Fiona’s fruitcake fit for royalty
FIONA Cairns, Britain’s acclaimed producer of “luxury cakes”, was asked to create the breathtaking royal wedding cake for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011.
One small slice of this fruitcake is now expected to fetch up to $800 (over R10 000) at an American auction.
The prince and his betrothed chose Cairns’ company for their special occasion because of Cairns’ 25-years of experience, creative style and admirably crafted handmade cakes, using traditional British ingredients.
Leicestershire-based Cairns says it was “the ultimate project for cake makers and designers”. She recalls that the design was clearly spelt out: “It was not to be ostentatious or grand, but romantic and informal in its structure.”
The cake – which cost about R1 million – featured 17 flowers, chosen by the bride-to-be. All have different meanings: for example, Lily of the Valley symbolises sweetness and humility while the rose stands for England, daffodil for Wales, thistle for Scotland, and shamrock for Ireland.
“We loosely interpreted a special proven technique to create the piped details on the cake such as the lattice, scroll and shell details. Lace details from the bridal dress were also piped onto the cake,” Cairns says.
Designing and constructing the cake proved an architectural challenge. It was over 1m tall and weighed 100kg.
The bottom three tiers provided the stable base for the cake by creating four “corners”, created from 12 cakeswithin-a-cake.
It took a team of six people three days to complete the structure.
The company now makes over 2 million luxury cakes every year. –Auctions Writer