Nut Free Wedding Cake...

Darthvadar

Does anybody know where to get a Nut-Free Wedding/Occasion Cake, please???...

A friend is tying the knot, and a guest has a severe nut allergy...

The happy couple want to go Nut Free for two reasons... One, they want all of their guests to be able to relax and enjoy everything on offer, and two, they don't really want them ending up in Intensive Care because there has been cross-contamination!...

The venue has been great... The owner has a child who has a severe egg allergy, so understands the issue... So the meal is sorted... No nuts in anything... The problem is the cake... Can't find anyone in Ireland who makes Nut Free occasional cakes!...

Anyone know of such a service, please???...

Thanks...

Carolyn...

GingerLily

We had a nut free cake - flavoured sponge (lemon and chocolate) with a white chocolate icing. Definitely not hard to do! Have they talked to any cake suppliers?
I'm surprised it's an issue tbh

Darthvadar

Hi GingerLily...

They have spoken to several, and while the baker will happily make a cake and use no nuts in the recepie, they won't stand over there being no cross-contamination from other products that they produce on the same premises...

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply...

Darth....

love_love

Wow, after a quick google, it does seem really difficult to find anything that is guaranteed nut free in Ireland!

We have a friend who is severely allergic to nuts as well - the hotel has agreed that all food will be nut free, they're keeping the kitchen nut free for a week beforehand (one of the reasons we booked them to be honest!), but our cake will not be guaranteed nut free. I'm okay with that personally because I haven't been to a wedding before where I have actually had some cake (as a guest), so I don't mind that one thing not being nut free.

My advice would be for your friends to consider how big a deal it would be for their guest to just be missing out on one thing - people with allergies go through life not being able to partake in so many things, I think if there's only one thing on the day that they are missing out on, they'd still feel very pleased with that. Especially if the cake is made nut free, but the company just can't 100% guarantee that it's nut free, it shouldn't be an issue.

GingerLily

Have you spoken to bakers that do other allergy specific cakes? They may a better process for this kind of thing - or failing that would you consider using a home Baker as they would have a much smaller workload?

If it was my wedding I'd probably get a regular nut free cake for the wedding but having a speacial cake for the guest with the allergy, safest way to protect them from any harm.

Darthvadar

Yes GingerLily...

They have spoken with bakeries who make Gluten Free, Dairy Free, etc, but no joy, I'm afraid!...

They really want to avoid the whole 'special cake for the person who has a nut allergy' issue if they can avoid it... Plus there is the whole issue of sourcing that nut free 'special'... They really just want their day to be inclusive. I know that it sounds like a huge hassle for the happy couple to be dealing with for 'just one guest', but that guest has been extremely good to the couple, and has supported them greatly over the past few years, so it's nice to 'go the extra mile' to accommodate them... I think this is going to become an issue for more and more people over the next few years... So many people are developing a nut allergy...

A cake maker has been identified in the UK who has a nut allergy herself, and they may need to go down that route... It'll be more hassle in the short term what with getting a cake safely transported, etc, but will remove the worry of a guest keeling over on their big day!....

I declare a particular interest in this... I too have a nut allergy, and getting hold of occasional cakes has been almost impossible for me in the past, so any information gathered would be of great interest to me, too!...

Thanks again!....

Darth...

Calhoun

Damn this guest must be a VIP in this couples household for them to go to this much trouble.

Darthvadar

Calhoun wrote: »

Damn this guest must be a VIP in this couples household for them to go to this much trouble.

Well, I wouldn't say that, but this guest has been a godsend to them. They're hugely supportive of the couple in many, many ways, and continues to be!...

If that's the definition of a VIP, well then yes, that particular guest falls into that catagory!...

Darth...

GingerLily

It would actually be easier to make the cake yourselfs I reckon!
Or get a trainee or something?

Glass fused light

Calhoun wrote: »

Damn this guest must be a VIP in this couples household for them to go to this much trouble.

No couple want to remember their wedding day as the day they killed Antie Mary.


OP the problem will be that even small bakers may end up with cross contamination on equipment and won't want to risk it.

If the couple have time or know some one who can be trusted to do the bake, can they do a small top tier and prehaps incorporate the decoration into the Pre wedding day festivities.

Darthvadar

GingerLily wrote: »

It would actually be easier to make the cake yourselfs I reckon!
Or get a trainee or something?

A trainee.... Never thought of that!... Genius idea, GingerLily...

We can approach some catering colleges and see if that's a runner!... Also looking into people who make cakes in their own homes... No luck yet, but it's a 'project'... There's a few months to go, there's still time to research it!...

Thanks a million!!!...

Darth...

Darthvadar

Glass fused light wrote: »

No couple want to remember their wedding day as the day they killed Antie Mary.


OP the problem will be that even small bakers may end up with cross contamination on equipment and won't want to risk it.

If the couple have time or know some one who can be trusted to do the bake, can they do a small top tier and prehaps incorporate the decoration into the Pre wedding day festivities.

Thanks for this!... Yes, nobody wants their wedding to 'be the death' of a guest!... I was at a wedding where the bride's grandad dropped dead... Not a good ending to the big day!...

Darth...

Glass fused light

Darthvadar wrote: »

A trainee.... Never thought of that!... Genius idea, GingerLily...

We can approach some catering colleges and see if that's a runner!... Also looking into people who make cakes in their own homes... No luck yet, but it's a 'project'... There's a few months to go, there's still time to research it!...

Thanks a million!!!...

Darth...

If its a bad allergy, be careful of home bakers, that they understand the risks of using equipment which has been in contact with nuts.

jlm29

Do they have to have a normal cake? Could they have a cake made of cheese or some such alternative?
Or a cheesecake/lemon meringue something like that? The hotel might be able to make those

woodchuck

Glass fused light wrote: »

If its a bad allergy, be careful of home bakers, that they understand the risks of using equipment which has been in contact with nuts.

I was originally going to suggest that they bake the cake themselves, sourcing ingredients without the dreaded "may contain nut traces" on the packaging.

However as you've said, there is still the risk of cross contamination within their own kitchen during the preparation Not a risk that should be taken for a severe allergy.

Cakes made of cheese seem to be a thing now. Wouldn't be my personal preference, but could be an option worth considering!

Darthvadar

love_love wrote: »

Wow, after a quick google, it does seem really difficult to find anything that is guaranteed nut free in Ireland!

We have a friend who is severely allergic to nuts as well - the hotel has agreed that all food will be nut free, they're keeping the kitchen nut free for a week beforehand (one of the reasons we booked them to be honest!), but our cake will not be guaranteed nut free. I'm okay with that personally because I haven't been to a wedding before where I have actually had some cake (as a guest), so I don't mind that one thing not being nut free.

My advice would be for your friends to consider how big a deal it would be for their guest to just be missing out on one thing - people with allergies go through life not being able to partake in so many things, I think if there's only one thing on the day that they are missing out on, they'd still feel very pleased with that. Especially if the cake is made nut free, but the company just can't 100% guarantee that it's nut free, it shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks LoveLove...

I agree with you about the guest 'just missing out on one thing'... Having a severe nut allergy myself, it's the story of my life!... The couple involved really don't want to have this guest to be losing out if at all possible... In fact, in the grand order of guests, this person would be (in the couple's opinion, not the guest's) their most 'important' one!...

I confess to not being the biggest fan of Wedding Cake, and if it were me, I couldn't really care less, but hey, that's just me!...

Thanks for your time...

Darth....

Darthvadar

Now, the cheese idea???... There'a a thought!!!... I'll certainly mention that!...

Yes, if they were to trust someone making cakes in their own home, they'd need to be satisfied that the cake maker was aware of the issue...

Thanks everyone!...

Darth...

Cathmandooo

Personally I'd go buy them a small separate guaranteed nut free cake. Even if it's a sealed one portion slice from a shop. Then they can still have their normal wedding cake, by all means try to have a nut free one to keep the risk low but unless it's 100% guaranteed nut free I'd go with something separate. The guest, who's clearly special, will appreciate the effort and won't be missing out on anything.

Darthvadar

Cathmandooo wrote: »

Personally I'd go buy them a small separate guaranteed nut free cake. Even if it's a sealed one portion slice from a shop. Then they can still have their normal wedding cake, by all means try to have a nut free one to keep the risk low but unless it's 100% guaranteed nut free I'd go with something separate. The guest, who's clearly special, will appreciate the effort and won't be missing out on anything.

Good idea, if you can find a nice alternative!... Just finding a shop bought cake of any description without the dreaded allergy warning!...

Yes, the guest is the best of the best, and the couple wouldn't be having a wedding without that person's help!.

Thanks for your time...

Darth...

woodchuck

Not sure if this will be useful, but doing a little of googling I came across the following website:
http://www.justlovefoodcompany.com/nut-safe-promise/

Nut free cakes, but not wedding cakes (could be a runner for an individual cake or could be spruced up with wedding toppers, fruit etc). Under the FAQs:

Our celebration cakes are currently sold in over 200 of Sainsbury’s stores nationwide. We are available to purchase in Asda, nisa , and Tesco (Welsh stores). Check out our product page which shows which cakes are available in each retailer.

So while it might be a runner, it could be difficult to get it over here It might be worthwhile contacting the supermarkets though to see if there is any possibility of delivering over here? Or if you know anybody who lives in the UK or visits regularly they might be able to help out? Or the fact that Welsh Tesco stores supply them, I wonder if you contact a Tesco store in Ireland would they be able to organise something...

Darthvadar

woodchuck wrote: »

Not sure if this will be useful, but doing a little of googling I came across the following website:
http://www.justlovefoodcompany.com/nut-safe-promise/

Nut free cakes, but not wedding cakes (could be a runner for an individual cake or could be spruced up with wedding toppers, fruit etc). Under the FAQs:


So while it might be a runner, it could be difficult to get it over here It might be worthwhile contacting the supermarkets though to see if there is any possibility of delivering over here? Or if you know anybody who lives in the UK or visits regularly they might be able to help out? Or the fact that Welsh Tesco stores supply them, I wonder if you contact a Tesco store in Ireland would they be able to organise something...

Great find!!!!!!.... Thank you very much, Woodchuck!...

I very much appreciate that!...

Darth....

baby and crumble

Darthvadar wrote: »

They really want to avoid the whole 'special cake for the person who has a nut allergy' issue if they can avoid it...

Thing is nobody will really notice it. Usually what happens is the cake is cut and left out for people to take at will. If someone in the bridal party is tasked with making sure the person with an allergy gets the right bit of cake nobody will really notice Id say.

rubberdungeon

Perhaps you could contact the Baking Academy, if they can't help personally, they may be able to put you in touch with someone who can.

They offer courses in various baking courses and I'm sure they would have contacts for those who have taken courses with them that may be able to help you.

I know it's a long shot but nothing to lose by getting in touch.

https://www.bakingacademyireland.ie/our-teachers/

Darthvadar

rubberdungeon wrote: »

Perhaps you could contact the Baking Academy, if they can't help personally, they may be able to put you in touch with someone who can.

They offer courses in various baking courses and I'm sure they would have contacts for those who have taken courses with them that may be able to help you.

I know it's a long shot but nothing to lose by getting in touch.

https://www.bakingacademyireland.ie/our-teachers/

What a great idea!!!... Thank you very much... I'll get in touch with them!....

Darth...

Teyla Emmagan

What about cheese instead of a cake? Not a cheesecake but tiers of cheese? It can look amazing.

I was also thinking pavlova instead of cake but again it will be very hard to get a commercial bakery to guarantee it is nut free. It is not worth it to them in case something happens.

You'd be as well off to make it yourself.

Darthvadar

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

What about cheese instead of a cake? Not a cheesecake but tiers of cheese? It can look amazing.

I was also thinking pavlova instead of cake but again it will be very hard to get a commercial bakery to guarantee it is nut free. It is not worth it to them in case something happens.

You'd be as well off to make it yourself.

The Pavlova idea sounds great (so long as nobody has diabetes!)...

I think the idea of making it themselves, or asking family and friends to do it has merit!... However, none of us is very good at baking, and absolutely disasterous at decorating!... Important for the pictures that it looks well!...

Someone suggested 'cheating'... Having a fake cake (block of wood, etc) iced, and beautifully decorated for the pictures, and then have any nut free, but delicious and calorific cake for eating!... Again, not a bad idea!...

Thanks for your help...

Darth....

Mollyb60

woodchuck wrote: »

Not sure if this will be useful, but doing a little of googling I came across the following website:
http://www.justlovefoodcompany.com/nut-safe-promise/

Nut free cakes, but not wedding cakes (could be a runner for an individual cake or could be spruced up with wedding toppers, fruit etc). Under the FAQs:


So while it might be a runner, it could be difficult to get it over here It might be worthwhile contacting the supermarkets though to see if there is any possibility of delivering over here? Or if you know anybody who lives in the UK or visits regularly they might be able to help out? Or the fact that Welsh Tesco stores supply them, I wonder if you contact a Tesco store in Ireland would they be able to organise something...

There are some sainsburys stores up here in NI so that could also be a goer if you checked which stores stock the cakes. You might have to call the stores directly though.

Darthvadar

Mollyb60 wrote: »

There are some sainsburys stores up here in NI so that could also be a goer if you checked which stores stock the cakes. You might have to call the stores directly though.

Thanks Molly....

A great excuse to pop up North.... I LOVE that part of the country....

Darth...

clint_silver

I know someone who has a severe nut allergy, its just part of their lives, spoke to her on this and she said while admirable she'd be genuinely put out if there was a cake made without nuts for all the guests just as she was there. There's no unease at all with there being a cake with nuts there, its just another thing they don't eat.
She said to have a single serving of something else nut free if they wanted to do something for their guest, now that would make her feel at ease.

caveat. I dont eat cake at all, nuts or otherwise.

Darthvadar

clint_silver wrote: »

I know someone who has a severe nut allergy, its just part of their lives, spoke to her on this and she said while admirable she'd be genuinely put out if there was a cake made without nuts for all the guests just as she was there. There's no unease at all with there being a cake with nuts there, its just another thing they don't eat.
She said to have a single serving of something else nut free if they wanted to do something for their guest, now that would make her feel at ease.

caveat. I dont eat cake at all, nuts or otherwise.

Thanks Clint!!!...

Appreciate your imput.... I think the main worry is not so much that the guest who has the allergy can't have the cake... (I too have the dreaded allergy, and it wouldn't bother me that much not to eat it)... I think the concern is there being cross-contamination...

Anyway, the problem has been solved!... I heard through the grapevine of a young gentleman in NI who has a nut allergy, and who's hobby is making cakes... And his creations are incredible!... More like sculptures than cakes!...

I have passed the happy couple on to him, and I'm sure he'll do them proud!... Just jealous that I can't make it on the day.... If I speak nicely with the couple, they may keep me a piece of cake!...

Thanks again... Your taking the time to reply is greatly appreciated!...

Darth...