Library of Days, an Illustries blog

C is for
Cake

Of course! We love cake, surely it's everyone's favourite part of the day? But is it a fleeting moment, spending the proverbial moment on the lips? Or is it an essential element of the ever more personalised perfect day?

We think it can be a little of both. We're pretty sure that if you handed round some mighty fine plain old victoria sandwich everyone would be delighted (the best we ever tasted was Mrs Bou's, which we were lucky enough to sample at the Vintage Wedding Fair in Leamington Spa), and even if you skipped the tradition, we're certain no-one would be discussing it come Monday morning.

But if you've a particular theme in mind, a passion for a certain shade or you're just dead keen on death-by-chocolate, then the cake can be a real centrepiece, bringing everything together in one fabulous confection. Our Emma had a beautiful custom-dyed collection of chocolate pots for her bash (see the ladies inspecting the creation below, we think shock and awe best describes their reaction). The cake sat in the middle of the dance floor; a towering embodiment of teal and gold, echoed in the table decorations all around (it was yummy too, thanks Slattery's of Manchester!). It wasn't happy to be moved for the dancing, but hey, we couldn't let it have everything its own way.

Another of our brides, the lovely Bec, had a family friend craft fruit-choc-sponge extravaganzas that summed up her summery day in fondant. Daisies and sunflowers everywhere, with big cakes and cupcakes to keep everyone happy, Beautiful, and set at the centre of their relaxed buffet, it kept the whole summer fete feeling going.

So, whether it's a budget blowing Maisie Fantaisie (so beautiful), a fashion-forward Peggy Porschen (divine) or something a little more funky like the cake pops from Rhubarb&Rose (we want to get married all over again for these alone), we think the cake will be as important as you let it be (they're demanding, these cakes, they want to be centre of attention all the time, you've got to make sure you put them fimly in their place).
We are sure there are hundreds of fab cake makers out there, but these are a few that we think are gorgeous:

http://www.slatterys.co.uk/%22%3Ehttp://www.slatterys.co.uk/%3C/a- everything from choc to completely custom

http://www.rhubarbandrose.co.uk/ - beautiful cake pops and cup cakes for something different (DIY tips via the blog, too! rhubarbandrose.blogspot.com)

http://www.restorationcake.co.uk/ - gorgeous cakes, and everything can be made dairy or wheat free (a bonus for those intolerant folks)

http://www.boutiquebaking.co.uk/ - Mrs Bou, we bow down to your victoria sponge, a hefty slice of which got us through our first ever wedding fair. A joy of a cake...

http://www.peggyporschen.com/ - we need say no more...

http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/ - as above. Enough said!