Novelty Cakes…

Here are some of the novelty cakes we’ve done in the past few months!

Finding Nemo

Cars The Movie

Lightning McQueen Cake Topper

High Tea

Cake for a Journalist

Stack of Books Wedding Cake…

It must be very nerve-wracking to be asked by a good friend to arrange their wedding cake.

So many things could go pear-shaped: You might totally miss the point; get the colour-scheme wrong; pick an inexperienced cake-maker; choose the wrong design; end up with a disastrous dry cake on the day…..

But if you’re Nokwanda Khumalo, you leave nothing to chance! What a wonderful client to deal with. The first thing she did right was to come and speak to us Corresponding with her was an absolute pleasure. It makes all the difference to us, when you have a clear picture of what you want, but are also open to suggestions from our side.

As the bridal couple are academics, they chose a themed cake to fit in with their wedding day ideas and personalities. The idea was to make a 3-tier cake to suit the overall feel.

The cute, quirky décor on each table was to consist of a stack of books with a simple box of fresh flowers placed on top. There would even be a suit of scrabble tiles on the cake table, spelling out: ‘Eat Cake’.

Of course, creating a cake to resemble a stack of books was a little nerve-wracking too. It sounds easy enough in theory, but theory is all relative of course. Each ‘tier’ actually consisted of 2 tiers and all the tiers were different flavours: Moist carrot cake with toasted pecans, cinnamon and cream cheese frosting; Vanilla sponge with lemon-scented buttercream and last, but not least – our very popular dark chocolate ganache cake.

Angie hard at work...

The assembly and covering proved to be reasonably simple and we made quick work of that. The finishing of any wedding cake is where the real work and skill comes into it. It’s important to get all the little details and colouring correct, otherwise the finished product looks…..well…unfinished. This is the bit which we invariably realise that we haven’t quite accounted for. Because all our cakes are custom made, you often don’t know how long something’s going to take and the detail involved until you actually do it.

Stacking the cakes is always scary – it has to be done just right, otherwise the centre of gravity is out and that can spell disaster. Never mind the fact that the finished and stacked cakes can weigh a good 10 – 15kg – not so easy to carry when you’re a small person

It may have taken a bit longer than initially expected, but we had so much fun that we lost track of time, and were really happy with the end result.

We were even more pleased when Nokwanda phoned afterwards to say how ecstatic the bridal couple and guests were with their cake. What an amazing feeling: We never get tired of hearing from happy clients!

xxx Angie, Robyn and Gayle xxx

Dark Chocolate and Orange Mini Wedding cakes…

Crisp apple green, pale cream and a hint of blue……stark sprays of white tulips in glass vases set on tables on a warm covered patio, overlooking a lush green winter landscape….Hidden Valley……the perfect choice for a beautiful Winter Wedding.

To complement this theme, the gorgeous cake we made for Jaquelyn and Michael’s Wedding dinner was also finished in matching winter tones, but with an added hint of warmth too. We created a mini-cake, for each guest, of dark, moist chocolate cake and decadent ganache laced with fresh orange zest. Each cake was then wrapped in either a white or dark chocolate collar and finally trimmed with ribbon and dusted with pearl shimmer. We displayed the cakes on a glass stand and finished the centrepiece off with a top-cake, decorated with white tulips, for the couple to cut later.

Congratulations to Jaquelyn and Michael on their marriage and we trust that the wonderful warm winter’s day they enjoyed, is a sign of good things ahead for them.

Love Angie, Robyn and Gayle

Notes for future brides:

This mini-cake display is one of our signature creations at Vanilla House and is a great idea if you’d like your wedding cake to be served as your dessert option. Each pretty, little cake can be served easily and without any messy cutting issues.

Certain venues are very happy for you to serve the Wedding Cake as your dessert, which definitely helps eliminate some of the wastage factor. Some venues do also charge a cake cutting fee, which makes these ready-to-plate mini cakes ideal, as there is no cutting involved.

And although these little beauties can be pricey, if you’re having a small intimate celebration, such as this wedding, and bearing all these factors in mind, it does balance out comparatively well.

At Last…

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the beginning of the Vanilla House Blog.

We’ve been up and running for about 7 years now and we’ve decided it’s about time. We want to have more interaction with you and create a place where you can keep up to date with what we’re up to in the kitchen and at the market. Visit our About Us page to find out a little more about us.

From time to time we’ll post recipes, specials, tips and links to showcase other gorgeous South African wedding industry professionals.

Feel free to comment, we love interacting with you and suggestions are always welcome!

xxx Angie, Robyn and Gayle xxx