Delighted that this California wedding is featured on Over The Moon as part of their Real Weddings edit.
Read the story on Over The Moon
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Admit it – we all love cake! My personal favourite has to be a carrot cake. I’ve tried and tasted many varieties, but my adaptation of the Hummingbird Bakery recipe keeps guests coming back for more!
Ingredients
- 300 grams soft light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 300 grams plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 grams carrots, grated
- 150 grams milk chocolate bar, coarsely chopped**
- 1 quantity cream cheese icing (see below for details)
**The Hummingbird version calls for 100g chopped walnuts, however I’m not a fan of nuts or currants in my carrot cake…so I substitute with milk chocolate!
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C or 160°C for fan assisted ovens
2. Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.
3. Stir in the grated carrots and chocolate with a spatula, then pour the mixture into three prepared 25cm (10inch) round cake tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
4. When the cakes are cold, spread on the cream cheese icing, and layer the cakes on top of each other, creating a towering three-layer cake. You should have enough icing to cover the sides, or you can leave these exposed. I grate some milk chocolate on the top to finish.
Cream Cheese Icing
- 300 grams icing sugar, sifted
- 50 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 125 grams cream cheese, cold
1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment on medium-low speed until mixture comes together and is mixed well.
2. Add cream cheese and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the icing is light and fluffy – at least 5 minutes. Spread or pipe icing on cold cake(s)
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The instant I stepped off the plane, I knew there was something very special about Marrakech. Six years, and almost a dozen or so weddings and celebrations later, I’m still amazed at the effects the red city has on the senses. Where it’s perfectly normal for a family of five on a donkey and carriage to be trotting along the street next to the latest chauffeur driven Range Rover.
You’ll need to plan a trip for yourself, but in the meantime, here are a few of my favourite places.
Home away from home
- Your own private Riad at Royal Mansour
- The Mandarin Oriental Marrakech – I love the Mandarin Pool Villas!
- El Fenn, a stylish Riad in the heart of the Medina
- Live like a royal at La Mamounia
- Moroccan hospitality at Jnane Tamsna by owner Meryanne Loum-Martin
- Venture outside the city to the Atlas Mountains and Kasbah Tamadot.
Retail therapy
- Chabi Chic for Moroccan made lifestyle essentials.
- One of my faves is 33 Rue Majorelle.
- If you’re not staying at El Fenn, pop in and visit their Boutique.
- Get lost in the Souks of the Medina.
- Satisfy your bag obsession at Boutique Lalla.
- Visit le Magasin General Marrakech for those rare finds.
Worth the experience
- You’ll go instagram crazy at the Jardin Majorelle – be sure to visit their Berber museum.
- The Yves Saint-Laurent Museum is a must!
- Rejuvenate at the Chenot Spa at Selman Marrakech
- Le Jardin Secret really is the city’s best kept secret
- Experience a desert sunrise from a hot air balloon!
Eat, drink, and be merry
- While exploring the Souks, break for lunch at Terrace Des Epices.
- Sip a Moroccan ‘vin gris’ (Rosé wine) poolside at La Mamounia
- Happy hour on the El Fenn rooftop terrace – they make the BEST cosmopolitans!
- Dine on Moroccan cuisine at Comptoir Darna. Oh, and the belly dancers are fantastic!
- I feel most at home at Bo & Zin – love the food, love the atmosphere, and love the music.
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There is something so personal and intimate about elopements. It’s a privilege to witness a genuine expression of love and commitment between two people. When California residents Shanna & Paul got in contact, the brief was “an English garden setting with a background of Georgian architecture”. The perfect choice was the Nash Conservatory at Kew Gardens.
A memorable moment for me was being asked to be a witness for their civil ceremony. I got quite emotional!
The next day the couple left on their European holiday/honeymoon. We organised for postcards to be sent to their families and friends, announcing their elopement just as they returned home.
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