Paul Barlow-Heal of Cotswold Baking reveals new vegan wedding cake flavours and dessert ideas

Paul Barlow-Heal of Cotswold Baking is a pastry chef specialising in wedding and celebratory cakes, desserts, tarts, tray bakes and afternoon tea, including gluten-free and vegan options.

He trained as an apprentice under legendary French chef Michel Roux Senior, and has previously worked at Cliveden House. He set up Cotswold Baking, an online, mail order patisserie, in 2011 and uses local artisan produce where possible.

With the demand for vegan and gluten-free cakes and desserts having grown vastly over the past year, Paul has revealed his new flavours. Highlights from the menu at Cotswold Baking for bespoke vegan cakes blend banana and pecan, mocha and walnut and ginger and lemon varieties, while individually made vegan desserts include a caramel chocolate tart and pecan, vanilla and bourbon cheesecakes. Gluten-free cakes include the popular carrot and cardamom bake, as well as Tunisian orange and almond cake.

All of these ideas can be enjoyed individually or by combining a selection to create wedding cake tiers. A tiered cake is still a popular choice for a wedding because it caters for a large crowd and lends itself to elaborate decoration resulting in a showstopper to wow guests. One idea is to choose a variety of flavoured sponge layers to act as each tier, and all of the combinations from our vegan range can be used to achieve this.

The most important thing is that you choose freshly made desserts and bakes that are delivered and assembled on-site the morning of the wedding.

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