The Cakewalk of the Wedding Cake

By Richard Palms

I bought a professionally made, three-tier wedding cake for my son’s wedding in August 2008 and this cost me £296.00 [$419.53]. Apart from the fact that it was beautifully iced and decorated, the cake was delicious - or should I say cakes: the top tier was made as a walnut cake as the bride’s request; the middle layer was rich chocolate, requested by the groom; the bottom layer was a delightfully moist and rich fruit cake for the majority of the guests, with enough to send out to those who were unable to attend the ceremony.

There are lots of different icings and fillings which are used with wedding cakes when they are made, such as fondant icing, or ganache, to mention just two. When fondant icing is made it is kneaded and rolled to make it smooth and then it is draped over the cake in a solid sheet and trimmed to size. It provides a very smooth surface and can be dyed any number of colours. Buttercream is usually used as a filling, although it can also be used as an icing. I find this particular covering sickly but it does provide a lovely texture. Basically it is made by adding a large amount of icing sugar to butter and the two mixed together and then beaten so that the butter takes on a creamy appearance.

Ganache is another sickly-sweet flavouring, being made with double cream and melted chocolate. It is poured over the cake and, when this mixture dries it becomes quite stiff and is very effective as an icing. Then there is pulled sugar which I know from experience is extremely difficult to make [very difficult!] and gum paste which consists of gelatine powder, cornstarch and sugar and which can be made into very realistic looking flowers. Summer icing is another form of buttercream but is better to use when the weather is hot. It contains vegetable shortening which has a much higher melting point than that of buttercream.

Colour schemes for wedding cakes are usually designed to fit in with the colours the bridesmaids are wearing, or with the overall theme of the wedding. As my son’s wedding last August was based on the colours of his regiment, the flowers in the bride’s bouquet also followed through the same theme, as did the flowers on top of the wedding cake. The only difference between the flowers from the bouquet and those on the cake were the cake flowers were edible icing.

The wedding cake is the focal point of the whole reception and is another very old custom based on the representation of fertility. It represents the coming together of two families, with the cake cutting designed to enable the guests to share in the bride and groom’s joy. The wedding cake is traditionally made from dried fruits as the grains and fruit represent fertility. Nowadays cakes are often made with pure chocolate, sometimes white chocolate, sometimes dark chocolate, often finished with shaved chocolate curls.

dark chocolate cocoa powder

Different Types of Chocolates

By Chris Alleny

When people think of chocolate no two people are the same
Most chocolates that people are familiar with are dark, milk, white, semi-sweet, and maybe sugar-free. But there are so many more out there.
Take AERATED chocolate for instance. It usually dark or white chocolate where air bubbles are introduced to the chocolate as it is being made. And then there is FILLED Chocolate. It is a chocolate that additives were added. Things like nuts, jelly pieces, dried fruits and even cereals. As for Organic, it is made from the raw material that the farmers produce.

In the 1990’s chocolates with a high content of cocoa became very popular in Europe. The content of cocoa was 40-60%. Now some producers make chocolate ranging from 70 to 85%. There are even some that contain 99%! Here is a list of unknown or unimagined chocolates Raw or Roasted Cacao— this the whole cacao bean minus the shell. Cacao Nibs—this the broken up pieces of the bean.
Ground Cacao—as the name suggests it’s the bean ground up.

It is the healthiest form of chocolate there is however it can be quite bitter to the taste. Chocolate Liquor— Unlike what it’s name may suggest there is no alcohol added. This how chocolate starts. Producers start by grinding cacao nibs into a liquid paste in which nothing is added. It has about 53% cocoa butter at this stage.

Unsweetened Chocolate—this what people use to bake with. It is sometimes referred as pure or bitter chocolate. It contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. There is cocoa and sugar in various amounts. There really no difference between bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate. Often times they are referred as dark chocolate. The chocolate bittersweet or semi-sweet (the type baked with) is sweetened by adding cocoa liquor without adding the cocoa butter. Sweet Chocolate—this chocolate is sometimes mistaken for bittersweet. The reason being that it contains at least 15% chocolate liquor in which cocoa butter and sugar is added in various amounts.

Milk Chocolate: This chocolate contains at least 10% chocolate liquor then cocoa butter and sugar is added in various amounts then at least 12% milk, cream, or milk powder is added. White Chocolate: technically isn’t considered a type of chocolate since it doesn’t contain chocolate liquor. But it must have at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% milk with sugar added in various amounts. No wonder my white fudge never turns out!

Cocoa powder— is really cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa.

Then the last on my list is Dutched Chocolate. It is formed by washing cocoa powder in an alkali solution of Potassium Carbonate. This wash darkens the color and neutralizes acidity of the cocoa powder. Cocoa that is very alkalized is called Black cocoa. This is the chocolate used in Oreo cookies. In short the use and types of chocolate just depends on the imagination of the producers. Then in turn the consumer who is using the chocolate. Well I can say for this, my imagination turned to making white chocolate fudge and as I stated earlier it didn’t turn out. OH,well back to the drawing board. I haven’t given up.

You may want to check out my other guide on chocolate coin and chocolates lindt

chocolate ganache cake

Chocolate Ganache

By George Murray

If chocolate in and of itself weren’t good enough, someone had to go and add cream to the mix, creating the first chocolate ganache. This wonderful mix is the base for so many treats they’re impossible to list. Credit perhaps goes to the Swiss, who in perfecting the art of chocolate making, were the first to add powdered milk to the chocolate mix. True ganache, however, involves the use of cream, giving the chocolate made from the process a truly heavenly taste.

Ganache in its best form is used as the base for truffles, cakes, mousse and more. While it might seem making the chocolate formula for ganache would be a well-kept secret that’s hard to replicate, that’s simply not so.Making ganache at home isn’t terribly tough if patience is applied and the maker is set for a possible failure or two at the . Ganache itself is simply a mixture of equal parts of cream and chocolate. It’s heated and mixed together and then used with other ingredients to form the basis for a whole slew of delightful confections.

While some of the best makers of chocolate might use a more complex method, there are two worthy of trying in home kitchens. The first involves taking the chocolate for the mixture and melting it. Then bring it to room temperature and beat cream into it until the mix is creamy and smooth. The second and perhaps the most foolproof method for making ganache at home is to bring the cream to a boil first, remove it from heat and then beat the chocolate into the cream. This avoids burning the chocolate in the mix, which is a very easy thing to do, unfortunately. While cream will burn, too, it’s easier to watch and, thus, this method is a preferred one for home chefs who want to create their own ganache.

Using this base, chocolate chefs at home can create their own mousse by adding more cream or they can create a sifter product for candies by adding a bit more chocolate. Experimentation is key, try adding some of your favorite fruits, jams or nuts to the ganache for truffles or layer it in between cake sections for a desserts that’s to die for. Remember, though, the expert ganache makers from world famous chocolate houses have spent years perfecting their craft. What’s made at home is not likely to taste the same as a ganache imported from a famous maker in France, Switzerland or elsewhere.

You may want to check out my other guide on chocolate starfish