As summer winds to an end, it seemed apt timing to reflect on some summer cake adventures……
One of the highlights of the summer was Sweet Ruminations’ first international wedding. Spreading deliciousness across the Atlantic, the opportunity to create a cake table for an English countryside wedding was too tempting to resist.

(A view of the beautiful East Midlands English countryside, near the sight of Sweet Ruminations' first international wedding.)
With a suitcase full of spatulas and pastry bags, I headed over to the English East Midlands this summer to start baking. Navigating the market for ingredients tested my metric conversion skills a bit, but did not get the better of me. Even supermarkets entice my curiosities when abroad, so it took a bit of encouragement to stay focused on the task at hand and not wander aimlessly amongst the foreign delicacies. With a cart full of butter, flour, sugar, and fruit, I was ready.



(Sugar made from English Sugar Beets)
The ever lovely bride lent me her home kitchen for the task. Spoiled by my American-sized industrial appliances, the more petite European gadgets were a bit of a challenge til they grew familiar. As any chef will tell, it always amazes me how the same recipes taste so very different when using ingredients from a different region. The English butter lent such a pleasingly different richness to the cakes and buttercream frostings, as did the sugar made entirely from English sugar beets.


Despite a few bumps in the road and a sprinkling of English raindrops, the wedding turned out beautifully, with a refined yet casual, summer countryside feel. Congratulations Stephanie & Matt!