In a little more than two months, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will hold possibly the most-watched wedding ever. But on Tuesday, the royal couple announced they have officially selected a baker to create what will possibly be the most-photographed wedding cake of all time.
The honor/pressure belongs to Claire Ptak, an East London pastry chef. The official Kensington Palace Twitter page shared the news this morning, adding that Ptak will create "a lemon elderflower cake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring" for the May 19 wedding. The tweet continued, "It will be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers."
For their wedding cake Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of the London-based bakery @violetcakes. pic.twitter.com/Rx36WBt7kC
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 20, 2018
After the news was announced, Ptak's expressed her enthusiasm for the gig on Twitter, writing, "Kinda excited to announce this one!! Violet has been chosen to make the wedding cake for Prince." Then, in a statement, she added, "I can't tell you how delighted am to be chosen to make Prince Harry and Ms. Markle's wedding cake. Knowing that they really share the same values as I do about food provenance, sustainability, seasonality and most importantly flavor, makes this the most exciting event to be a part of."
Ptak is American-born, raised in California, and formerly a pastry chef under Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, a famed restaurant in Berkeley, California. According to a profile in the recipe magazine Gather Journal, she moved to London in 2005. In 2010, she opened a small but hugely popular bakery in London's Hackney Central named Violet Cakes.
Taking what she learned from Waters at Chez Panisse, Ptak focused on using as many organic and seasonal ingredients as possible in her pastries. Her buttercream icing, which will adorn Prince Harry and Markle's cake in May, is made by "whipping up butter and sugar then gently folding in fresh fruit purees, melted Valrhona dark chocolate, freshly brewed espresso, home-made flower cordials or dark caramel made with sea salt," according to the bakery's website.
That's certainly something for the guests of the royal couple to look forward to when they attend the Windsor Castle ceremony this spring. Of course, it'll have to be a pretty big cake—Kesington Palace confirmed earlier this month that Harry and Markle have invited 1,200 people.
A royal endorsement is surely good for business.
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