Tearoom 25 - Benvenute a Venezia!

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YOu find us this time in a glorious palazzo in Venice, near to St. Mark's square, and on the water. With gondolas and vaporetti in abundance to transport us around to the various sights etc.

The palazzo itself of course has marble floors and fabulous murano chandeliers but aside of that we have the usual distressed chintz comfy sofas, assorted animals, bishops in their corner, priesthole for emergencies and a single solitary aspidistra in a bomb-proof glass cage to protect it from the ravages of a certain Canadian.

All are welcome - drop by for a cuppa, a glass of something stronger and a chat and relax in the safe and kind surroundings here.

Cin cin!

I made my wedding cake - three tiers, hexagonal, perspex spacers (made by the workshop at work), ivory sugarpaste with dark red detail work and flowers on top. All fruitcake (my special very fruity, very moist recipe), but there was also a madeira cake for cutting only

Maud - same thing here and I suspect the top tier is still in the loft somewhere. 10 years later we didn't fancy it much!

Ah, I realise the transatlantic issue here - in the US they are always diff flavoured sponges with buttercream/ganache fillings, here the tradition is fruitcake.

Friends who I made the cake for did save their top tier, and 4 years later I reiced it for their dds christening

In the States fruit cake is a strictly (horrible) Christmas thing, NOT a wedding cake. My friend made ours and she did the bottom traditional British sponge cake (since there were more Brits in attendance than others), the middle was a classic sponge (for me) and the top was a fake cake which we still have.

And at home you keep the top tier for the first wedding anniversary, not Christianing.

Sorry, bottom was traditional FRUIT cake, NOT sponge.

. That sounds fantastic.

Oh, that's interesting, Scout. I daresay our cake would have been fine on our first wedding anniversary but (see tea room threads passim) it took us a long time to have Girl!

Was curious if people went for traditional fruit or sponge. We compromised to maintain Anglo-American relations. More like I wanted cake I like/would eat (don't like fruit cake no matter how you dress it).

Bows down to CMOT's cake making skills. I am envious! I hope you have lots of pictures!

Yes, Cmot, can you post a picture?

Our wedding was in Holland, so I had ordered what I thought was a traditional wedding cake, but it wasn't, it was a sponge cake. Very nice, but mil was furious that she could not take a bit of cake away for Bob's grandma and his sister, who could not be at the wedding. It's 40 years ago, would you believe it.

I'd have to scan a picture in - will do one tomorrow. It was honestly not that fancy, but am a skinflint and could no way justify buying a cake on our budget. Since then, I like making cakes, and if I make them, I know that they are gluten free and I can enjoy them

AP made mine - her special white Christmas cake recipe - and decorated it with chocolate rose leaves ans cherry and almond flowers, just like my birthday cakes when I was a child.

Picture of DH and Wriggle wrecking landscaping the garden on my profile.

Can't get onto your profile, Serpent - is it locked?

I had a sponge as I loathe and despise a) fruit cake of any sort and b) marzipan. I bought the layers at M&S special order and had flowers (white roses were my wedding flowers with purple freesia for the bridesmaids and flower girl and the cake flowers were both) arranged by my aunt who is a whiz at that sort of thing!

We were also on a very tight budget but I really wanted white roses and resigned myself to about 5. But my florist was a whiz (I had a lot whizzes that day!) and managed to fit about 2 dozen tea roses into my bouquet. I was blown away by it! I think I may still have it somewhere!

The Donki wedding also had a traditional fruit cake, with marzipan and royal icing. (Can't stand fondant icing. Yuck.). And beautiful icing flowers made by a something cousin something removed of the DH.

As is also traditional we kept the top layer for the birth of first child (Quakers don't 'do' christenings) - but it went mouldy as it was VERY moist. MIL made it and had rather over fed it..... I would have thought that the brandy would act as a preservative, but no. :( I was very sad as I love fruit cake.

(Mind you it did seem odd at the wedding having this very well fed cake - but no alcohol to drink as the reception (grandiose name for buffet meal and ceilidh) was held on Quaker premises)

Made it cheaper though

We had fruit cake. My brother made all 3 tiers in his Aga. It was quite the most beautiful, alcoholic, moist fruit cake I have ever tasted! The bottom tier took 26 hours to cook!

I have no idea how you would lock a profile! Or even tell whether it is.

By the way Serpent, the DH claims to have snakelike qualities. For instance he claims to be poikilothermic and need the heating on much too high!

At least you will only need to feed him once a week or so!

My profile might work now - it seemed to be attached to 'Earl Grey the tea room horse'. NMB's getting up to mischief?

Yes please to borrowed bolly from someone elses fridge .... glug.
in RL I have very bubbly ginger beer.

Wedding cake.... longtime ago (15 years +) IIRC , 2 layers, bottom one fruit, top one choc sponge, both with fondent iceing and marzipan ( I rather like both). Made by a colleague for cost of ingredients. Topped with sugar flower dec made by MiL.

I am about to go and watch a rubbish disney film to see if its boy proof, ie not at all scary... Wish me luck.

Well... we couldn't save our top layer for the Christening because Milk was two years old when we got married... and besides which seeing as we had eloped there was no-one to eat cake anyway. We had a pub lunch and then sushi and a beer for dinner.

A few days later... my Mum made chocolate buns and ice cream for afters at our pre-arranged wedding bbq with her family which were both yummy... yummy... yummy!!!

what film is it UniS?

Air Bud, world pup. reviews have it as laughably bad...

Serpent He claims to be an evolutionarily advanced snake, and so need regular meals. I suppose that I could claim that once a fortnight counts as regular....

I don't think he would be very impressed