Cocoa & Whey Cakes

All the weddings I have been involved with have been memorable because each couple is so unique. Perhaps one of the most memorable was delivering my first combined savoury and sweet wedding cake. The couple were so excited that their vision had come to life and they were so delighted that their unique cake was a huge hit with all their guests.

All the weddings I have been involved with have been memorable because each couple is so unique and different & the settings are always so beautiful & individual. Perhaps one of the most memorable was delivering my first combined savoury & sweet cake. The couple were so excited that their vision had come to life & delighted that the cake was such a hit with their guests.

Sometimes classic, sometimes adventurous, delicate, often floral, sometimes with a twist.

Sometimes classic, sometimes adventurous, delicate, often floral, sometimes with a twist.

That my business is unique with both savoury and sweet wedding cakes on offer and even a combination of both. I love creating new and different things to thrill clients. I also love it when clients tell me that they have never tasted cakes that are so delicious! Wedding cakes should be beautiful but once they are cut, the most important thing about them is their taste!

I am most proud of my work when clients have told me that the cake I have made for them is the best that they and their guests have ever tasted. Wedding cakes should be beautiful but it is even more important that they should taste wonderful.

Make sure you taste samples before you order your cake. Also do your best to attend a tasting, whether online or in person. It gives you the chance to really get involved in the look and taste of your wedding cake and to join in with those really personal touches which will make your cake unique to you as a couple.

Make sure that you attend a tasting and design consultation with your wedding cake maker in good time so that you have the opportunity to find out what you really like and can add those little touches that make the cake really personal to you both.

I think it is always lovely when a couple design their own monogram for their wedding cake, even if it is a small detail that only they will really notice.

I love it when couples add little personal touches to their cakes with perhaps a monogram of their initials or a sugar model of their favourite cat hidden among the flowers. It is such a special day and so unique in a couples' lives and it is those little touches that add an extra bit of emotion and joy.

I always advise couples to try samples before discussing their cake design. At the moment I send out samples in the post and then meet couples online to talk in depth about their vision for their day and how they want their cake to look and taste. It is always a joy to speak to couples and wonderful to hear their different ideas and styles which we then put into a design together. After our meeting I then make a sketch and quote and couples can decide if they want to go ahead and book their day with me by paying a small deposit. After their important day is reserved for them we can then make any tweaks and changes that they want until approximately 6 weeks before the wedding.

Couples sometimes have an idea of the sort of taste and style of cake that they would like when they email or call me but often this is not the case. Once I have an idea of the number of guests, date of the wedding and venue then, if I still have that date available, I invite couples to come and attend a complimentary, no obligation tasting in Avington. I ask couples to let me know 3 or 4 flavours that they would like to try at the tasting appointment. They can choose from the flavours listed on the "Cakes and Flavours" page at cocoaandwhey.co.uk or if there is a particular flavour that couples would like to try then I am happy to accommodate this where possible. I also try to make the appointment at a convenient time which can include evenings and weekends where required. Tasting appointments are relaxing and enjoyable and a chance for couples to find out what is possible in the world of wedding cakes and also to discover what they both really want their wedding cake to be like .

A few days after the tasting appointment I will make contact with the couple and provide them with a sketch and quote for their chosen cake and any favours that they also wish to have made together with a copy of Cocoa & Whey's Terms. If the couple are happy with their choice and wish to proceed with their wedding cake booking then I take a non-refundable deposit of £50 to reserve their wedding date in my diary. This deposit is deducted from the final balance payable for the cake which will be due 4 weeks before the date of the wedding.

I am usually in contact with the couple in the weeks prior to the wedding to discuss any last minute details about the cake and reception. I also liaise with the wedding caterer to make sure that the final arrangements for the cake have been made. On the day of the wedding I deliver the cake to the wedding venue and make sure that it is set up and looking beautiful in readiness for the reception.

Raspberry & Marc de Champagne Cake is my favourite sweet cake and loved by many clients. For savoury wedding cakes Cheddar, Walnut & Apple is very popular though my personal favourite is Gruyere, Apricot & Hazelnut Cake.

Cocoa & Whey Cakes are becoming increasingly recognised for our savoury & sweet & savoury combination cakes. Our most frequently requested sweet cake is Raspberry Champagne Cake, a light & delicious vanilla and raspberry sponge infused with raspberry and Marc de Champagne syrup, filled with Marc de Champagne Buttercream and freshly made raspberry conserve.

Savoury naked and semi-naked cakes as well as savoury and sweet combined tiers including Cheddar, Apple & Walnut with Cheddar Marsala Cream & Apricot, Hazelnut & Gruyere with Gruyere Marsala Cream to name a few of our savoury flavours.

A 4 tier combined sweet and savoury wedding cake with savoury tiers of Cheddar, Apple & Walnut Cake; Tomato, Olive & Basil Cake; Gruyere, Apricot & Hazelnut Cake and a sweet tier of Carrot Cake.

I have always been enchanted by beautiful cakes, ever since I was baked a very special cake by the cook on my seventh birthday. I didn't know that food could look so amazing. I fell even more in love with cakes after being asked to make increasingly elaborate birthday and party cakes by my children. This gradually led to requests for cakes from friends and then word seemed to spread.

I have always loved food and art but never anticipated a career in wedding cakes in my youth. I was originally a lawyer before children but was unable to return to work when my son was diagnosed with a serious illness. My love of making beautiful cakes grew while at home and eventually developed into starting my own business, Cocoa & Whey Cakes. The business is so called to represent sweet cakes as well as savoury cakes. There is no reason that savoury cakes can't look equally as beautiful at a wedding! though I adore sweet cake too!

An elaborate combination of sweet and savoury tiers with lashings of gold detail.