Your Yorkshire Wedding - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 35)

We’ve started looking at wedding cakes but we’re totally baffled by some of the terms involved. Help! With so many decisions to be made regarding size, portion count and design, the language involved can make things all a bit confusing. To help, I’ve created a glossary to make the process a little easier: ❤ Buttercream . A delicious combination of butter and icing sugar (American style) or butter, icing sugar and eggs (Swiss meringue style). It can be flavoured and coloured and used to fill or coat your cake. Buttercream doesn’t withstand excessive heat so it’s not suitable for hot and humid conditions. ❤ Dowels . Internal supports placed in each tier to prevent sinking and give vertical support, as the cake alone is not strong enough to support the weight of tiers above it. ❤ Dragees . A fancy name for small, hard sugar balls. They’re commonly found in silver or gold and available in a range of sizes. ❤ Embossing . The technique of imprinting a pattern into sugar-paste icing. Diamond and cushion patterns are particularly popular. ❤ Flower paste or gum paste . Icing that is rolled very thin and is perfect for making sugar flowers. It’s edible but not particularly palatable as it dries to a hard, brittle finish. ❤ Fondant or sugar paste . A soft, sweet icing that can be rolled and applied over a buttercream or ganache base to give a clean, smooth look. It can be embossed, moulded, draped and modeled for a range of decorative effects. Perfect for extreme weather conditions as it doesn’t require refrigeration. ❤ Ganache . Chocolate is added to heated double or whipping cream to make a thick fudge-like icing – perfect for a crisp, clean look underneath fondant or on its own. It can also be whipped lightly for use as a filling. ❤ Lustre . A beautiful sheen, which can be applied to icing for a soft glow. It comes in the form of edible lustre sprays or dusts painted directly onto sugar paste. ❤ Naked cake . A bake without any buttercream or ganache covering so that all layers are fully visible. ❤ Semi-naked cake . Similar to a naked cake but with a thin layer of buttercream or ganache so the layers are just visible. It gives a rustic look but the slight covering provides a degree of protection to maintain the cake’s moisture. ❤ Ombr é. A technique where colours graduate from dark to light or vice versa. ❤ Rosette . A technique using frilled strips of sugar paste to create rose-like decorations. ❤ Royal icing . A soft icing, which can be spread or piped and dries to a hard finish – remember the teeth-cracking Christmas cakes with spiky icing? Used for delicate patterns, dots and intricate lacework. ❤ Tier . An individual cake level, made up of layers. Each level then stacks on top of each other. Debbie Gillespie | Debbie Gillespie Cake Design debbiegillespiecakedesign.co.uk THE LANGUAGE OF CAKE With this ring… We love the idea of tying the knot outdoors but since researching it we’ve found out it’s not legally recognised. What are our options? A humanist ceremony, written and conducted by a celebrant, would be a great option for you. It gives you the opportunity to marry how you want and where you want – including outdoors. For non-religious couples looking for a flexible, personal celebration, it gives you complete control. Unlike civil ceremonies at a licensed venue, humanist weddings are completely bespoke. There are no script templates and very few restrictions on location. You choose every element: the venue, your story, vows, symbolic or celebratory traditions, music and how to include your loved ones. This type of wedding is not yet recognised by law in England and Wales, so couples must attend the register office to take care of formalities before or after the big day. Humanists UK celebrants are highly trained, experienced people who’ll guide you through the whole process and create your day your way. Christine Berrisford | Humanist Ceremonies Leeds humanist.org.uk/christineberrisford photographybykathryn.com EXPERT ADVICE 93