Marbled wedding cake

This is a cake that is fast to make and looks great, but you do have to realise that it will look different every time you make it and it is important to explain that to the customer.

There are several steps to making this cake.

1 Filling the sponges: as with the previous cakes, this can be done the day before.

2 Applying the marbled ganache: Heat up the white and dark ganache* to 35?c. They should not be any warmer, otherwise they will just slide off the cake as the fresh cream or buttercream melts.

The dark chocolate ganache should not be more than 10% of the volume of the white ganache if you want to achieve a good-quality marbled effect.

3 Pour the dark ganache into the white ganache in a circular movement but do not stir.

4 Next, pour the combined white and dark ganache over the cake and let the excess drip off. You can not reuse the excess ganache for wedding cakes, but it can be used to flavour crèmes or as truffle fillings. Please note that you might find it easier to give the cake a base coating of white ganache only.

5 Decorate the cake to your own or the customer’s taste.

*You can find recipes for ganache on the Callebaut website or use their "ready to use" Crème Dell’ Artigiano’s. All of the products we have used are available from Bekaert & Dupont.

n Igor Bekaert served his apprenticeship and subsequently qualified as a pastry chef and chocolatier in the renowned Patisserie School ’De Groene Poort’ in Bruges. In 1996, after 12 years’ experience Igor, with his wife Ann, moved to London to broaden his skills and knowledge. In February 1996 he began working as a chocolatier in the Patisserie Valerie group. After that, with his wife Ann, he opened a bakery and patisserie ingredients company, Bekaert & Dupont, committed to offering specialised products dedicated to the patissier and baker.