Chocolate Mud Cake

We are known for our rich dark chocolate mud cakes, ideal for any special occasion - whether it be a dinner party desert, birthday celebration or wedding.

The tumble of dark chocolate curls and wrapped smooth chocolate sides over a chocolate ganache and with mud cake interior is a chocolate lovers dream.

Dress it up with your favorite flowers or a candle and your ready to impress.

A 8 inch cake (featured in photos) 

Individual Tiered Wedding Cake

We have created a custom designed crystal beaded and perspex tiered cake stand which provides a wonderfully dramatic way to display individual wedding cakes.  The stand can accommodate the normal cup-cake but we think that the tapered fondant covered or chocolate wrapped option has a bit more style than cupcakes.  We provide the stand hire within the price of the cake.

The top of the stand has a traditional cake which is used for the cake cutting ceremony and can be decorated to match your wedding theme (in this example pink bridesmaids dresses and pink flower bouquets).  Individual cakes are created to the exact number your require for your guests.

The beauty of individual cakes is that they can then easily function as the full desert for your wedding and different cake flavors can be made to suit all your guests tastes, from chocolate to vanilla and anything in between. 

Bespoke Cakes

If you have a particular theme for your wedding or a special setting where you first met which you would like to be featured through your wedding cake, then we can talk to you about how to best create a bespoke design to reflect your needs.  Clinton has years of experience in knowing what is possible and how to achieve particular effects and will be able to guide you to the perfect cake choice.

The example below was for a couple who were both skiers and met on the slopes and had a winter themed wedding.  The fondant cake was created to reflect a mountain ski run, with edible snowflake decorations and two glass skier cake toppers.

Chocolate Tempering - What's it all About?

You often hear people talking about the need to temper chocolate.  The tempering of chocolate is a process which ensures you get the best from your chocolate by creating a smooth and shiny finish and a clean snap (when broken) to the chocolate.

If you do not follow this process of heating and cooling to just the right temperatures then the crystallisation of the cocoa butter and mass will not occur correctly (and you will get the white colored 'bloom' that sometimes you see on store bought chocolate that hasn't been kept in hot conditions).  Tempering creates small crystals which improve the quality of the chocolate and is imperative to good quality chocolate work.

At Marron & Dolce we hand temper our chocolate.  This process involves melting the chocolate in the right way and then working the chocolate on a large marble slab (to keep cool) until it has reached just the right temperature using specialised scrapers.  The chocolate is then returned to the bowl and heated again to the right temperature for use.

We thought you might like to see the process involved to create the high quality chocolate we use in our products and how important it is for the quality of the end product.

Chocolate Ribbons

Another type of chocolate cake decoration can be achieved with white chocolate sculpted ribbons - they look just like fabric ribbons but with the added advantage of being edible!  The ribbons can be different colors and forms - whatever might suit your requirements.

This example is from a garden wedding with dark chocolate mud cake with white chocolate smooth coating and white chocolate ribbon decoration with rose buds, petals and ivy leaves from the bride's bouquet that also linked with the decoration of the tables at the wedding dinner.

Chocolate Quality - How to Know What You're Getting?

At Marron & Dolce we only use the best quality couverture.  Knowing the difference in quality between couverture and other chocolate products (such as compound and cooking chocolate) is important if you are wanting to ensure a 'real' chocolate experience and quality product.

Couverture is the name of a professional-quality chocolate product with a high percentage of cocoa butter, at least 32%, and as high as 39% for good quality couverture.  The extra cocoa butter allows the chocolate to form a thinner coating and has a cleaner taste and less fatty texture on the palette.  Couverture requires expert handling as it needs to be tempered to maintain a quality finish - the snap, shine and depth of color typical of excellent chocolate work.

Compound or cooking chocolate has part or all of the cocoa butter replaced by vegetable fat and usually a whole range of whey powers and other ingredients.  Sometimes the cocoa mass/liquor is also replaced by cocoa powder.  It is a lower grade product and easier to work with but does not have the flavor or texture of couverture.  At Marron & Dolce we do not use compound or cooking chocolate as we feel it results in an inferior product that doesn't do chocolate justice!

White Chocolate Shard Cake

Another stunning white chocolate option for a wedding cake - dark chocolate mud cake covered in rich European-style chocolate ganache and then layered with white chocolate shards and curls.  We have decorated this with ribbon and flowers to match the bride's bouquet, the blue of the hydrangea looks really stunning with the white chocolate and adds a touch of glamour.

Another lovely option is to have individual 'mini' cakes for the head table of the wedding party, individually plated with raspberry coulis and vanilla cream and a decadent dark chocolate stick the wedding cake becomes a desert in itself for the wedding party and guests.