Today we have a mouth-watering guest post from P-J Parker of Emily Harmston Cakes, with a gorgeous autumn inspired wedding cake that features such beautiful rich purple colours. When we first saw these cakes we fell in-love with the use of edible flowers and petals – why not take a look for yourself?

Don’t forget we have a regular feature on wedding cakes called Cake Love, so do check out the link if you are after more wedding cake inspiration.

Over to P-J to tell us more about these stunning creations…

We have just seen the end of a glorious English summer but it brings an abundance of our beautiful berries that rival any array of the fruits that are imported. The colours and choice are breath-taking; it’s almost as if all summer long the sun has become concentrated to give the sumptuous jewel colours inside our blackberries, blueberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and damsons.

I really wanted to capture the beauty of this season.  The three tiered cake I made here incorporates two white chocolate and raspberry cake tiers at the top and bottom with a double layer of blackberry and raspberry cheesecake in the middle.  All topped off with fresh edible Dahlias and handcrafted blackcurrants lollipops.

The edible flowers I used on the cake were from the fabulous Jan Billington of Maddocks Farm Organics who provides chefs and amateur bakers a like with stunning flowers from her organic farm in Devon.  Discussing my plans for this cake with Jan it became apparent that the depth flavour and colour of the flowers in season would exactly compliment the fruit flavours that I wanted to use.

Summer is perhaps traditionally the preferred choice for many for a wedding but for me the decadent depth of colours and culinary delights the autumn season has to offer it is definitely one of my favourites.

I founded Emily Harmston Cakes to provide a bespoke design service for wedding couples looking for a unique cake that delivers on flavour.  It is so important to me to use high quality natural ingredients as I believe this is the only way to get the best results. I offer gorgeous cake flavours on my menu but also more unusual elements including; meringues, cheesecakes and French patisserie. Couples often tell me about their favourite desserts so that these can be reflected in the final design. It’s an exciting process that involves a lot of tastings!

There is something really special about considering the season when choosing your wedding cake.  The wedding day is so exceptional in the desire for all the elements coming together to be just right.  For me, using local seasonal ingredients in the cake means of course that they will naturally be at their peak of perfection. The ingredients then also take centre stage for inspiring the design.

*Natural baking tip: the pink buttercream gets its colour from beetroot powder which gives a lovely soft colour and lovely sweet mellow flavour.  For a free design consultation and tasting contact P-J Parker 01832 272573 or emilyharmstoncakes@yahoo.co.uk.

The Natural Wedding Company had a great selection of wedding cake bakers and edible flower growers who all fit with our ethos of being natural, ethical and eco-friendly.