MAKING OF THE COVER

Choc tactics
Our British cake was crafted with a lot of chocolate and a sprinkling of genius
sh and chips, a London bus, Shakespeares head: just some of the instantly recognisable icons on Secret Gardens Chilling out in our cover this month. What isnt Rock City Marrackech Mlmo's 50 buzzing 50 music scene immediately clear just from looking Fresh Shoots Icelands road though is that every item on this to recovery enormous cake is made of chocolate. The handiwork of Choccywoccydoodah, a company that could show Willy Wonka a thing or two, it arrived on our desk a few short weeks ago. More than 24kg of chocolate sponge, layered with darkchocolate true and covered with hand-dyed, whitechocolate gurines, wed never been more popular. Despite 18 years practice, their own TV show, and with achievements including an edible house under their (elasticated) belts, the folks at Choccywoccydoodah still found our two-tier request a bit tricky. It was a challenge because its so crowded, says senior chocolatier Tom Robertson. We had to make all the dierent gurines and get them to all work together on the cake without losing anything. That said, theyre not the most successful bespoke cake company in Britain for nothing. In the end the highly skilled
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team of six easily completed the job in a day. Everyone had their own role, Tom explains. We made the decoration rst and then the cake so it stayed as fresh as possible. Since adding a second Soho establishment to the mothership store in Brighton last February, the chocolatiers sticky, gooey magic has seeped across the world. It now pulls up to 10,000 cakes out of its ovens every year. Whoopi Goldberg and Alice Cooper are among its clients. Chocolate is a magical process, says creative director Christine Taylor. Were very ambitious to create things from chocolate that have never been seen before. Our two-tier monstrosity was certainly something no one in our oce had ever encountered before. Nor is it, now, something theyll see again. A cup of tea and a ceremonial slicing later and our beautiful Great British cake was reduced to a few sad crumbs. choccywoccydoodah.com
PIECES OF CAKE

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01 First designers sketch out a plan for the cake 02 Detail on the solid chocolate exterior 03 Tom Robertson sculpts part of the decoration 04 Even 24.5kg of cake doesnt last long in a room of hungry workers

The company pulls up to 10,000 cakes out of its ovens every year. Whoopi Goldberg and Alice Cooper are among its clients
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