Easters on its way...

This year instead of giving out Easter eggs, why not give people Easter cakes? Chocolate or Simnel cake are the obvious choices, and can make a lovely centrepiece if you're having people over.

There are lots of chocolate bits and bobs in the shops at the moment that you can add to the top of your cake easily and with great effect. Think chocolate eggs, bunnies, chicks, chocolate curls, really the list is endless. A combination of chocolate is always a winner too, milk, white and dark.

If you like the taste of marzipan, definitely give modelling with that a go. Its actually very easy to colour and work with. The more that you work with it, the stickier it will become, as the oils come out. To prevent yourself from ending up with a sticky mess, work with small pieces at a time and wash and dry your hands regularly.

Good luck x

Have a go...

Baking has become really popular in the last couple of years, and quite rightly so. Anything you can bake at home will always taste far superior to anything out of the packet. I've found that some people I speak to though are still a little bit scared that they'll get it wrong. My advice is just to give it a go. Make sure that you find a nice simple recipe, give yourself a little bit of time, put the kettle on and just get stuck in.Remember with all the yummy ingredients typical to most cake recipes, that even if it comes out of the oven a bit rough round the edges, it's sure to still taste great. And practice makes perfect! xxx

Cake Decorating Workshops

I am really, really pleased to announce the first two dates of our Cake Decorating Workshops. Our workshops are suitable for corporate days, hen days, individuals and as gift vouchers. I also hope to host some at weekends, but these dates are to be confirmed. Please look at the flyer below.

We are now running cake decorating workshops at the beautiful venue of Glemham Hall near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

The courses run from 10am until 4pm and include all your materials and equipment. We also provide a delicious local produce lunch, and of course lots of cake.

The first two dates available for this year are-

Friday the 3^rd May

or

Friday the 10^th May

We will be making beautiful summertime cakes, using either a cake that you may bring with you or a dummy cake

that we will provide. These first two dates are suitable for a beginner to the world of decorating.

Learn to cover a cake and board with fondant icing. Create beautiful sugar paste roses and cut out flowers to adorn

your cake.  Create a piping bag, make royal icing, and learn simple piping techniques.

The whole day including lunch, materials and equipment is £80

Come and enjoy the grandeur of Glemham Hall whilst learning a new skill and meeting like minded people.

Relax and unwind in a setting that is full of stately elegance in the quiet charms of the Suffolk countryside.

Please phone Liz on 01449 710171 or email liz@thedecoratedcakeco.com

for more information or to book your place.

So this Sunday is Mothers Day...

For those of you haven't got a present yet, why not bake some gorgeous cupcakes. Cupcakes are great for adults, but are also fun for kids to get involved with. Lots of shops are now stocking many different things to decorate cakes with, so even for the nervous cook, there's a solution. I'm going to give you a really simple vanilla recipe. It's controversially in ounces  because I think that it's easier to remember that way. The following amount will make approximately 12 cupcakes or a cake that can be cooked in a 7" cake tin. This is just a good family recipe that's easy to put together and even easier to eat! The reason that its an easy to remember recipe is that its is always half the amount of eggs to all the other ingredients  So if you want a large cake use 6 eggs and 12 ounces of everything else, am I making sense?! Okay here it goes:

3 Eggs
6oz Self raising flour
6oz Caster sugar
6oz unsalted butter or margarine (butter must be at room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put everything in a bowl and beat it like crazy! This is where it helps if you have a hand held or free standing mixer. Beat the mixture until it turns pale and then divide between the paper cases. Bake at 180oc for around 15mins. They are cooked when they are golden in colour and springy to the touch. Decorate at will!

Why I started a blog

Hi,

So this is my second post, I think it may take a while to get the hang of this! I thought I would tell you all why I decided to start a blog. Well I like to talk about cake, cake and weddings. I wanted a place where I could share recipes and tips with people. Ask advice and share advice. I'm also trying to get to grips with social media more, and using it as a way of communicating. So bear with me and hopefully I'll soon be sharing my top tips and news with you.

Liz.x