Finally it was time for me to bake the wedding cake or cakes as it may be and well I do have to admit I did get some help from my friend Niall who did most of the baking of the 100 raspberry and white chocolate cupcakes or buns as they are simply referred to in Ireland.
But to be honest the baking of the cakes could be done the day before yet their were months of planning before the baking could begin.
Before setting off for Ireland there were over 100 sugar gum paste flowers that needed to be made and painted. I made the flowers using Wilton and painted each flower with different shades of their lustre dust.
Then there was the problem of the cake stand, I couldn’t find one to fit 100 cupcakes and it would be almost impossible for me to fit it in my luggage so I called my Dad. After throwing a couple of ideas around including mirror and glass which was really expensive my Dad had the idea of making the stand out of a light weight but sturdy foam like substance that is used to make signs. He knew just the man for the job and my four tiers of the cake stand were expertly lazer custom cut for us.
Next there was the pillars, how would I seperate each tier, the problem was solved with some inexpensive mini goldfish bowls from Michael’s craft shop. I originally wanted to fill them real fish but unfortunately time and logistics would not allow it! Instead we filled the bowls with fresh roses.
The day before the wedding while Niall was baking cakes I was at home making pounds of light, fluffy buttercream, I then hopped in the car and raced into town to start icing the cakes in the canteen of my sisters office. Thanks to Chef Denise and everyone at 14 and 15 Stephen’s Green for allowing me to take over the kitchen in the afternoon. In the middle of the icing marathon it was back up the street to Bentley’s Hotel the location of the wedding reception to meet with a photographer who was taking a quick photo for a piece about www.inyourkitchen.com in Irish newspaper The Evening Herald . Then it was back to the icing followed by another quick sprint down the street to meet my future brother in law and his family at the wedding rehersal at Trinity College.
On the big day we were up early for hair, make up and cake assembly and of course the actual wedding ceremony which I may of been a little late to.
In between the hair and make up appointments on Grafton Street I was assembling the cake, to be honest I didn’t quite get time to finish before the ceremony at 11.30 am but thanks to some of my sister’s friends and co workers they had the cake assembled beautifully by the time we arrived at the hotel.
It may not of been the most traditional of wedding cakes but it was a fun, original and cost effective wedding cake and of course it tasted great. If your looking for some original wedding cake ideas the Wilton website has some great ideas.

I have been back home in Dublin last week for my sister Lynda and her new husband Padraic’s wedding. Far from a relaxing beach vacation or holiday, the first week home entailed the usual histeria which no matter how calm the bride is always comes with weddings!
As little sister, bridesmaid and the cook in the family, I was quickly directed to the last minute plans for the wedding reception. Although the reception was booked well in advance, the hotel where the wedding changed ownership and chef weeks before the big day and opened just days before.
Still recovering from jetlag my big sis still had no menu for the reception, yes that’s right days before the big day and no menu. We soon fixed that.
The hotel in question was Bentley’s on St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin and the chef Michelin star winner Richard Corrigan .
After discussions with the chef the menu included for starters Frank Hederman’s famous smoked salmon, Salad of Globe Artichoke Barigoule for mains Wild Sea Trout with Peas and Coastal Greens and 7 Hour Lamb Confit with Sweetbread Ravioli and dessert Summer Berry Jelly and Chocolate Brownie.
Needless to say with a chef of Corrigans caliber and reputation the food was flawless and definetley the best food I have eaten at a wedding reception. I wanted to enjoy every bite while still being able to fit into the bridesmaid dress.
After the celebratory toasts and the cutting of the cake, it was off to Fallon and Byrne on Exchequer Street (Ireland’s version of Dean and Deluca which also includes a restaurant, wine bar and private room for the ‘afters’ basically the rest of the party and the dancing!
The Happy Couple on their way to the afters!

The page boys guarding the cake….or eyeing it up

My cousin, my aunt and my mum and I

Looking for the perfect gift for the cooking enthusiast that seems to have everything….the great knives, the emersion blender and every kitchen gadget you can think of? Why not make a personalized gift? No I’m not talking about homemade cookies or a jar of last year’s pickles. How about a chopping board with a picture of Dad on it for Father’s Day next week or a bottle of bubbly with a picture of the bride and groom on it for a bridal shower gift?
Recently I just couldn’t decide what to get my friend that seemed to have everything and so I ordered her a chopping board from Snapfish.com with a picture of some cupcakes she made and a few fridge magnets with pictures taken a party she hosted. They were original, gratefully received and you can be assured that they won’t end up with two of the same gift. Check out all the different cooking related gifts you can get at snapfish gifts. The chopping board below was $24.99.

Over the last week I have been doing a little cup cake research before I attempt to make my sister’s wedding cake. The first place I went was ‘Do it with icing’ my local cake decorating store. The ladies here were extremely helpful and even gave me some really important information regarding travelling with cake decorating ingredients. Apparently you can no longer fly with glycerin, the TSA may mistake it for bomb making equipment. I told my friend Fran over at Parade.com and she even chose to write about it in her blog Eat My Words check it out!
The first part of the decorating I thought I would attempt was the gum paste flowers. It’s been a while since I made them so I picked up a pack of Wilton ready to use gum paste.
I made a nice light cake using only the egg whites and not the yolks in the batter…not sure if it may be a bit dry though and a nice light buttercream that also used egg whites as the base (I will have to make lemon cured with the left over yolks).
Below are the results…still a lot of practice needed but you got to start somewhere.