Aside from offering your best wishes, what kind of gifts can be provided to a married couple?
In the first article, we shared some heart-touching wedding gifts and today we have the pleasure of sharing some more exceptional wedding gift ideas with you.
#1. Wine and Cheese Basket
Wine and cheese are a perfect culinary pairing.
What You Will Need:
- A gift basket
- Gift basket paper filler
- Full-size wines or mini bottles of wine
- Wine Opener Corkscrew
- Wine Glasses
- Cheddar Cheese
- Wine Themed wall hanging
- Crackers
Other Items That You Can Consider for Your Wine and Cheese Basket:
- A wine bible book
- Some fresh fruits
- Smoked sausage roll
- Wine themed napkins
- Cheeseboards
- Books on wine
- Cellophane
Directions:
Step 1: You begin by choosing a lovely gift basket. Choose one by keeping in mind the number of things that you will put in the basket. The bigger the gift basket the more wine-related stuff you can place.
Step 2: Apply the gift basket paper filler on the bottom of the basket. If you want to bring the gifts higher up in the basket, add some tissue paper on the bottom and cover it with a beautiful shredded paper filler.
Step 3: Now, you can start adding your wine-themed items by arranging them in proper order.
Step 4: At the back of the basket, you can place a nice-looking wine themed wall hanging or even a book about wine as a focal point. Then, you can arrange the other gift items around it.
Step 5: Once all the gift items have been appropriately arranged in the basket, you can wrap it with cellophane or leave it as it is.
#2. A Simple Wedding Cake
Apart from the bride’s clothes, what do most wedding guests remember from a wedding? The wedding cake! It is an essential element which makes a wedding a memorable one. So, why don’t you contribute to making it a memorable one by gifting the wedding couple a wedding cake?
Ingredients You Will Need for the Bottom Tier Cake:
- 3 cups of cake flour
- One teaspoon salt
- One teaspoon baking powder
- Two cups of room temperature unsalted butter
- Three large eggs and two egg whites at room temperature
- One tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup of full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- ¾ up of whole milk, at room temperature
Ingredients You Will Need for the Top Tier Cake:
• 3 cups of cake flour
• One teaspoon salt
• One teaspoon baking powder
• Two cups of room temperature unsalted butter
• Three large eggs and two egg whites at room temperature
• One tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup of full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
• ¾ up of whole milk, at room temperature
Ingredients for Frosting:
- One cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
- 5 cups of confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup of whole milk
- One teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- Salt
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: The most important step is to read the recipe instructions properly before starting. It is recommended to watch a video tutorial online or read an entire blog post on preparing a wedding cake. Besides, make sure that all your equipment and ingredients are ready.
Step 2: Prepare each cake separately. It is better to start with the bottom tier. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease baking pans and line them with parchment paper. The cake pans should be also be greased so as the cakes can be removed smoothly from the pans.
Step 3: With a whisk, combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together and set the mixture aside. With the help of a stand mixer, in another bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about three minutes until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Add the three eggs, two egg whites, and vanilla extract and combine for two more minutes. Now add the sour cream and the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. While the mixer is still running on low speed, slowly add the milk. Once all the ingredients have been properly incorporated, the batter will be slightly thick.
Step 4: Pour the cake batter into the cake pans and let them bake for at least 30 minutes. It is recommended to test the cake’s doneness by inserting a toothpick in its centre and if it comes out clean, it means that your cake is ready. Now, allow it to cool down.
Step 5: Next step includes preparing the top tier. All you need to do is to repeat the same steps as you did with the bottom one.
Step 6: Using a large knife, remove a thin layer from the cakes’ tops to create a flat surface. In the baking world, this is called the levelling of the cakes.
Step 7: Now prepare for the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy and add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
Step 8: Now, its time for the cake decoration. Place one cake layer on a cake board and using a spatula coat the top with some frosting. Place another cake layer above the first one and coat again with some frosting. Repeat the same steps till you have finished coating the whole cake.
Step 9: Place the cake on a cake stand. You can now decorate with artificial flowers or with more frosting.
Suppose you have a friend who is getting married, will you bake a wedding cake for her? Or will you prepare a home-made wine and cheese basket for her? Please share your comments!