A wedding cake is the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding reception (or in parts of England, at a wedding breakfast) after a wedding. In modern Western culture, it is usually a large cake, multi-layered or tiered, and heavily decorated with icing, occasionally over a layer of marzipan or fondant, topped with a small statue representing the couple. Achieving a dense, strong cake that can support the decorations while remaining edible can be considered the epitome of the baker's art and skill.
The wedding cake is a tradition that began back in the Roman Empire well before the concept of elaborately icing a cake, was invented. At the time, it was a loaf of bread that the groom broke over the bride's head as a symbol of his dominance in the marriage and over her. Of course this tradition has long ago been lost as we moved into a more modern era of beliefs and wedding cakes.
In the Medieval Era, cakes were often breads that were unsweetened. There are several accounts of these cakes or sweet buns being stacked in front of the newlyweds. The couple is believed to have had to kiss over the pile of cakes in front of them without knocking them over. Success was a sign that there would be many children in their future.
Wedding cakes reached their high popularity in the 1800’s both in Europe and the United States. A very famous wedding cake of this time period was that of Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s daughter. The wedding cake stood 5 feet high and weighed about 225 pounds.
Multi tiered cakes were originally reserved for the English Royalty. They would also use these cakes for christenings as the wedding and christening events for take place very near each other. This fact rationalized the thought that all wedding cakes should have three tiers. The bottom tier was for the wedding reception, the second tier was distributed amongst guests and the third tier was reserved for the christening.
Nowadays the top tier is more often used by the bride and groom to celebrate their first anniversary. The color of the cake is typically white to symbolize purity. The joint task of the bride and groom cutting the cake is meant to symbolize their first joint task in married life. The gesture of feeding cake to one another is a symbol of the commitment the bride and groom are making.
Today’s wedding cakes:
Wedding cake toppers are small models that sit on top of the cake, normally a representation of a bride and groom in formal wedding attire. This custom was dominant in US wedding in the 1950s where it represented the concept of togetherness. Wedding toppers today are often figures that indicate shared hobbies or other passions and can be created from sugar.
In the United Kingdom, the traditional wedding cake is made from a rich fruitcake, although many modern cakes now consist of vanilla sponge, chocolate sponge or carrot cake. Most cakes are between three and five tiers in height, and often consist of a bottom tier made from sponge, with a chocolate sponge middle tier and a fruit top tier. Among some more elaborate cakes the United Kingdom see are those prepared for the Royal Weddings. These cakes are actually decorated boxes with the fruit cake cut into portions on the inside, allowing them to be easily served to hundreds of guests.
Another trend is for wedding cupcakes. To imitate the tiers of a wedding cake, the cupcakes are placed on a stand and decorated in the wedding colors.
Cakes by Shelly Wedding Cakes in Herts, Beds and Bucks
