Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's three-part wedding cake is set to be displayed in a unique installation, it has been revealed. The couple will break tradition by having their "ethereal" tasting cake presented in an unusual way - although it won't be revealed until the day.
"You'll have to wait and see on the day. It's an installation of the way that we're putting it out. It's the last thing that we'll reveal. It's a non-traditional layout," the couple's baker Claire Ptak revealed. "It's a slight shift from tradition."
Claire Ptak has been working on the royal wedding cake for five days
The chef, who owns London-based Violet Bakery, shared details of the cakes she is making on Thursday, revealing she has spent five days working in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace with her team of six bakers. They have been using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients to make the special cake, including a cordial made using elderflower from the Queen's Sandringham Estate.
STORY: Preparations are already underway for the royal wedding cake!
Some 200 Amalfi lemons are being used in the recipe, as well as ten bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial, 20kgs of butter, 20 kgs of flour, 20kgs of sugar and 500 organic eggs from Suffolk. Claire said: "It's a lemon sponge - a special sponge that I developed just for the couple, and we drizzle the layers with elderflower cordial from the Sandringham estate so it's really lovely and as local as you can get. We have a lemon curd made from Amalfi lemons which to me have the most delicious flavour. And then we've got elderflower swiss meringue buttercream."
The royal wedding cake will be displayed as part of a unique installation
Adding a personal touch will be the floral decorations - featuring three types of Meghan's favourite flowers, peonies, in shades of white and cream, along with four different white and cream roses. The flowers will be removed before guests tuck in to the cake, but the slices will be served with edible rose petals to the 600 guests at the lunchtime reception in St George's Hall.
RECIPE: Vegan lemon elderflower cake
Harry and Meghan are said to have been hands on with the process, sampling a number of different lemon and elderflower cakes. "They loved it. They tried quite a collection," Claire said. "What they said to me is that they really loved the idea of the seasonality and the freshness." Part of the cake is still being baked and iced, but once it is finished it will be transported to Windsor Castle, where the flowers will be added, and the installation assembled on the morning of the wedding.