Conference turris::cooks

	Well, if you don't mind a bit of a travel, Cakes by Karen on
	Route 9 in Leicester, MA (phone: 617-892-8946) does some very
	wonderful things with cakes. I've never ordered a cake from 
	her, but friends who have say that the cakes are tasty (not dry),
	beautifully decorated and reasonably priced.

	Good luck!

	Marc

    Just saw your note.  I am in the process of helping my future
    daughter-in-law plan their wedding.  Like you the cake had to be
    special.  I took her to Fredericks (not the naughty clothing shop)
    in Amherst NH.  You can have exactly what you
    want......carrot,chocolate mousse, whatever, Nancy chose chocolate
    with raspberry filling with buttercream frosting.  Now some of you
    will say, you can get that anywhere.  No so.  Frederick is a master
    baker, has made some of the most beautiful cakes and other edibles
    I've ever seen.  EXAMPLE: large Clipper Ship from white sugar. 
    Our wedding will be held in Franklin, NH 20 miles north of Concord
    so I plan to pick up the cake and take it to the reception hall.
    He is very good about helping you situate it in the car so that
    it won't move everywhere, all I have to do is assemble it at the
    hall.  The cost for a cake to serve 80 is $100.00 - but believe
    me it's well worth it.  I get all my special cakes from him.
    
    Hope this helps
    
    Anne

         The Boston area is vague but here is a suggestion anyway.
    There is a woman in Nashua who makes beautiful wedding cakes for
    a very reasonable fee.  She made my wedding cake and it was
    wonderful.  I had some layers chocolate and some white and it was
    large enough to feed 250 people (173 at the wedding and there was
    no cake to be found after the party my mother had at her house
    afterwards).  Mrs. Dube delivered the cake and set it up the morning
    of the wedding (lighted water fountain included).  She also make
    the cake for my sisters wedding (she had many different flavors
    such as, carrot cake, marble, chocolate, and white).  
    	By the way the cost for my cake which fed 250 people (5 layers)
    was $149.00 but I bought my own cake top.  The only thing she asks
    is that you return her fountain and her plastic columns and plates
    that support the cake.
    
    I wish you lots of luck and I hope this helps.
    
    Lynn

    As an Ozzie, I find this a rather odd request - you see we always
    have fruit cake laced heavily with brandy or rum. This is pretty
    traditional (from our English forebearers, I would imagine), for
    all festive occasions - weddings and Christmas in particular.
    
    The thing about these cakes is that they are usually made at least
    3 months in advance and part of them can be kept for the bride and
    groom, stored in the freezer for a year after the wedding and be
    enjoyed by them both on their first wedding anniversary.
    
    They are usually heavily decorated with icing and flowers made 
    from icing (orchids, roses etc.. to match the brides bouquet or 
    general colour scheme - whithin reason).
    
    If you like this idea - give me a yell. I have a great recipe that
    I got from a lady who makes these cakes professionally.
                                                           
    Alison

    re .5 BLGGGHHHH (is that how you spell a "rasberry") and some tongue
    poking. I like to handle insults in a refined and adult manner :>)
    
    Now for those with taste THE Wedding Cake
    
    500g (2-6/7 cups) sultanas
    500g (3-1/3 cups) currants
    500g (3 cups) raisins, chopped
    125g (1 cup) crystallised mixed pineapple & glace apricots, chopped
    125g (1 cup) dates, chopped
    250g (1-1/4 cups) prunes, chopped
    250g (1-1/3 cups) mixed peel
    250g (1-1/3 cups) glace cherries, chopped
    125g (2/3 cup) almonds, chopped
    125g (1 cup) walnuts, chopped
    125 ml (1/2 cup) rum, brandy or sherry
    500g (1 lb) margarine or butter
    500g (2-6/7 cups) brown sugar
    10 eggs
    20 ml (1 tablespoon) golden syrup
    20 ml (1 tablespoon) plum jam
    20 ml (1 tablespoon) glycerine
    1 teaspoon almond essence
    1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
    500g (4 cups) plain flour      }
    125g (1 cup) self-raising flour}    Sifted
    2 teaspoons mixed spice        }      Together
    2 teaspoons ground ginger      }              
    40 ml (2 tablepoons) rum, brandy or sherry
    
    Place fruits and nuts in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with rum,
    cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand several days. Stir
    occasionally. Cream margarine (or butter) and sugar until light
    and fluffy, add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
    Beat in the golden syrup, jam, glycerine, essences and lemon rind
    and juice. Fold in the flour mixture alternately with the fruit
    mixture. Place mixture into a 25cm (10 inch) cake tin which has
    been previously lined with two pieces of greasproof paper and a
    piece of brown paper. Press mixture well into the corners and edges.
    Tap cake down a few times on the bench. Place cake into a slow oven
    at 150 degrees centigrade (300 degrees farenheit) for 5 to 5-1/2
    hours. Test by inserting a warmed skewer in the centre of the cake,
    if the skewer comes out clean the cake is ready. Sprinke rum over
    the cake and wrap in greaseproof paper and a towel to allow it to
    cool very slowly. When cold remove cake from the tin and wrap in
    greaseproof and foil until required. The cake will improve during
    the maturing time. It may be baked several months in advance.
    
    Personal notes on this cake.
    
    I never use the nuts, up the mixed spice quantity and lower the
    ginger (all personal likes and dislikes). Also I add more glace
    fruits of varying types to make up for the lack of nuts. And (horror
    or horrors) I also use nearly a third of a 750ml bottle of brandy
    for soaking my fruit - I usually soak for about a week
    
    To Ice
    
    Turn the cake upside down so you have a flat top and neat corners.
    Place it on a board larger that the cake (we use a plywood board
    covered with decorated silver foil).
    Fill any "holes" with marzipan to make a smooth surface. Cover with
    marzipan and leave for a day. Make a Fondant (this is about the
    consistency of soft plastic, not like what Americans call fondant,
    let me know if you want these receipes). Cover the cake to produce
    a very smooth cover. Decorate with whatever shapes you like eg:
    flower etc.. made from Royal Icing. If you are not a dab hand at
    this you can use small fresh flowers in a bouquet to decorate and
    tie thin ribbon around the cake.
    
    It really IS nice, Karen
    
    Seeya
    
    Alison

    My sister is getting married and she needs a recipe for a traditional
    wedding fruit cake. The only snag is the recipe can't have any animal
    products - that is no eggs, butter etc. Finding a substitute for the
    butter is no problem, but is itpossible to make the cake without eggs?
    
    D

    A fruit cake is one of the easiest to make without eggs.  The fruit
    keeps the cake very moist - to help it rise use 1 tsp of vinegar -
    clear white it won't taint the cake honest, per usual egg called for.

    I use cold tea for the liquid - it gives the cake a beautiful colour
    and, surprisingly a lovely faint floral taste.

    How about the various egg substitutes?  I'm not sure if those are
    strictly vegetarian but you could take a look at the ingredients in
    them (they are usually sold frozen).  You might be able to get away
    without any eggs if you add a bit more oil to the cake recipe (assuming
    you aren't trying to make angel food cake!) - the egg is usually just
    there as an emulsifier - but you would definitely have to experiment to
    make sure the recipe still "works" without it.
    
    /Charlotte

    Egg Substitutes are general just egg whites, so they are not vegan. 
    Might want to check out a health food store for something soy-based,
    though...
    
    For milk, obviously you can use soy milk.
    
    D!

    Yes, you'll definitely have to experiment.  The idea of using vinegar
    or tea, for instance, might not work for some fruit cake recipes.  The
    one I use is a traditional fruit cake recipe, and it is very different
    from a typical cake recipe.  There's almost nothing else besides eggs
    (it calls for 14), a little flour and I can't remember what else in the
    "batter".  The eggs are what hold the whole thing together, unlike in
    ordinary cakes.

    Whats the "Grooms Cake" for? Could you serve it at Rehearsal Dinner? I
    wanted to make my fiance' one and thought I'd have it after Rehearsal
    Dinner. I was going to make it in the shape of a dirt bike, since
    that's his fave hobby.  From what I understand, it's suppose to be dark
    (chocolate or some such).
    
    Any ideas? (I still have to find a bike shaped pan). 
    
    ~beth

    
    
    My understanding is that wedding receptions in the southern U.S. 
    usually consist of just cake & punch (no sit-down meal).  There 
    are traditionally two cakes:  a bride's cake (white) and a groom's 
    cake (chocolate).
    
    When I made my one-and-only wedding cake for a friend's wedding, I
    incorporated this idea by making both a white tier (white genoise with
    white chocolate whipped ganache & raspberry puree) and a chocolate
    tier  (chocolate genoise with chocolate whipped ganache & rapsberry
    puree). The whole was covered with rolled fondant and decorated with
    ribbon, royal icing, and fresh flowers.  
    
     

	I once made the Julia Child "Reine de Saba" chocolate cake
	(in the shape of a heart) as the groom's cake.  Very rich,
	such that small pieces were all that were necessary, and
	it looked great.  It was a fairly small wedding.  

	Lynne Baril did our wedding cake, and we're still getting 
raves about it, it was DELICIOUS!  She was great, and had a lot of ideas, 
and was extremely reasonable, price wise. She works out of her house in 
Dracut, and her number is (508) 957-7588.  I have pictures of our cake in my 
office at LKG.  
	She doesn't just do wedding cakes, she does any occasion.  Just tell 
her, or show her what you want, and she'll make it.

Tracy