Sex and the City Dessert Buffet

“Maybe some women aren’t meant to be tamed, maybe they’re supposed to run wild until they find someone, just as wild, to run with.” Sex and the City

I had the pleasure of creating a fashionable dessert buffet for a hens party. The buffet was inspired by the Sex and the City 2 movie, where the girls leave New York for a girly getaway to Abu Dhabi. I combined girly pinks associated with the girls being in New York with bollywood golds, relating to their exotic holiday location. The stunning cupcakes reflect these themes by using chocolate stilettos and gold Arabic style leaves with sprinkles of glitter and gold pearls. There were a variety of delicious desserts and lollies for the hens party, including raspberries, strawberries and cream, chocolate coins, chupa chups, gold foil wrapped chocolate bars and vanilla and raspberry French macarons. The table featured a gold and ivory desert umbrella with napkins to match. I also customised the candy bags which were stamped with “Love Is Sweet”, adorned with gold and pink diamontes and each pre-filled with a surprise costume wedding ring and quotes from the movie, like the one above. The girls dressed up as their favourite Sex and the City character, dined at an Indian restaurant and enjoyed the dessert buffet before heading out for cosmopolitans and dancing!

Cupcakes by the talented Cheryl from Sweet Boutique
French Macarons by Mme. Grenouille

Friends Always

I love baking, especially in the winter. I find myself in winter indulging in a sweet, home baked muffin, curled up on the couch with my husband, covered in a mink blanket, watching Breakfast At Tiffanys. Bliss. There is nothing more luxurious than a fresh home baked muffin. Of course I could never devour the entire dozen all on my own, so I started to pack my home baked muffins and give them as surprise gifts to my family, friends and work colleagues. I love seeing their faces light up when they stumble upon the surprise sweet delight. I started to place them in these cute muffin boxes and stamp them with sweet sayings and cute pictures. The perfect package for the perfect gift.

"FRIENDS ALWAYS" muffin or cupcake boxes can now be purchased from the wanda & krystyna Etsty store. They were also recently featured on the Etsy Storque blog, in the "Etsy Finds: Get This Party Started" page. Enjoy!

Say “Cheese” When You Say “I Do”

Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue vein? If you love cheese as much as I do, are looking for a wedding cake with that ‘wow’ factor, or are simply not one for marzipan, fruit cake or ganache icing, look no further than an exquisite cheese wheel wedding cake.

To my surprise, cheese wheel wedding cakes are not new. Brides and grooms have been serving the delicious alternative to a traditional wedding cake for decades, particularly in the UK and throughout Europe. I have started to see and hear that more and more Australian couples are adopting the idea in recent years. And why not? Australia is home to many award winning cheese mongers and cheese makers that produce the finest, most delicious cheese. We are lucky to have the best produce at arm’s reach, you only have to visit your local farmers markets to find out why.

The cheese wheel wedding cake perfectly compliments the autumn or winter wedding, weddings set in a winery or those with a rustic, vintage or country theme. The ‘cake’ is made by stacking whole cheese wheels in assorted sizes, colours and textures, to resemble a tiered cake. The “cheese” cake can be decorated with flowers, fruit, toasted nuts, ribbon and served with crackers, fresh bread, fruit and of course a complimenting wine.

Go on a culinary adventure with your partner and take the time to select the different types of cheeses together. Why not book a ‘taste testing’ afternoon at your local cheese monger or cheese maker? Or purchase a cheese platter selection, pack a blanket, some wine and go for a picnic on a Sunday afternoon in the country.

For a successful ‘cake’, thought needs to go into the types of cheeses you use. It is recommended that firmer, more mature cheeses, such as crumbly Cheddar, be used as the bottom tiers, while the softer cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert, used as the top tiers. Choose different strengths and flavours, as you would a regular cheeseboard. Also choose different colours. There is a wider variety of colours in the firmer cheeses and don’t be afraid to select one with a rind, as the block colour will ‘lift’ the cake visually. Need some help selecting? The Smelly Cheese Club offers a comprehensive cheese glossary and some interesting cheesy facts or speak to your local cheese monger or delicatessen.

The price tag of cheese wheel wedding cakes depends on a number of things, the number of tiers, the types of cheeses and if the cheese is local or imported. The services of cheese wheel wedding cake suppliers also vary. They can range from simply assisting you in selecting the cheese and leaving it up to you to put together and decorate. While some suppliers offer a full wedding cake service. The full service may include a taste testing session, creating and decorating the cake, delivery, service of cheese to guests, break down and also salvage any leftover cheese for you to enjoy at your post-wedding party!

Choose your wedding cheese from a local cheese maker and your guests will appreciate your commitment to buying local. There are a number of fine cheese wheel wedding cake suppliers here in Australia. I contacted many Australian cheese mongers, cheese makers and delis, and found the following suppliers are more than happy to assist you with a cheese wheel wedding cake for your big day!

Black Pearl Epicure { Fortitude Valley, QLD }

Barossa Valley Cheese Company { Barossa Valley, SA } pictured bottom left

McIntosh & Bowman Cheesemongers { Potts Point, NSW }

Formaggi Ocello { Surry Hills, NSW } pictured top left and bottom right

Emerald Hill Deli {South Melbourne, VIC }

Cakes of Heavenly Indulgence { Hobart, TAS } pictured top right

Love is Sweet

Love is many things. But one thing is for sure, love is sweet. Set the theme for your special event with these very words. Pure and simple. Love is sweet when you find a love note in your work diary, love is sweet when you find that the washing has been already folded, love is sweet when you find a single flower at your table setting, and love is sweet when your hand is held unexpectedly. It is the small and thoughtful gestures that make us smile. Give your guests a sugary delight in these cute boxes and watch them smile. Because love is sweet.

Love is Sweet favor boxes now available for purchase from the wanda & krystyna Etsy store.