As one of the most popular winners of the Great British Bake Off, it's no wonder Candice Brown had to make the cake one of the highlights of her wedding day. But the former teacher treated her guests to not one, but 12 wedding cakes, created by her fellow contestants on the hit TV show.
Candice, who married partner Liam Macaulay in a ceremony covered exclusively by HELLO! magazine, had an epic wedding cake extravaganza as a wedding gift from her fellow Bake Off finalists. And although she knew they were planning to bake for her, the bride didn't know what they had planned until the big day.
Candice Brown had 12 wedding cakes created by her fellow Bake Off contestants
Kate Barmby, who was knocked out in the fourth week of the series in 2016, had the task of co-ordinating the bakers, and told HELLO! that they originally considered making an 11 tier cake but changed their minds as it would be too difficult to organise. "I sent the bakers some pictures that gave some idea of the theme, a mood board and a colour scheme and we all chatted on WhatsApp as to what cakes we were going to make and how they would work together," Kate said. "It was never going to be a conventional wedding cake with 11 very different bakers collaborating."
RELATED: See exclusive photos from Candice Brown and Liam Macaulay's wedding
The bakers hired a farmhouse a 15-minute journey from Château de Varennes in Burgundy, where Candice and Liam tied the knot, to add the perfect finishing touches to their creations.
The cakes were a wedding gift to Candice from her friends
Kate, who made the three tier cake, explained: "I made the cakes in my kitchen at home in Norfolk and then made what turned out to be an almost 12 hour journey by car and ferry with my husband Dave. I finished stacking and decorating them in the chateau kitchen. The cakes were boozy ginger, orange and cranberry fruitcakes as I will always remember Candice's gingerbread pub with its sticky ginger cake carpet."
Other creations included a three layered pink champagne cake made by Louise Williams, a pistachio sponge with rose, raspberry and mascarpone filling made by Jane Beedle, and a lemon and poppy seed drizzle cake with a lemon curd buttercream filling made with Michael Georgiou.
See Candice Brown's wedding video
Tom Gilliford made a rosette of 120 madelines flavoured with rose, lemon and pistachio, while Andrew Smyth made an apple brandy fruitcake with a generous layer of marzipan covered in pink fondant and decorated with sugar paste gold roses and silver cake lace. Rav Bansal, meanwhile, made a semi-naked lemon drizzle cake with a dusky pink and white vanilla buttercream topped with fresh flowers.
MORE: Candice Brown reveals which celebrity inspired her wedding dress
Bake Off contestant Val Stones two tier cake using Candice's version of her nan's cake. Her cake was covered in homemade marzipan, fondant and then stamped with doggy footprints and topped off with bride and groom pug dogs. Meanwhile, Benjamina Ebuehi made lemon, almond and blackberry friand shaped cakes. She used her experience as a professional food stylist to put the impressive display together.
Candice and Liam married in Burgundy, France
Selasi Gbormittah had planned on making a cake but ended up riding his motorbike from Switzerland, where he was studying at a culinary school, to the venue. This made bringing a cake impossible so he made chocolates instead. Last but not least, although Lee Banfield was unable to make the wedding as his son was also getting married, he still posted a rich fruit cake soaked in sherry, marzipan and with icing. We think the newlyweds will be sampling them all for the next few weeks!
Pick up the latest copy of HELLO! to read the full story and for more photos from Candice and Liam's special day, out Monday 1 October