Buckle up ladies, we’ve got a whole lot of out-of-this-world-amazingly-gorgeous wedding cakes and confections that will blow your mind this morning!
All in the name of research, ahem, we caught up with the lovely Suzanne Moloney, owner, uber-talented baker and all round craftswoman at CocoaMoiselle – Dublin’s stunning artisan confection studio. We’re huge fans of her work and were keen to learn how it all began, where she gets her inspiration from and if she has anything left to master! Read on for the sweetest treat you’ll get this week.
Q. It’s obvious that you don’t become this talented at a craft without having some sort of passion for it, so how did you become interested in cakes?
“After my Leaving Cert I went to DIT Cahal Brugha Street and studied culinary arts. Following that, I worked as a commis chef and chef de partie in different restaurants, before I fell into the pastry section. Working in pastry became a huge passion for me and I studied and learned as much as I could , both in theory and practice. I mastered lots of different techniques and developed a huge repertoire of recipes. I began making cakes in 2008 after I took some night classes in the Cake Decorating School of Australia, Melbourne. I absolutely loved it and become obsessed!”
“On my return to Ireland, I worked from home at first, making novelty, birthday and wedding cakes. Realising that there was nowhere in Ireland that provided a professionally recognised qualification in cake decorating, I went to Toronto in 2012 to get a Diploma in Confectionery Arts at the prestigious Bonnie Gordon College. I now had the knowledge and skills to go for it and pursue a real business. On return, I started looking for commercial premises to start the business, it all fell into place and CocoaMoiselle was born.”
Q. Your work is stunning, what is your favourite piece to date?
A. “A very elaborate birdcage cake I did for a photo shoot, (first picture above) which was huge and very detailed. I used lots of intricate techniques and spent hours working it. But it was worth it in the end and I am very proud of it. I love making very romantic, elegant cakes and would love to do a Great Gatsby, or elaborate carved cake. I get inspiration from lots of things – anything beautiful, wood carvings, flowers, furniture, patterns, coving architecture, paintings etc. I love being given a mood board or a theme to work to and I’m so lucky that many of my brides give me their theme and let me create something spectacular for them.”
Q. What are your most popular flavours for wedding cakes?
A. “Our most popular flavour is chocolate biscuit cake. Almost every cake we do has at least one tier of it included, but lemon madeira is pretty popular too, as well as vanilla, chocolate mud and carrot.
I’ve also had some lovely orders for macaroons , florentines , marshmallows and honeycomb to compliment the cakes. Couples are getting a bit more adventurous, adding cake pops or cookies to the cake table or using them as favours. Other flavours include passionfruit, almond and orange.”
Q. What can brides expect to see from CocoaMoiselle in the future?
A. “We are very excited to announce the opening of our new showroom situated in Castleknock Village, which will operate on an appointment only system at the moment. Our cakes are all individually priced, depending on size, shape, flavour and decoration style. Our pricing system is very fair and professionally calculated based on the cost of ingredients and overheads. We try to accommodate all budgets, high and low. Our cakes are all made with fresh ingredients and in small batches, never packet mixes. They are filled, covered and decorated to the highest standard. We don’t cut corners at CocoaMoiselle!
We also have a gluten free range in development and are awaiting accreditation from the Coeliac Society of Ireland. Our kitchen has been approved for gluten free baking and the new range will be available soon!”
Thanks to Suzanne Moloney for letting us in on the secrets of CocoaMoiselle. For more information visit www.cocoamoiselle.ie.
(Birdcage Wedding cake image courtesy of Tara Aherne Photography)