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Cakes by Rachel Maddams
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s a son of a wedding cake maker, I can fully appreciate the skill, patience and pressure involved in putting someone’s centre piece to their dream day together. There’s not just the baking of the perfect cake to consider. The cutting and often shared feeding of the first piece symbolises the happy couples union, amid flashes from the photographer and a crowd of smart phones. It was the hours of painstaking pursuit of sugar crafting and decorative perfection that fascinated me as a small boy. The smell of marzipan and sugary goodness in the air, it was the production of hundreds of roses and flowers, ribbons and edible ornaments, delicately crafted and placed. This is where the real skill lies; here is where the magic happens. Rachel Madddam, famed owner of ‘cakes by Rachel’ in Bedfordshire, is no stranger to this process, becoming a master in her craft, an award winning baker in her own right.
“I seemed to get into it by accident”, she tells me, having being asked to bake her sister’s wedding cake. It went so well as to suitably impress the guests, 2 more orders were placed and an empire was born. Not just looking too good to eat, the proof is also in the pudding. Being an avid watcher of all things cookery and baking on television myself, I asked if she had the time to watch any. “Love them”, she answers passionately. Apparently though, due to having a qualification in cake design and sugar craft, she’s unable to apply. “I studied for 2 years at college in cake design and sugar craft”, she tells me. It’s a fine art with no little amount for dedication involved. I asked if she makes any obscure ‘Heston Blumenthal style’ concoctions to which she laughs and says, “No. I do bake over 30 flavours of cake though”. Her most popular request being for “strawberries and champagne”, Cakes by Rachael range from cookies and cream to piña
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colada “. I get the impression her demands leave her little time to play. Rachel makes a variety of different cakes and wedding favours, a French chateau themed cake displayed on her Facebook page being particularly impressive. Showcasing at weddings shows and fairs, production has to be limited to “three wedding cakes per week. I used to try four but it was crazy”. Being extremely reasonably priced is part of her success story. Charges being determined by the “level of work and decoration”, the most expensive so far being £800. Watching my Mother’s creative process well into the night, I can tell you, this is not an art than can be carried out without love and appreciation. Rachel seems to go from strength to strength. If you’re looking for that special cake for your special day, look no further, but we suggest you book in advance.
Contact Rachel: 8 St Helena Road, Bedford MK42 0RA info@cakesbyrachelmaddams.com
Tel: (0)123 4312 389