The royal wedding cake designer and her team were busy in Buckingham Palace’s kitchens on Thursday putting the finishing touches on a “quintessentially Spring and British” wedding confectionary fit for a prince and princess.
Claire Ptak, who runs a bakery in London, was chosen by Prince Harry and U.S. fiancee Meghan Markle in March to design the cake which will have “a lemon sponge, a lemon curd filling and an elderflower Swiss spring buttercream” icing.
“The texture is really lovely and the flavour is quintessentially Spring and British,” Ptak said.
Ptak said the couple met with her to chose the right “ethereal, floral flavour” after several tastings. The baker said they seem to share a common philosophy of enjoying eating what is “the freshest, most delicious thing” in season at that moment in time — in this case, elderflower.
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It has taken Ptak and her team of six “past and present” Violet bakers five days to create three cakes of various sizes. They will be transported to Windsor on Saturday to be displayed by Ptak and team with flowers as part of an “installation” that is a “shift from tradition”, she said.
Ptak said Harry and Meghan have not tasted the final product, merely “a sample” but must be “happy” with the outcome as they have “signed off”.
Ptak is originally from California and worked at Chez Panisse in Berkeley under chef Alice Waters before moving to London. She started her own business by cooking at home and selling cakes at a stall on east London’s Broadway Market. She set up her bakery in 2010.
Markle had previously interviewed Ptak for her former food and lifestyle website The Tig, which she ran for three years before it closed last year as public interest in her relationship with Harry grew.
Harry and U.S. actress Markle will be married at Windsor Castle on May 19.