Tuesday 23 October 2012

Edible Brooches for Cakes or Cupcakes

We have had many brides tell us that they would like to have brooches on their wedding cake, but they can't seem to find a real brooch that suits their style. So while I was searching the web, I came across some chocolate brooches. When I saw these edible brooches, I realized that I could make them myself and customize them to suit my client's needs. I decided that I would try to make some out of our handmade marshmallow fondant. 

Here's how we did it:

We took a small amount of our marshmallow fondant, added some Tylose powder to it (so it will dry harder), then rolled the fondant out to about 5 mm think and cut out 2 different sized circles (1 large & 1 small). We used royal icing to glue the smaller circle on top of the larger circle and then attached large silver "Bling Balls" to the larger circle. We then attached sugar pearls and smaller silver sugar balls to finish off the design on the smaller circle. 

Here's our finished product: Amazing, handmade marshmallow fondant brooches!


Here's a close-up photo of the edible brooch on one of our red velvet cupcakes!


We can't wait to try out some more fondant brooch designs!!!

Monday 15 October 2012

The Bride’s Guide to Understanding Wedding Cake Prices


“Why are wedding cakes so expensive?” I have been asked this question hundreds of times by brides when they receive their quote. Due to this frequently asked question, I thought it might be a good idea to compile a list of things that determine the cost of a wedding cake. So here goes:

1. Wedding cakes are truly works of art

Wedding cakes are custom designed to suit your requirements. Many, many man hours go into creating a wedding cake and the cake designer’s labour amounts to most of the cost. Remember, time is money!


2. Size

The more guests you have at your wedding, the more expensive the cake will be. This means that more cake tiers have to be made, which requires copious amounts of cake batter, etc. 


3. Flavour

Plain vanilla sponges are obviously your cheapest cake flavour, but if you’re looking to have something like a rich chocolate or carrot cake, expect to pay more because they require more ingredients.

4. Quality Ingredients

Most reputable cake designers will use only the best quality ingredients, which are expensive. If you want a cake that tastes absolutely delicious, it needs to be made with good quality ingredients. 

5. Design

The cake design that you choose will drastically affect the price of the wedding cake. If the cake requires fondant, this has to be handmade, in some cases, (here at The Purple Cake Company we make our own marshmallow fondant) and rolled out to a smooth finish. If you choose to have sugar flowers, these need to be made days in advance, one petal at a time. Bright colours are also more expensive than white or pale colours. 


Remember, that most wedding cakes will take at least 2 days to bake and decorate, but ingredients & equipment have to be bought well before the baking and decorating stage. Therefore, cake designers have to factor this into the price, as it is expensive and time consuming.

So, when it comes to wedding cakes, you definitely get what you pay for!