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10 Golden Rules
Celeb Cake War!
How Much Will A
Cake Eat Into Your
Bank Balance?
ELLISAAYMANofTheTurquoiseSquirrel
Patisseriespecialisesinhand-paintedcakes
andsugarflowers.Shesaysamongthemost
challengingcreationsshe’smadearea 1.5-metre
tallcakethathadtobeflownfromJoburg
toCapeTown,andanAliceInWonderland
themed-weddingcakethathadedible3D
booksatthebottom,a glassseparatorwith
a sugarflowerinside,andwasdisplayedona
free-hangingswing!“Somecakesaresimple.
Othersextravagant.Themorecomplicatedthe
cake,thehighertheprice.If youarehappywith
buttercreamandfreshflowersthena budgetof
betweenR2 000 andR5 000 (R30toR50perslice)
is appropriate.If youwanta fondant-covered
cakewithsomedesignelements,thena budget
ofR5 000 toR12 000 (R50toR150perslice)is
acceptable.If youwanta showstopperexpect
topayR15 000 and upwards (R110 to R300 per
slice).
New Takes On
Wedding Cakes
VANILLAcakehasremainedthemostcommon
cakeflavouratweddingssincethe1960sbut
flavourshavemorphedoverthedecades.The
year 2018 sawtheriseofredvelvet,orange
blossom,pistachio,lusciouslemonandfunfetti.
Lastyear,pinkchampagne,caramelappleand
hazelnutpralinetookthecakeasbeingthemost
popularuntraditionalflavourchoicesamong
SouthAfricans.Thisyear,Elisaysdifferent
variationsofvanillabuttercakearemakingtheir
debut.“I recentlymadea vanillabuttercake
witha grapefruit-and-rosemary-infusedSwiss
meringuebuttercreamandblackcurrantjam,
drizzledwithBombaySapphireGin.”
Zondiaddsthattheseasonplaysa hugerole
inweddingcakes.“Couplesshouldconsider
theseasonswhendecidingonwhatflavours
toget;youwantthelightercakesinsummer
(lemon,lime,passionfruit,orange,berries)and
yourwarm,heartyflavoursinwinter(carrot,
cocoa,pumpkinspice).Oneflavourcouplesare
crazyaboutis mychampagne-infusedvanillacake.
It is somethingdifferentI havecreatedandadded
tomyalcoholicdessertmenu.I’vealsointroduced
thepumpkinspicecakewithlemoncream cheese,
as well as chocolate Bar One cake.”