The Lettingham's Wedding Cake

If you're anything like me, you have spent many an hour staring at birthday cards trying to find the perfect one that sums up the recipient completely.  Something I love about baking for people I know is that I can really tailor their cake to them which it makes it all the more exciting for everyone.  Steph and James's wedding cake was one of those projects. 

Steph is a friend I shared an office with for a couple of years with my manager at the time, Toria (who I have known for an exceptionally long time but that's another story). A love of baking is something we all have in common along with singing loudly to a very wide variety of music. So when Steph asked us to bake her wedding cake we were very excited to accept and start planning.

It was March when we reunited and ideas really started flying. We had just collected Steph from New Street station and were driving back to the house when Steph spotted the Rachel Simpson showroom and exclaimed, "They do the wedding shoes I've been looking at!". So after a swift u-turn Toria and I were admiring all the other shoes while Steph tried on the most gorgeous sparkly t-bar peep toes. It was meant to be - they were purchased there and then. By the time we were home we were giddy with excitement and over the champagne and shoes, talk turned to cake.  

James proposed in New York in May and had the good sense to treat his fiance to a cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery which happened to be red velvet - a favourite of Steph's. So naturally red velvet had to be included in the wedding cake. The next choice was a white chocolate and orange cake which Steph had made for James and became a firm favourite of his. The third choice was mud cake - an all round favourite. 

As red velvet was a nod to the engagement Steph and James decided they would like to do the same in a subtle way with the decoration. James loves the buildings and architecture in New York and they both really liked the geometric style cakes with clean lines - nothing too floral. I had remembered a picture Steph had posted on instagram of Brooklyn bridge which got me thinking. 

I spent the next day or two completely distracted by bridges and cakes so I had to put pen to paper. I sketched a few lines and patterns from New York architecture and then sketched the cake. The bottom tier's gold lines were inspired by the bridge. The middle tier was textured and glittery just like Steph's amazing wedding shoes. The glitter faded up into ivory where it met the top tier which was finished off with a simple ribbon and a single spring magnolia. 

It was a hit! I got the bride and groom's approval. All we had to do now was make it and get it there...

Like I said, Toria and I have known each other a long time, she is my right hand cake lady and excellent giver of moral support. So when I realised I was going to be in Romania the weekend before Steph and James's wedding, (attending a another wedding) I called on her expertise in calming my panic and making delicious cakes. We hatched a plan and all was going to be fine. Toria would bake the cakes and I would be back in Birmingham three days before the wedding, just in time to decorate. 

I made four magnolias before we flew out to Romania, it was the only thing I could do in advance. One for the cake, one for spare and two smaller ones for real emergency spares.

Our flight from Romania was delayed so we missed our connecting flight in Frankfurt. Thankfully we were only delayed by a few hours and we made it home by midnight but it meant my last minute dash to the shop had to be rescheduled and there was less time to deliberate on what to wear. 

The next couple of days were intense but we managed to put together most of the cake in one day despite a few setbacks.  Did I mention Steph and James live 120 miles down the M40? With one day to go, we travelled to London where we set up camp and got back to work painting sparkly gold lines onto the bottom tier. It was starting to look like the sketch I had made all those months ago. 

After an emergency electric whisk purchase and some careful magnolia placement we called it a night.

The whisk was put to use first thing in the morning to make the cupcake frosting and then all that was left to do was deliver. One of the most nerve wracking parts of making a wedding cake is getting it to the venue, but we had already come this far, what could go wrong?

...A broken bollard. 

 I'm pleased to say the cake was delivered safe and sound, however my car's bumper is a little worse for wear.

Thank you Steph and James for trusting us with your wedding cake.

I hope you had the most amazing day xx