A Cake with Spirit: Celebrating 100 Years with Elixir d’Anvers

Some cakes celebrate a birthday. Others celebrate a business milestone.

And sometimes, if you’re lucky, one cake gets to celebrate 100 years of life, several generations of family history and one of Antwerp’s most iconic bottles, all at once.

That was the wonderful challenge when I was asked to create a cake for the 100th birthday of Emile de Beukelaer, a member of the family behind the story of Elixir d’Anvers.

This project was especially close to my heart because, when I’m not covered in flour, buttercream or sugar paste, I spend most of my professional life working as a Family Business Advisor.

And strangely enough, my two worlds have more in common than you might think.

Family businesses are built on unique stories. On people, passion, values, traditions and those little things that are passed from one generation to another. Together, they form perhaps the most precious thing a family business owns: its legacy.

That’s why I believe family milestones deserve to be celebrated just as much as business milestones.

A 100th birthday? I’d say that definitely qualifies.

100 years deserves an XXL cake

For a celebration like this, a regular birthday cake simply wasn’t going to do.

The centrepiece became an XXL edible version of the unmistakable golden-yellow Elixir d’Anvers bottle.

And that bottle comes with quite a history of its own.

Elixir d’Anvers was created by François-Xavier de Beukelaer in Antwerp in 1863. More than a century and a half later, the liqueur is still made using the original recipe and traditional artisanal process. Its plants and herbs are macerated and slowly distilled before the liqueur matures in old oak casks - a process that takes around five months.

In other words: patience, craftsmanship and tradition.

Sounds rather familiar for anyone working with family businesses… or elaborate cakes.

And if Antwerp is ever on your city-trip list, you can even visit the historic distillery by appointment and discover the story behind the bottle for yourself. A tasting is, very appropriately, part of the experience.

And the flavour?

Well… Elixir d’Anvers, of course.

If you’re going to turn an iconic bottle into cake, you might as well commit to the theme.

The vanilla cake was generously brushed with Elixir d’Anvers, keeping the sponge beautifully soft and moist while adding that unmistakable herbal warmth.

Then came an apricot compote, also flavoured with Elixir.

And the vanilla buttercream? You guessed it.

Another touch of Elixir d’Anvers, bringing its distinctive herbal and spicy character into every layer.

Basically, this was not a cake inspired by Elixir d’Anvers.

This cake had Elixir d’Anvers running through its veins.

Very fitting for a De Beukelaer birthday, I thought.

Sweet 100 years

There’s something particularly special about seeing yourself on your birthday cake.

Not just your name. Not just “100” written in icing.

You.

It immediately says: this cake was made for one person and one person only.

And for such an extraordinary birthday, that personal touch felt essential.

So I carefully sculpted Emile’s little alter ego entirely from sugar, sitting comfortably in a stylish old-fashioned armchair.

Then came one of my favourite details.

I happened to find the tiniest little glass in a shop. It was exactly the right size for his sugar sculpture, so naturally, it had to go into his hand.

Because after 100 years — and with a family history like this one — I think you’ve earned a proper toast.

Santé!

And then… the cake made the news

As if creating a cake for a 100th birthday wasn’t exciting enough, there was one more surprise.

The media were present to capture the celebration — and apparently, the cake was feeling rather photogenic.

The result?

Three different newspapers published articles featuring my creation.

There were plenty of wonderful shots of the cake.

Photographic shots, that is.

Although considering the amount of Elixir d’Anvers inside it, the other interpretation wouldn’t have been entirely inappropriate either.

Seeing something I had imagined, designed, baked and sculpted suddenly appear in the newspapers was a very special moment.

But what I loved most about this project wasn’t simply its size, the media attention or even the tiny glass in Emile’s sugar hand.

It was the story behind it.

A person reaching an incredible 100 years.

A family connected to more than 160 years of entrepreneurial history.

A product that has been passed down through generations.

And one very large cake created to bring all those elements together.

Because whether I’m advising a family business or designing a celebration cake, I keep coming back to the same thing:

The milestones matter. The stories matter. And the legacy is worth celebrating.

Preferably with cake.