British Desserts

Aha!  That was the evil stuff I was trying to remember ..
"Marzipan"
Let's just say its dry and hard as a rock.
Okay, I'm done complaining, I feel bad now.
I need to try some of the British desserts that taste good  

Ewww...I'm imagining a fruitcake with rock-hard marzipan frosting on it.  
Yep..think we'll definitely have to go with the sponge cake for our wedding.  
But god..all the desserts yall are talking about with the custard...yum.  

However when we went to pick a cake out, they told us we could'nt have a layered cake if we chose sponge, cause it wouldn't hold the weight and just fall into the bottom half of it.  I don't know why they can do it in American but not here, we went to three of four different places and they all told us the same thing.

Hi TexasTweets
I'm surprised so many places told you it couldn't be done.  When DH and I were planning our wedding I found several websites for wedding cakes in the UK and all featured multi-layered cakes (of course I was just looking for ideas as DH's BIL owns a bakery in Cheshire).  It was probably not so much as they couldn't do it or didn't know how, but that they didn't want to do it.  Wedding cakes are made in advance and placed into freezers (at least in the US they are).  They probably just wanted to sell you an already made one.  It is very easy though.  Each cake sits on a cardboard cake round of its own.  For each cake that is to support another cake, cut about five or so straw pieces (drinking straws, preferably the thick kind like at starbucks) that are the height of the cake layer.  Push these straw pieces into the cake at equal distances (like one in the center and four around), so they are flush with the top of they cake layer.  The next size cake just sits on top.  The straws are able to support the upper levels because they have the cake to support them.  This is how many bakeries do it as they don't have to worry about you returning the 'hardware' (ie the columns and stuff some cakes have).  I have had two wedding cakes and a first birthday cake for DS done this way.  The first wedding cake was a large, full size, four layer, feed a small town cake.  The second wedding and DS's BD cake were smaller versions (ie 6"/4" , 8", 10" stacks).  I've never experienced any sinking, slipping or collapsing.  Of course, none of the cakes lasted very long. LOL

As for the British tendency to slop custard or cream on everything, I just say no thank you.  Is it just my MIL that makes custard and whipped cream unsweetened or pours the cream direct from the carton?  or is that normal?  Also, she drains the drippings directly from the pan (bits and all) into a gravy boat and calls it 'gravy'.  Where I come from we call that grease.  Is that normal?

Jana

I was a bit horrified at the idea of having a fruit cake at my wedding as well.  However, we did have one as I figured at the time all but myself and one other guest was going to be Scottish so when in Rome, etc.  And it isn't *exactly* the same as the American Christmas fruit cake.  Try to keep an open mind about it and you may just like it.  The almond marzipan is actually quite nice, I found.  Plus, it is a tradition to post a bit of wedding cake to people who couldn't attend the ceremony.  Fruit cake is ideal for this.

As for deserts I love here MINCE PIES!  Oh man.  Nothing better than warm toasty mince pies with a bit of cream.  

And I'm also incredibly fond of iced buns, hot cross buns, and the pastries you can get here.  Anyone tried rock buns or chelsea buns?  Mmmmm....love them all!

Not to mention scones with clotted cream and jam....better stop now....still hours till lunch!

Far as I'm concerned there's as much if not more to enjoy here.

Not to mention scones with clotted cream and jam

Mmmmm YES!  

Also, she drains the drippings directly from the pan (bits and all) into a gravy boat and calls it 'gravy'.  Where I come from we call that grease.  Is that normal?

i don't know if that's normal, but my MIL does that, too.  i know that you're supposed to use that greasy stuff to make yorkshire puddings with so they get huge and fried/baked.  don't know about the custard, i use that bird's stuff, but i use cream straight from the cup over fruit.  it's sweet enough for me.

i'm not overly keen on the thin gravy here so i tend to use the drippings as a base for the thicker style.

marzipan, bleah.  i think i read somewhere that that stuff can last days/weeks without getting digested.  don't know if it's true but i don't touch the stuff.

Speaking of dripping...My husband lets it get solid in the fridge then spreads it on bread and eats it, how gross is that.  His mother and father do the same thing, just yulk.  It's even worse when he buys the stuff at the supermarket, just so he can have a dripping sandwich for his supper late at night.

ew!!!

Sounds to me like a heart attack on a plate.  And then they complain about American junk food?

The "drippings" thing goes back years and years - and a lot of it had to do with being poor and having to make do with what you had.  And it's just one of those things that got handed down.  I know my boyfriend's mother talks about it being their afterschool or "tea time" treat, though they don't do it now.

Yeah, I know Jews of Eastern European origin who do the same thing with chicken fat, and for the same reasons.  I still think it's gross, and not very healthy in this day and age.

I love clotted cream!  Yummy!

Am I safe in assuming that this marzipan frosting is a bit harder than the marzipan candies I'm used to?  It's simply almond paste, and the candies I've had (in various adorable shapes like fruits and such) are rather soft.  Never cared for it as a child, but have grown to like it as an adult.

From what I understand Peedal the marzipan icing is the same as that candy you're talking about but they just take a big glob of it and roll it out with a rolling pin and then lay it over the cake and form it to the cake. So it's hard as far as icing goes...especially when you're used to the creamy stuff. But the cakes I've seen with the marzipan icing look nice because it's so smooth.

I love clotted cream!  Yummy!

Yuck!!!  

How can you eat that stuff?  There is a reason why it is clotted, you know!  It's off!

Well, I like cottage cheese as well - and yogurt, with all its wonderful little live cultures and all!

Remember - I'm the one who eats spotted dick as well!  Obviously, I'll eat almost anything!!!