Tuesday 1 February 2011

Dressed with pearls...

I'm always looking for new & beautiful decorations for cakes...I have a whole (large) drawer crammed with dragees, sprinkles and sparkles. These are my latest acquisition...gorgeous pearlised chocolate truffles!
I loved the look of them so much that I bought 3 boxes.
And they were the perfect way to adorn today's Coffee Tree cake delivery...
Mocha Truffle Cake. Soft dark chocolate & espresso cake with buttercream frosting.
My good friend Joann, who has a wonderful blog too incidentally....visit it here ...asked me recently whether it's usual in the UK to leave the sides of layer cakes unfrosted. It made me think (as good questions do!) I usually don't cover the sides of everyday cakes...maybe because it makes them look too...gateau-like I suppose! I worry that it may put people off buying a slice, as they may feel it's too much of a luxury purchase. I could be wrong, though. Maybe I should frost more sides!!
I started with this one! Thanks for broadening my horizons, Joann!! x

I hope you have a wonderful day...it's grey and gloomy here. But it's February!! Not too long to Spring now...
xox

11 comments:

  1. Great pictures as always - the cake looks lovely!
    I love the idea of a drawer crammed with sweet things - but to be honest, this drawer won't stay crammed in our household, we would empty it very quickly. I love February as well, although spring is still far away in Salzburg (all still covered in snow, but at least it is save to drive)

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  2. Where oh where did you find them? They are truly beautiful and have given me the wanties.

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  3. For Helen & anyone else...I got the pearls from Marks & Spencer! They were part of their luxury Christmas range, now in the sale & vastly cheaper. Hope you find them but I'll buy an extra box as a special giveaway prize for my 50th post too in case! x

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  4. What gorgeous cake, Rachel!! And what a brilliant idea of adding the stunning truffles on top!! I love Joann's blog, too and she is so observant of how the cakes are frosted!! I find it so fascinating to see what you are doing and discovering all manner of things. Thank you for making my day! Hugs, Sherry xx

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  5. Dearest Rachel!! As I'm writing this, it's minus18C. Yes, that's right....but after I read this, I'm warmed from my heart to my toes!! I am tickled w/that frosted cake-much prettier than I've ever seen a chocolate cake to be! And the glistening pearls ARE luxury! Good reminder to ME to have a giveaway soon....OK, coming right up! Thank you---what a blessing you are to all of us, and especially the Coffee Trea! xx

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  6. How fabulously regal. You should call it the Queen's pearls cake. Or The Queen of Tahiti Pearl Cake. I always frost sides of cakes when I make frosted cakes. Split genoise with whipped cream and berries is open at the side to see what's inside. Here in CA, everything would dry out. Either way, I think your cakes are gorgeous and I love the pearls on top.

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  7. Rachel, that cake looks divine. I think the whole frosting dilemma is interesting! Us British are a strange breed. If it's afternoon tea, yes, one may be put off by a fully iced cake. Like the side frosting is going to make any difference at all! It is more traditional to just ice tea cakes on top isn't it? But if you were having a slice of something in a restuarant after a meal, with maybe icecream or cream on the side, it would seem extremely mean minded of the establishment not to fully ice the cake. What a dilemma, I shan't sleep tonight! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  8. Oh, Rachel! What a luscious cake! Those glistening pearls are such an elegant finishing touch!

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  9. Rachel, I love the chocolate truffle pearls!! They look stunning & give the cake a totally different presentation! The Coffee Tree is blessed to have such a talented and creative baker working with them! CHEERS! xxoo

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  10. Oooh, I see why everyone is talking about the pearls. Gorgeous! And I enjoyed reading about the pros and cons of frosting the sides of cakes. Really think it's good both ways :)

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  11. Absolutely beautiful cake Rachel and I would love a slice right now! I have an amazing pearl lustre spray (made by PME I think?)which I used for my Christmas cakes and to spray maltesers for a friend's birthday cake before, but it never ocurred to me to spray truffles! That is such a good idea and I often make them for gifts so I shall be spraying them in future!
    Morwenna
    xoxo

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