Food Inspiration

Best Wedding Cake Ideas for 2021

When couples start thinking about their wedding plans, somewhere down the line, someone asks about the cake. While wedding cakes serve as the cherry on top of a celebration, dreaming up epic wedding cake ideas is a fun task! (Fewer wedding planning tasks are more therapeutic than scrolling through images of decadent tiered masterpieces decked out with sugar flowers.)

Wedding cakes are like people; they come in every shape, size, color, and flavor.

The amazing thing about wedding cakes, and even cupcakes if you prefer, is how incredibly versatile they are. Wedding cakes are the newest blank canvas, and there's a stunning wedding cake idea out there for each couple, no matter how varied their style may be. This is a chance as the Bride and Groom to express yourselves on a blank canvas! Get the flavors you feel best to represent your relationship and the style you feel best about!

Simple, Elegant, and Modern Cakes

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Ivory or white frosting and is splashed with color from a few simple flowers to coordinate with the wedding colors. If you're looking for a clean, classic look, check out these cakes with crisp white frosting and sharp straight edges. One of our favorite vendors, Flour Power Cakes, always has the most beautiful cakes with an infinite number of flavors. Beautiful and timeless, this style goes well with modern, chic, or industrial looks. This type of cake is also most often crowned with dainty, intricate cake toppers customized to send any message the couple wants!

Rustic Wedding cakes

Another style that gained popularity over the last few years is the unfrosted or "naked" cake, the classic cake's free-spirited cousin. This particular cake pictured above is only "half-dressed," and the style offers a trendy look while still falling under the "rustic" genre.

Cultural Wedding Cakes and Cake Alternatives

Just recently, a bride and groom ordered a giant, three-tiered Napoleon Cake for their special day. Many layers of golden brown puff-pastry are filled with Millie-Feuille Cream and dusted with powdered sugar, no frosting needed at all. It was unique, light in texture and flavor, and absolutely delicious!

We’ve also seen couples, especially around the holidays, ask for pies over cakes for their ceremonial “cake cutting.” Go with whatever feels right for you and your wedding theme!

Single Tier Cakes, Couple’s Cakes, and Cupcakes

If big, multiple tiers of cake seem a bit too much, you can join another newer trend and go mini! Not only do cupcakes allow for perfect portions, but they're also great for exact number counts, and the flavor options can be limitless! Have lots of friends or family with dietary restrictions? Specialized cupcakes that are gluten-free or dairy-free/vegan provide an avenue for even the most sensitive guests.

Statment Cakes

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Some couples love the idea of something special to really wow their guests. Many bakeries are just waiting for that bold couple to come through their doors asking for the impossible. Let the confectionary masters work their magic to bring your wildest dreams to life!

Statement Tier

Much like the trend in Nail Art, a statement tier can be a pop of color, texture, or florals in the middle of your cake. Add a bit of excitement to a traditional tiered cake.

Dramatic Colors

There’s a thrilling new desire for the dark and broody color pallets at weddings this year. That same theme extends to desserts as well! This three-tiered cake is coated in dark chocolate and garnished with gold flakes for contrast. Beautiful, elegant, and unique, it was all the guests could talk about!

To cut to the chase: your cake is free ground to express yourself however you want! Pick something you would want to eat. No ifs, ands, or bundts.

3 Easy-To-Make Spring-Inspired Cocktails

Sip On That Liquid Sunshine!

It's finally Spring! Here in Carlsbad at our Rancho, we're lucky enough to experience some classically gorgeous, sunny-and-75 days pretty regularly. We're breaking out our sun hats, propping up patio umbrellas, and enjoying the sunshine. The only thing this setting needs now is a refreshing drink!

We've gathered a few of our favorites for the season. Think sour citrus drinks to keep you cool as warmth spreads on the air, bubbly drinks to match your higher spirits, and bright colors, like the landscape waking up around you. After the comfort of winter cocktails and before the unabashed party spirit of summer cocktails, these springtime signature drinks are perfect for sipping on the patio and enjoying the sun!

1. The Secret Garden

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You can’t have a Spring signature drink list without something pink and bubbly to start it off. This seasonal twist on the classic French 75 is best for sipping on Easter, Mother’s Day, or any Sunday Brunch!

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. The Botanist Gin

.75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

.75 oz. Elderflower Liqueur

1.5 oz. Sparkling Rosé

Directions:

Combine The Botanist Gin, fresh lemon juice, and Elderflower Liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a flute glass. Top with sparkling rosé. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Courtesy of The Botanist Gin


2. The Green Cup

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Bright green is the first color we think of for Spring. This easy-to-mix cocktail is garnished with fresh basil and cucumber to bring out the vibrant green to fit the bill. Light and refreshing, this cocktail can carry you through the summer months as well!

Ingredients:

2 parts SVEDKA Vodka

¾ part fresh lime juice

¾ part simple syrup

Cucumber slices and basil

Directions:

Muddle cucumber and basil in a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a chilled Martini glass, and garnish lavishly with cucumber and basil.

Courtesy of SVEDKA


3. Taste of the Tropics

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After a long day of Spring Cleaning, the last thing you’ll want to do is mix a bunch of complicated ingredients to quench your thirst. Try this ready-to-drink pre-mixed margarita from Jose Cuervo to shake off the cleaning dust and relax those stressed muscles!

Ingredients:

4 oz. Jose Cuervo Orange

Pineapple Margarita

Directions:

Garnish with lime slice, orange zest, and pineapple wedge.

Courtesy of Jose Cuervo

Inspiration For A Valentine's Day At Home

Homey Date Night, Done Right

We love celebrating love!! With the outside world still a little hectic, we foresee many couples keeping their Valentine’s Day dates close to home this year. To help make the holiday still feel special, we collected a little inspiration on decorations, food, and flowers for you!

Bring Out The Kid At Heart

Reach wayyy back to a time when arts and crafts were a socially acceptable way to decorate, and get ready to whip out those safety scissors! This year decorate your home with home-made hearts and paper valentines. We love the idea of making this a pre-holiday date night idea for you and your significant other, or even a Galentine’s night. Check out your local craft store and see what options they have for Valentine’s Day, even if it’s just finding a ream of multi red-hued papers. Cut out hearts to string together or fold each piece of paper into an abstract shape to tape to the wall in a fun heart-shaped collage. Devoting a night to some quality time reveling in artsy nostalgia is sure to warm a few hearts.

A Romantic Dinner For Two

We saw so many people hone their cooking skills during quarantine last year. Personally, we’re still not quite at Master Chef level. When we saw the article titled “24 Romantic Dinners Literally Anyone With an Hour and a Brain Can Make” by Elizabeth Stark and Annabel Iwegbue from Cosmopolitan, we felt a little more confident in ourselves. The recipes they’ve collected encompass multiple cultures, tastes, and dietary restrictions. Save the article and pick a recipe to wow your Valentine’s Day date with your cooking abilities!

Dessert with a Surprising Kick!

Is it just us, or do chocolate-covered strawberries seem played out? Try some “Shots Through the Heart” instead! These deconstructed Strawberry Margaritas are a fun twist on an old favorite and perfect for those in the crowd who might have a darker sense of humor towards this holiday. We got this idea from Personal Touch Dining, and with it being fairly easy to make at home, we felt we had to share it with our readers. We found some adorable heart-shaped pipettes on Amazon that were under $10 and looked perfect for the job. After mixing up our favorite classic margarita, we filled each pipette with our marg and gently skewered each strawberry halfway through into the hollow center. When you’re ready to eat dessert, squeeze the pipette so the liquid fills the hollow center of the strawberry, and enjoy!

Don’t Forget The Flowers!

A lot can be said through some mini blooms and single-bud vases. Decorate your dining table at home using these and a sprinkle of votive candles for the perfect romantic ambiance! Mini bloom flowers like the ones below are easy to find and come in pretty sizable bunches; pair them with a few single roses or peonies for a tasteful arrangement. Start by placing one rose or another flower of your choice in a few vases for the center of your table. Trim the stems of your mini flowers as close to the petals as possible so that they lay flat. Place any number of these directly onto the tabletop around the vases and finish off the look with a few candles. Your table at home will transform into a sweet and dreamy location for your Valentine’s Day date, and you won’t break the bank buying massive bundles of roses!

We hope you have a safe and healthy Valentine’s Day from all of us here at The Old Rancho!

Boozy Holiday Brunch Cocktails

Make Your Holiday Brunch Even More Jolly!

This holiday season, we're thankful only to be catching Cabin Fever if all goes well. Here in Carlsbad, California, it looks like we'll be confined to our homes for the holiday, but on a lighter note, that means no need for a designated driver! We figured we could take our time crafting a couple of cocktails while we unwrap gifts this year. By the time you try each of our boozy holiday brunch drinks, being stuck inside for the holidays will never have looked so good.

Typically, the drinks we offer at our events through Personal Touch Dining are Spring or Summer themed since our event season ends mid-November. We get rave reviews over their Grapefruit Mojito, and they even offer "Logo Cocktails" now! These are the newest way to send a message while delighting your impressed guests! Imagine each of these holiday drinks with your signature logo on top for the perfect viral social media post. Make your friends Grinchy-green with envy over your immaculate custom cocktail presentation this season!

If you're like us, we're looking to take the nostalgia of a perfect Rancho Christmas and mix in a little extra fun. The joy of Christmas morning is something we’ll never forget, and now that we’re a little older, celebrating with an adult beverage sounds incredible. We’ve collected our favorite recipes for every kind of Christmas brunch beverage we could think of, but if we left one out, let us know!

Christmas Coffee

Sleepy Christmas mornings need coffee, no buts about it. So, get ready for our special recipe because this is not your typical holiday Starbucks run. We figured a peppermint mocha might be played out since we’ve all been slurping these down since November 6th this year in hopes that they’d raise our post-election, quarantine-warn spirits. Instead, we went for a chocolate caramel brulee feel that’s like drinking a strong hug!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 ounces strong coffee

  • 1 1/2 ounces amaretto liqueur

  • 1 1/2 ounces coffee liqueur

  • 1 ounce butterscotch schnapps

  • 1 ounce creme de cocoa

  • fresh whipped cream

  • grated chocolate, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine strong coffee and liqueurs in a glass. Stir to combine and top with fresh whipped cream. Garnish with grated chocolate.

Serve warm or over ice.

Christmas Morning Mimosa

Brunch and mimosas go together like Santa and the color red! This super easy recipe adds depth of flavor to your everyday mimosa as well as a bit of holiday color to your cheeks!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 ounces of champagne

  • 2 ounces of orange juice

  • 1/2 ounce Amaretto

  • 1/2 ounce grenadine

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pour the orange juice and Amaretto into a wide-mouthed champagne glass. Add champagne to top it off.

Slowly pour in the grenadine until it settles to the bottom of the glass, and serve!

The Grinchy Mary

Ok, we’re pretty obsessed with how light and easy to drink this is! This drink requires a bit more prep than the others we listed, but it’s undeniably worth it. Tomatillos have a slightly more acidic, slightly less sweet flavor than ripe and unripe tomatoes. Overall, the flavor is more vegetal and bright, and the interior texture is denser and less watery. The Grinchy Mary ends up being easier to drink than a traditional bloody, and with some fun bright red garnish, it’ll be a work of art!

(Not a vodka fan? Trade it out for some Blanco tequila and rim the glass with Tajin to transform it into the Grinchy Maria!)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 3 tomatillos, chopped and husked (1½ cups)

  • ½ green apple, chopped

  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed and chopped

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

  • 1 sprig each parsley and cilantro

  • 1 small clove garlic

  • 1 teaspoon each salt and Worcestershire

  • ½ teaspoon green hot sauce

  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

  • ⅛ teaspoon celery seed

  • 4 ounces vodka or Blanco tequila

TO SERVE:

  • Garnish with your choice of green and red veggies (such as lime wedges, red cherry tomatoes, miniature pickles, red peppers, spicy pickled green beans, and celery sticks!)

  • Horseradish

  • Hot sauce

  • Salt (or Tajin for extra color and spice, especially if you have it with tequila!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add all ingredients, except vodka, to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the blender's sides as needed.

Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve; * discard solids.

Fill two glasses with ice and pour 2 ounces of vodka into each glass. Divide tomato mixture between glasses and stir to combine—season with additional lime juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and salt to desired taste.

We love the idea of a topping bar for guests to dress their own Grinchy Marys to their taste!

***Does that seem like too much work for your Christmas Morning?***

(Try making the bloody mix the night before and chilling it overnight in the fridge! Or, better yet, get it premade. Check out The Dirty Mary (Farm-to-Table Bloody Mary Mix) from Food52.com! It’s 32 ounces of deliciousness, and they take care of combining all of the ingredients so that you can relax!)

We hope you enjoy these holiday breakfast cocktails!

All we ask is that you enjoy these drinks responsibly, and please remember to share the love, not our germs, this holiday season!

Our Top 8 Favorite Appetizers

There’s An “App” For Every Crowd!

Our favorite Event Caterer, Personal Touch Dining, has a wide variety of appetizers for our clients to pick from. They’ve made it their mission to offer delicious options to accommodate all your needs depending on your personal tastes or dietary restrictions. From sweet and savory to fresh and light, they’ve got it all! We’ve collected some of our personal favorites to help show the spectrum of bite-sized morsels you could have at your future event!

Bring Out The Beef!

#1:  Barbeque Brisket Sliders Topped with Rainbow Slaw

#1: Barbeque Brisket Sliders Topped with Rainbow Slaw

What says “Party!” Better than bite-sized burgers?

Warm, savory, and sandwiched between two toasted pretzel buns, your crew will go crazy the minute they smell these BBQ Brisket Sliders coming their way.

A “Best Selling” appetizer would have to be this funky Asian-American fusion: The Philly Cheese-Steak Egg Rolls!

Dip-able and downright sinful, these savory eggrolls are hearty hand-stuffed meaty morsels. Packed full of melty cheese and bell peppers along with the steak, these rolls are sure to wow your guests!

#2: Philly Cheese-Steak Egg Rolls with Creamy Cheese Dipping Sauce

#2: Philly Cheese-Steak Egg Rolls with Creamy Cheese Dipping Sauce

Check Out This Chicken!

#3: Chicken And Waffle Skewers with Maple Syrup and Topped with Crunchy Bacon Bits

#3: Chicken And Waffle Skewers with Maple Syrup and Topped with Crunchy Bacon Bits

A little sweet, a little salty, a lot of delicious!

A twist on a time-tested classic, these Chicken and Waffle Skewers are a full breakfast on one bite! Perfect for any occasion, your guests will love the look and taste of this familiar favorite.

Looking for something a little more high-end?

Try their Chicken Cordon Bleu Croquettes! Sophisticated, elegant, and oh so flavorful, impress your guests with these appetizers fit for a king.

#4: Chicken Cordon Bleu Croquettes Topped with a Bleu Cheese Mousse

#4: Chicken Cordon Bleu Croquettes Topped with a Bleu Cheese Mousse

Fantastic Fish Appetizers!

#5: Ahi Poke Tacos Mixed in a light Ponzu Sauce, Dressed with Wasabi Cream, and Sprinkled with Sesame Seeds

#5: Ahi Poke Tacos Mixed in a light Ponzu Sauce, Dressed with Wasabi Cream, and Sprinkled with Sesame Seeds

Fresh and Fun!

Another terrific cultural food fusion, the Ahi Poke Taco gets rave reviews from guests. The most frequent comment we receive is, “I don’t usually like fish, but these were great!” Crunchy, fresh, familiar, yet new, these are a must-have at your next event.

Decadent Delightful

We jokingly call this one the appetizer for the “Rich and Famous.” It’s rich because of the creamy Mac ‘n Cheese bite exploding with cheese, topped with the bright, flavorful aioli and succulent lobster piece. It’s famous because everybody asks us about it!

#6: Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese Bites Topped with Garlic Chive Aioli and Fresh Lobster

#6: Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese Bites Topped with Garlic Chive Aioli and Fresh Lobster

Enticing Vegetarian Bites

#7: Pear and Gorgonzola Flat Bread Pizza with Caramelized Onions and a Balsamic Glaze

#7: Pear and Gorgonzola Flat Bread Pizza with Caramelized Onions and a Balsamic Glaze

Pizza with Pears?!

Yup. We can’t get enough of this savory creation. There’s a huge depth of flavor between the Gorgonzola and Balsamic Glaze balanced out by the juicy pears. It’s one appetizer that’ll make the harshest critics of Pineapple on pizza rethink their stance a bit.

Mouth-watering Mediterranean Morsels

We love stuffed mushroom caps! These fun guys are fit to burst with flavor from the creamy risotto, literally. (We actually advise our guests to pop the whole thing in your mouth when you eat them.) All the flavor and juice from the tender mushroom cap surprises hungry guests when they try to go for a dainty bite.

#8: Creamy Risotto Stuffed Mushroom Caps with Spinach, Artichoke, and Sundried Tomatoes

#8: Creamy Risotto Stuffed Mushroom Caps with Spinach, Artichoke, and Sundried Tomatoes

They also offer vegan and gluten-free options for even more incredible appetizers!

Whether you're having a corporate event, holiday party, or celebration, Personal Touch Dining has the perfect bite-sized appetizer for your special occasion. We're sure each one will excite and delight your hungry guests.

Reach out and ask about their full menu today!