One of the things that I love the most about making cakes is that I get to learn about different traditions and such. For example, I was asked to make a sporran cake. I never really thought about sporrans before, or knew they had a name. They are those pouches that are traditionally worn on top of a man’s kilt, as Sean Connery is wearing in the below picture:
I found some interesting things out about the sporran. Legend has it that their main function is to weigh down a man’s kilt, so it doesn’t blow up in the wind. Also, they used to be made out of weasel and badger heads. That’s pretty crazy. These days, there are all sorts of designs and styles available, and they are quite beautiful with lots of silver detailing and tassels and patterns. The cake I made was for a family gathering, so the front of the sporran cake featured the family name’s tartan (didn’t know that family names had different tartans, either!); and the family name featured amongst the silver detailing. Here are some photos of the cake coming together, enjoy!:
The licorice tassels were very exciting to me!!:
….and the finished piece:
