The Duchess of Cambridge was “very specific” about her wedding cake, according to the woman who baked the important treat.
Duchess Catherine tied the knot with the Prince William 10 years ago, and to celebrate their first decade of marriage, their royal wedding cake baker Fiona Cairns has recalled the “very stressful” task of creating the perfect sponge for the big day.
Speaking to People magazine, Fiona said: “The brief came from Kate, and she was very specific. The theme of the wedding was to be very classical, very imaginative and stylish. Where William and Kate’s cake broke with tradition was that she made it very clear she didn’t want a cake as tall as some of the previous royal wedding cakes.”
Catherine – who was known as Kate Middleton before marrying William in 2011 – also requested “softer” icing of sugar paste rather than royal icing and provided a list of 17 flowers and leaves she wanted to be included.
Fiona continued: “It had to be multitiered, and it had to be a fruit cake. She didn’t want any gold or glitter. It wasn’t to have any colour on it all. It had to reflect the flowers of the four [UK] nations, and it also had to reflect the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace, where the cake was going to be, to show some of the architectural detail. There was a lot to work out!”
The result was an eight-tiered traditional fruitcake adorned with 900 leaf and floral touches and topped with the couple’s cipher.
And Fiona also said she and her team of bakers were sworn to secrecy when it came to their important project.
She added: “When such a big thing happens, you want to share it with your friends and family, but we couldn’t. We couldn’t tell our children!”