Last Sunday we invited some of our closest friends and family to celebrate our engagement at a nearby pub. An engagement party was very much a ‘nice to have’ rather than a must for us and since it’s all essentially coming out of the same wedding budget pot, we didn’t want to go too crazy with the costs (we’d much rather spend that money on the actual wedding!). With that in mind, we decided to save where we could – and that included on the cake!
I got a quote for a London bakery (who I usually love!) for a small tiered naked cake with only 2 layers for £175 + £35 delivery. I’m sure it would have been lovely but I was hoping for double that size and I definitely did not want to pay anywhere near that amount for a cake! So, challenge accepted – I asked my mum if she could bake the cake and I would decorate (i.e. the easy bit!).
I wish I had thought to document it properly but honestly, things were so hectic in the lead up to the party, that it didn’t even cross my mind! I did snap a few iPhone photos documenting the process though (excuse the mess!)!
It was surprisingly easy and we were thrilled with how it turned out! The only thing that went wrong was the transportation. Even though it was only a 15 minute drive away, the cake did not travel well (unfortunately, assembling the cake there wasn’t really an option) so if we were to do it next time, we would definitely take more care. Still, we were able to patch the cake back up (it initially looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!) and everyone was more concerned about the taste in the end!
Here’s a snap of when it was still pristine in the flat!
DETAILS
The recipe we used is from Good Housekeeping
The most helpful YouTube video we watched is here
The beautiful topper came from London Sparkle
I would definitely say give it a go if you’re thinking about making your own cake for your engagement party or wedding (or any other event!). It was so fun to do and we were massively proud when we had people asking us where we ordered it from! We’re now currently debating whether we’re brave enough to make the wedding cake ourselves 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by!
I’m in love with your wedding Wednesday posts! I love that you and your mum worked on this together (even though she did the hard part haha). It looks so pretty and congrats again!!
http://www.lovekimber.com
Aw thanks Kimberly! I am wedding mad at the moment so these posts are a great outlet!
Hi Amie.
Love all your wedding stuff !
I bought your Chanel beige bag and you shipped it to Canada for me if you remember
If I was in London would have loved to have helped you with everything ! I design weddings , showers etc – take a look – instagram @simplysiennas
How lovely! You and your mom did an amazing job Amie!
I want a very similar cake for my wedding, now I’m thinking if I should accept the challenge myself haha.
You should go for it! I’d recommend watching a whole bunch of youtube videos before but the basics are pretty simple and it was so satisfying to do! I’m so glad we gave it a go ourselves!
WOW! That look super professional, yet DIY (which I feel is a look a lot of professionals go for any way.) I have never baked before but this definitely gives me the confidence to try 🙂
wow, amazing cake! perfection!!! 🙂
Wow! You and your mum did an amazing job!! It is beautiful and I’m sure it was delicious.
I couldn’t swallow the exorbitant cost of a wedding cake for my wedding (I find it such a shame that it gets destroyed) so we went for different dessert alternatives (regular decorated cakes, pastries, and doughnuts made to order) and something meaningful that resembled a tiered cake.
I’m now inspired to go bake a cake 🙂
Wow! Your cake looks so good. 🙂
Great job!
Beautiful cake! I think you and your mom did a excellent job.
Thanks for sharing, Amie! I love how you personalized the cake with the “Dan and Amie” cake topper. Your mum did an excellent job, I am so amazed by how talented she is and made just like it was from professional bakery. love your wedding Wednesday
Skewers are handy to hold down the layers and prevent the Leaning Tower of Pisa look 🙂
It looks great! I would see if you had friends or family who could make your cake for the big day as you will have way too much going on to stress about that!
The cake Looks Amazing.
Caterina
https://caterinasblog.com
Omg I love how the cake turned out.
LOVE THIS. You and your mum did a amazing job. It’s great that you saved money and it turned out fantastic! I sent this to my boyfriend and he is totally on board for making our own wedding cake when the time comes lol.
Bravo on the beautiful naked cake!
Did you use anything to secure the fruit down? I’m thinking of making a smaller version for my daughter’s birthday cake.