With the royal wedding just one day away, Chef Ptak is giving us a behind-the-scenes look at creating Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake.
In March, Kensington Palace announced that pastry chef Claire Ptak of London’s Violet Cakes was chosen to bake Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s cake for their May 19 royal wedding. The cake will be a lemon elderflower cake covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers. It is meant to evoke the season and “incorporate the bright flavours of Spring.”
“The cake is made up of lemon sponge. It has an elderflower syrup drizzle. It has an Amalfi lemon curd, and then it has a Swiss meringue buttercream with elderflower,” Ptak explained in the video.
She added that the cake will be assembled at Windsor Castle, and the flowers go on at the last moment.
According to Kensington Palace, Meghan Markle’s royal wedding cake recipe calls for 200 Amalfi lemons, 500 organic eggs from Suffolk, 20 kgs of butter, 20 kgs of flour, 20 kgs of sugar, and ten bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial.
In the days and weeks leading up to the royal wedding, Chef Ptak’s social media posts on Instagram and Twitter have provided a bit of an insider glimpse into preparation. One Instagram photo showed boxes of lemons, with the caption “And so it begins.”
Floral decorations seem to be no sweat for California-born Ptak. Violet Cakes’ Instagram feed is replete with floral frosting designs and seasonal fruit.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com