A Guide to Constructing and Decorating Your Celebration Cake

We love creating cakes to reflect the craftsmanship which makes the best, most delicious cheese. We have worked with hundreds of couples to design their perfect cheese wedding cake. We have learnt a lot along the way, and we are delighted to share this knowledge with you. Whether you are celebrating a big birthday, wedding, or anniversary, we hope you will find our tips and tricks useful when planning your cake.

Constructon:

British cheeses are big. As a result, cheese towers often do better with fewer tiers. Don't let this put you off: less is more. A tower of three or four substantial cheeses can often look better than a precarious mounting tower of tiny cheeses. It is hugely important to think about the weights of the cheeses to be stacked on top of one another. A Cheddar will never sit well on top of a gooey Baron Bigod, for example, as it would completely squash it. Trust us, the last thing you want is a cheese tragedy on the happiest day of your life. Due to the nature of the sizes of whole cheeses, and the converging shape of most cakes, there are often smaller volumes of cheese in the top tiers. For this reason, it is often worth considering going for a few extra dainty cheeses (such as the Dorstone or Innes Log), to have alongside the main cake, so that all of your guests can enjoy each cheese. Think bottom up. As the base is the biggest tier, we recommend choosing a versatile cheese that you feel sure everyone will like, such as a layer of Kirkham's Lancashire or Hafod. Avoid using props such as dowels and tiering supports, as these can damage the cheese and make constructing and serving the cake difficult.

Decoration:

Farmhouse cheese is beautiful. Showcase the textures and interesting rind patterns. When planning decorations make sure they don't overwhelm the natural impressiveness of the cheese. Decorations should follow the organic form of the cheese tower. We like to feature bigger items at the bottom, and smaller garnishes at the top as the tiers narrow. Be mindful of adding anything too weighty to the cheese. We like to focus on decorations which can be eaten as accompaniments. Fruits, vegetables and edible flowers look natural and beautiful. Inedible props on the cake can transfer unpleasant flavours or taints, so we think they are best avoided.

Display and Serving:

Make sure that cheese comes up to room temperature before serving. The flavours will be at their best and the textures will open up. Take whole or large pieces of cheese out of the fridge a few hours before small and soft cheeses. It can take a long time for the core temperature of a whole cheese to warm up. If you think there might be leftovers we are happy to send you extra cheese paper. Your family and friends will think these are the most delicious wedding favours ever!