Cut a slice of heaven for your big-day bake with help of Bucks wedding cake designer

With a post-royal wedding round-up, Alpa Boll of the fabulous Simply Alpa, in Loosley Row, Bucks, discusses all things cake with Your Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wedding...

Since the engagement of Prince Harry and Megan Markle was announced back in November last year we have been eagerly awaiting news of what style the next royal wedding cake would take in the industry. Would it follow traditional lines? Or would Megan go for a more contemporary organic feel? Then earlier this year it was finally announced that Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery would be making their wedding cake. A lemon and elderflower cake covered in buttercream and fresh flowers to incorporate the bring colours of spring as requested by the couple.

We have already seen the popularity of the naked and semi naked cakes, layered up, filled with curds, preserves and buttercream and either dressed with fresh fruit or adorned with beautiful seasonal flowers or foliage. Semi naked cakes differ slightly in that they have a thin covering of buttercream on the outside that shows through part of the cake giving a lovely rustic and organic feel which seems to be the preferred choice for many brides who want a more relaxed feel to their big day.

I have already had many orders coming in for buttercream and naked cakes and after the royal wedding I envisage it be even more popular much to the dismay of some designers who battle with the heat affecting buttercream. If you do opt for a buttercream cake make sure it's kept out of direct sunlight and heat sources. Should the day be really hot keep it in the fridge until you are ready to cut it.

Whilst everything organic and natural is all the rage there are still the brides that want something unique, fun or vibrant on their special day. Look around and you can see lots of tropical prints in the shops. From the fashion industry to home décor, bold bright colours and shapes are visible everywhere, from gold pineapples and flamingos,to tropical leaves and hibiscus flowers. For the bride getting married abroad, a cake with this theme would be ideal to have at a reception back home to bring the tropics home. Hand painted cakes are still popular and a great way add detailing and colour. One of my tropical creations was hand painted using cocoa butter and the hibiscus flowers and gingko leaves made from sugar which are a great way to keep a memento from your wedding cake. Sugar flowers can be kept for eternity as long as you keep them away from direct sunlight and moisture.

Sticking with the theme of all things natural the marbled effect is not going away and there are some beautiful designs out there with the colour evolving through the icing on a cake. Some have sugared gem stones or are made to look like geode or agate rocks. The look can be subtle or rather striking depending on the marbled effect. For a delicately marbled Mexico agate cake I used hand painted effects to bring out the detailing of the stone, and finished it off with tiny bits of gold coloured sugar and delicate blossom.

When ordering a wedding cake it is so important to take into consideration the venue, the room that the cake will be presented in and the general feel for the day. Aspects from all of this can be incorporated into the cake to make it really stand out on the day. Stately homes and beautiful listed buildings have a wealth of character and often designers pick elements of this from the architecture to adorn the cake with beautiful gilded decorations. I created a regal looking cake in sapphire blue with the bold colours of bougainvillea flowers cascading down it with gilded gold decorations based on many of the beautiful National Trust properties that surround me in Buckinghamshire. I think there will always be those that want something truly magnificent as their wedding cake to be a centre piece at their wedding and so this style is not going anywhere in a hurry. Luxurious cakes with ornate decorations and lots of sugar flowers have always been popular and will still be seen in some of the grandest venues.

To find out more about Simply Alpa, visit www.simplyalpa.co.uk, and for more expert advice on cakes and much more, as well as more of Simply Alpa's delicious creations, check out the latest issue of Your Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wedding magazine – on sale now.