A cake fit for a king
The project left its maker Fiona Cairns exhausted but elated after working for five weeks on the cake, testing her team’s skills to the limit.
The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are fans of her fruit cakes, while Paul McCartney orders one for Christmas every year.
Ms Cairns, 56, whose confections are sold in high-end shops throughout Britain, was contacted by St James’s Palace in February and asked if she would make William and Kate’s wedding cake.
Speaking at Buckingham Palace after she had put the final touches to the cake, Ms Cairns said: “The picture gallery has high ceilings and is an imposing room so I wanted the cake to have presence but not to be imposing and I think it worked.
“Catherine did not want it to be seven feet tall, she didn’t want it to be towering and thin, and I think we succeeded.
“We reflected some of the architectural details in the room so the garlands on the walls were reproduced loosely on the fourth tier — we’ve used roses, acorns, ivy leaves, apple blossom and bridal rose.”
The bride wanted elements from the Joseph Lambeth technique of cake decoration, where intricate piping is used to make three dimensional scroll work, leaves, flowers and other adornments.
Kate also gave Ms Cairns detailed instructions for her to include 17 different blooms and foliage for their meaning or symbolism — known as the language of flowers.
Ms Cairns, who lives in Leicestershire where her factory is based, started her business from her kitchen table and now employs more than 50 people.
She said: “I could not believe I finished it in time but we were all really pleased with it. I worked at the palace for two days before the wedding, setting it up with my team.
“The hardest part was transporting the cakes from Leicestershire to the palace — we were worried they would get damaged — then we had to assemble them. It was tough work but I really enjoyed it. It’s been an extraordinary commission.”
Along the cake’s base ran ivy leaves, symbolising marriage, and the bottom three tiers were decorated with piped lace work and daisies. There were infill features of cascading orange and apple blossom, honeysuckle, acorns with oak leaves and bridal rose.
The cakemaker did not reveal all the ingredients she used but said the cake contained a range of produce from dried fruits such as raisins and sultanas to walnuts, cherries, grated oranges and lemon and French brandy.
