Wedding Cakes- A brief history.
Wedding cakes have been present at wedding ceremonies for centuries.
They were not always the focus of the event and often came in different forms, like pies or bread. There has always been a lot of symbolism associated with wedding cakes.
The earliest known sweet wedding cakes were known as Banbury cake and these became popular around 1655.
363 years later, they’re still around.
The reason that wedding cakes are white is because white icing was a symbol of money and social importance in Victorian times, so a white cake was highly desired.”
Myths and traditions of wedding cakes.
There are some really interesting and strange traditions and myths associated with wedding cakes. For example, in a traditional American wedding, maidens would be invited to pull ribbons that are attached to the bottom layer of the wedding cake.
Out of all the ribbons, only one contains a charm or a ring, and whoever gets the charm will be the next person to marry.
There are also myths that most bridesmaids have on dreaming their future husbands. Hopeful bridesmaids would take a piece of cake home and place it under the pillow. Some bridesmaids would sleep with the pieces of cake in their left stocking and the rest are under their pillows after passing the pieces of cake through the bride’s wedding ring.
In the medieval era, wedding cakes were constructed in rolls and buns that were laid on top of each other. The groom and bride would attempt to share a passionate kiss on top of the stack of rolls to ensure fertility and have good fortune. In the 18th century, newlywed couples would try to keep the cake until their first anniversary to prevent them from marriage problems in the future.
This is one of the reasons why cakes in the 18th century were made of fruits and blended with wine.
The cake in the pic is a Royal Wedding cake, made to celebrate the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II to the Duke of Edinburgh.
The cake stood 9 feet (2.74m) tall and weighing in at a staggering 500 pounds (227 kgs).
Modern Wedding Cakes.
Tiered wedding cakes started off as the reserve of British Royalty and Nobility as a reflection of great wealth.
As tiered wedding cakes have been more widely adopted over recent years, the tiers became rationalised to a standard of three.
The base layer used for the guests at the reception, the centre layer used for distribution amongst family, guests and those friends and relatives who were absent from the reception, and the top layer reserved as a christening cake.
In modern times, a christening is no longer closely associated with the wedding and so the couple will often reserve the top tier of their cake for their first anniversary celebration, which creates a lovely reminder of their wedding day.
Wedding Cakes – The Centre Piece of the Wedding.
Even in this modern age of technology, wedding cakes still form a very important element of the wedding holding sentimental value for both the bride and groom and often wedding photographs depicting the bride and groom cutting the cake are the most valued and prominently displayed.
It is for this reason, that we at The Cakeman, take our time in understanding the event in totality. Themes, colours and style all come into consideration when we design and build your cake , for your special day.
