About 2 months ago I was asked to make my friend's brother a wedding cake. I had only once before made a dessert for a wedding and that was an order for 12 cheesecakes. Cheesecakes I know. Cheesecake I can do in my sleep (and at 7 months pregnant back then I was most likely half asleep). But a wedding cake is different. This stresses me out abit because what if the bride (who I hardly know at all) has been dreaming about this cake for her whole life? Well, initial communication revealled it must not be the top of the list, because after a relatively simple description for a white, heart shaped, berry adorned cake that is not too sweet, I was a bit relieved. As the date drew closer I had devised a plan to actually make the cake heart shaped (this included the elaborate construction of a cardboard/string/plastic wrap shell that would let the cake cool and solidify the middle custard layer). This was necessary as I could not find/afford to buy a large heart shaped baking pan.
The Recipe:
Attempted frosting #1 (failed)- Swiss Meringue Buttercream. (If I had had the instuctuions here, I might have been able to save it, because no amount of whipping was able to save it from separating and curdling. I did not try heating and whipping).
I have no time left I need a reliable frosting #2 - Italian Meringue Buttercream
Cake layers (2)- Yellow cake
Filling- A recipe from my new cookbook on cakes for a lemon custard strawberry filling.
Decorated with cranberries, red grapes, strawberries (AKA, all currently available dark/red berries!)
Lessons learned-
Never ever make a new recipe for something as tricky as a gelatin layer in a wedding cake. I was so thankful that the appearance was pretty good that they may not have notice the wine-lemmon strawberry custard layer was horrible. Note to self-practice more with gelatin. It WILL eventuially harden!!
