WHY CHOOSE A CHEESE CAKE?
When people think of celebrations and cake they immediate think of a sponge or sweet flavoured cake, but cheese cakes are becoming more and more of a popular way of marking a special event, whether than be a wedding, an anniversary, or christening, or even a corporate event. Cheese cakes offer a savoury option for those who are less sweet-toothed and can be a way of creating an easy buffet solution.
CHOOSING YOUR CHEESE WEDDING CAKE-
Choosing your wedding cake should be fun, you should base it around what YOU both like- it’s your day after all! But a good way to help accommodate a variety of tastes is to have a cheddar, (Quicke’s of course!) blue cheese and a soft brie style cheese and then if you want to get more adventurous with additional layers there are all sorts of wrapped and washed cheeses and different types of milk that you can add in.
We have created a collection of cheese towers that hopefully cover a selection of different shapes, sizes, colours and themes. See our collection here.
When thinking about the size of the cake you want, you’ll need to think of the number of guests and then if this is to be part of your dinner, or if it’s more for a nibble for after. We recommend 70-100g of cheese per person. If it’s to be part of the dessert course, then we would recommend allowing at least 100g or a little more.
WHAT TO SERVE YOUR CHEESE CAKE ON?
We love the rustic look, with a slice of oak from the woods, but there are lots of lovely boards out there from marble, slate, metal, and mirrors to ceramics. Just make sure it’s completely flat and is larger enough to support the diameter of the base of the cake, as this is the largest element.
DECORATION
The decoration is a great way of bringing the theme of the event together. Fruit is a fun way to add a splash of colour and structure and acts as another item your guests can eat as part of the buffet or dessert. Keep it simple by adding fresh bunches of red and green grapes, and ripe figs, some sliced in half, to add more structure, colour and texture. Scatterings of dried fruit like dates and apricots work well too. If you are sure there are no allergies then handfuls of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts can be a lovely addition. All of these add shapes and textures and can be eaten alongside as a simple additional pairing for guests.
Fancy something more floral? This is a great way to add a bit more colour to your display, you can go down the line of tying it into your event colour themes or keeping it simple with sprigs of green foliage whatever takes your fancy. Things to note though when adding fresh foliage or flowers is to be careful not to use anything poisonous.
Another way to style is to use fabric or ribbons or raffia to tie around a tier for an added extra or just keep it very simple.
If you are after a more of an autumnal theme, baby pumpkins, pine cones and chestnuts can add a lovely addition to your cake.
Remember when decorating to keep it balanced, so the smaller the tier, the less the decoration.
PAIRINGS
It’s great to have a selection of crackers on offer to go with your cake, we suggest a range of plain crackers like the delicious crispbreads by Peters Yard, along with a couple of flavoured crackers like the Fine Cheese Bath crackers, they have some interesting flavours from Rosemary to lemon to even chilli if you fancy a bit of a kick! We have gluten-free crackers too to help with any allergies you might need to accommodate.
A good chutney or preserve can be an incredible pairing for your celebration cake. We have some fantastic preserves that aren’t too sharp and compliment the cheeses. We love the Sharpham Pinot Noir Fig Chutney or their Sharpham Red Onion Rosemary and Thyme Marmalade, this is great with any of the cheddars.
If you want to talk through some pairing ideas please email events@quickes.co.uk and we can make personalised suggestions depending on the cake tiers you have chosen.
