I can't thank all my wonderful Brides and Grooms from last year enough. I have made it through to the regional finals! Thank you so much to all who voted, I am overwhelmed. I will be attending the Regional Finals Drinks Do at the beautiful Kingscote Barn on the 24th November 2014, so I will let you know...
Last week Vanilla Pod created a beautiful wedding cake tower for a lovely couple from Swindon. The brief was to create a tower of mini shaped cakes and a top cake for cutting. I first met the couple at a wedding fayre at the venue, Manor By The Lake, in 2013 and shortly after we arranged a complimentary...
You may have guessed that I love vanilla - but it has to be real vanilla (I am fussy like that), and anyone who has ever met me me knows how much I like to use vanilla bean paste. But it has to be a particular brand of vanilla bean paste, one that produces a delicious product and...
Well it is here! The Great British Bake Off final! Who will win! Richard, Luis or Nancy! I have just settled down with a bowl of bread and butter pudding (I can't watch it without eating a dessert of some type!) to watch it. I am backing Luis, I like him, and think he is really lovely -...
Social media is amazing for weddings. Pinterest is brilliant for planning the look, from beautiful dress ideas to table settings to everything in between plus the boards can be shared with all manor of suppliers. During and after the wedding Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are brilliant ways to share your special day with friends and family. I have...
Week 6! I can't believe it is week 6 already! I am seriously behind on my own personal VPB #GBBO challenge! I still have to bake: week 4's bakes (8x self sourcing puddings, Tiramisu Cake and Baked Alaska) and week 5's bakes (Custard Tart, Spiral Pear Pie and Three Tier Pie Structure) plus biscuit scene! I will bake...
Bread week, I am actually quite terrified of this week! Out of my comfort zone! I watched this weeks show with friends while eating a Vanilla Pod Bakery triple chocolate brownie (warmed up of course and with cream). As my friends and I watched the show, we all agreed that Richard's creations were super, Luis's didn't half look...
On my website I have a nifty little wedding cake survey and the latest survey has looked at what brides favourite type of cakes are, what their budget is and what their favourite wedding cake flavour is. Check out this infographic for the latest low down on Wedding Cakes 2014. Do you agree with what my visitors answered? ...
Great British Bake Off Play Along Challenge
Week 2 - #VanillaPod #GreatBritishBakeOff Challenge
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Biscuits! I love biscuits and I can safely say I think I like them even more than cakes to eat! (A shock I know!). But baking them, well I haven't had much practice and I am looking forward to it already. So this week they started with savoury biscuits and Norman's were super, he is still my current...
Cheltenham is getting into the baking spirit as as extra special Oxjam take over and hosts its own fabulous bake off at Manor by the Lake this Saturday, 17th August in aid of raising funds for the worthy cause Oxjam. The Vanilla Pod Bakery are very excited to be sponsoring the event along with Kitchen Garden Preserves and will be...
I have known about chocolate ganache for a long time but I have only discovered it's awesomeness for wedding cakes this year. Really popular in Australia as tried and tested method for decorating cakes, it is not only delicious but also creates the most perfect finish, making covering cakes with fondant/sugarpaste icing a dream. Chocolate Ganache Covered Cakes...
Today I made the first bake of my #GreatBritishBakeOff challenge. I started with the technical challenge, the Cherry and Almond cake. Challenge One: Technical - Cherry and Almond Cake I found the recipe online after a quick google search, Mary Berry of course, and then set to work, weighing, mixing and baking. I have slightly change the recipe...
