parfait
2 packages Marscapone cheese (about a cup or 500g total)
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream (slagroom)
1/2 cup sugar (fijn krystal suiker) (about 100 g)
1/2 cup water (125 ml)
juice of half a lemon - about 2 Tbsp
1 tsp vanilla
2 packages of lady fingers or 1 package of Dutch egg-cookies (eieren koekje)
500 grams (about 2 pints) strawberries (aardbeien), hulled and sliced

Beat cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. If desired add a bit of powdered sugar (I prefer it without sugar). In another bowl, beat marscapone cheese until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream, but don't stress if it is lumpy.

Next, bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling, take it off the heat, transfer to a dish to cool and add lemon juice and vanilla. If you don't have vanilla you can add some other liquor or orange flower water.

Using a large glass bowl or other container, dip each egg-cookie or ladyfinger into the sugar/water/lemon mixture and line the bottom. Spoon the cream/marscapone mixture in a layer and then add sliced berries. Repeat this with more dipped cookies, cream and berries until you have filled your container or run out of ingredients, whichever happens first. The best way to end this layering is with a layer of cream on the top and maybe a few strategically placed berries for garnish. You can also garnish with a sprig of mint.

Chill for at least an hour and preferably overnight. Serve in glasses for an elegant effect!

If you don't have Marscapone cheese, Philadelphia cream cheese is a good substitution.

This photo is of the first time I had this dessert, at Viktorija's house. Notice the beautiful arrangement of raspberries she added to the top. Most of the time I'm in a rush and forget to garnish this fabulous dessert. But this photo reminded me of how pretty it can look!