Wedding cakes may not be as prevalent as they have been in the past, but they can still be a huge part of a wedding.
When I was a little girl, my dad told me that wedding cakes weren’t that tasty. In fact, he painted the picture that most of them were fruit cakes. As a result of this conversation, I was never that interested in wedding cakes while growing up. This was until my grandma told me that she had wedding cake in her freezer, and that I could use it to dream about my future husband. This revelation got me thinking that there must be more to wedding cakes than meets the eye.
In truth, wedding cakes are not all fruit cakes. In fact, they can be just about any cake you like. And, it really is a tradition to take wedding cake and literally sleep on it to dream about your future spouse. Better yet, cake is awesome. Though wedding cakes aren’t for every wedding, or every couple, there are some great elements about them. They tend to be beautiful, they tend to taste really good, and they have a rich history to explore.
Wedding Cakes: Trends, Traditions, & Tips
This post is all about deep diving wedding cake trends, customs, and traditions.
Some are ones you have surely heard about before. Maybe you’ve even seen or tried a few of them. Others may be a new concept to you. Better yet, you may not know the history of wedding cakes or how almost every aspect of them has some sort of symbolism associated with it.
I’m happy to go over all of these things with you! Bon appetite!
HISTORY OF WEDDING CAKES
Wedding cakes have a long history that has transformed them into what they are today. Due to migration, travel, and availability of ingredients, wedding cakes have slowly become what we know them to be. As you know already, I love learning the history of weddings and am happy to share what I’ve come across.
THE START OF WEDDING CAKES IN ROME
The first concept of wedding cakes came from a wedding tradition in ancient Rome, where the groom would break bread over the bride for good fortune. The bread was typically made from wheat or barley. The breaking of it would symbolize an end of the bride’s purity. Once it was broke, the newlyweds would eat a little and then guests would grab leftovers for good luck.
WEDDING CAKES IN ENGLAND
When Rome was invaded by England in AD43, the wedding cake tradition was used by the English when they went home. Back in England, breaking bread was transformed into a tradition where buns were stacked into a tower. These were typically spiced buns, and the tower would resemble a croque en bouche, or monkey bread. A new tradition was formed with this, where the newlyweds would kiss over the top of the tower, to ensure a lifetime of wealth.
Over time, this tower was again transformed into a Bride’s Pie. This pie would be filled with fruit, nuts, and minced meat. Around 1655, the Banbury cake was invented, which is the earliest known sweet wedding cake. This cake was actually a flat pastry filled with spices and currents, and was paired with tea.
QUEEN VICTORIA’S INFLUENCE ON WEDDING CAKES
The first modern day wedding cake on record was from Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert, in 1840.
As described in this recent post, Queen Victoria’s wedding cake was massive. It was over 300 pounds, and was nine feet in circumference. The cake had four tiers, and stood about 16 inches tall. Queen Victoria’s wedding cake was big enough to feed all 300 of her guests, plus some was left over to send to notable people. It was a gorgeous cake, with a figure of Britannia on it and cupids all around it. The icing was white, and is also where we got the term “royal icing”. Back in 1840, white icing symbolized purity, but it was also the easiest color of icing to make, as it requires no coloring.
WEDDING CAKE TRADITIONS
While there are probably thousands of wedding cake customs from all around the world, there are some notable ones found right here in the USA and Canada.
SAVING THE TOP WEDDING CAKE TIER
As I mentioned in the intro to this post, some couples like to save the top tier of their wedding cake.
In case you’re not exactly sure what a tier is, let me go over it. Each layer of a wedding cake is typically a different size from the others, and referred to as tiers. Structurally speaking, the top tier is usually the smallest of the tiers, though there have been recent trends for upside-down wedding cakes. In the USA, tiers have been popular since the 1960’s, and three-tiered wedding cakes are the post popular.
SYMBOLISM OF EACH TIER
To understand tiers is to also understand the purpose of each tier. For a three-tiered wedding cake, the bottom tier is supposed to be eaten at the wedding reception. The middle tier is to distribute right after the wedding, and the top is to be saved by the couple. The thought was that the couple would freeze their top tier, and then eat it at their first anniversary. It was also anticipated that the top tier would be eaten at their first child’s christening, which coincidentally, used to usually coincide with their first anniversary anyway.
FREEZING YOUR WEDDING CAKE
These days a lot of couples save and freeze the top tier of their wedding cake. Rarely do they wait a whole year to eat it. With a proper method of wrapping the cake in cling wrap, and then aluminum foil, and more cling wrap, most cakes stay pretty fresh and tasty for up to a year. However, many couples opt to eat their cake within weeks or months of their wedding and have another cake made for their anniversary. This act may help them reminisce about their wedding.
GROOM’S CAKE
Groom’s cakes, or wedding cakes that are made specifically for the groom, are a pretty popular trend in the southern USA, though there is some history behind it.
Back in the 17th century, many weddings had two cakes. One for the bride, and one for the groom. According to this article, the groom’s cake was usually a fruitcake and was meant to symbolize fertility. Though the trend of a groom’s cake went away for a long time, it’s back these days. Today, the groom’s cake is typically made specifically to the groom’s taste. This many mean that it’s darker, more fun, and could be shaped in a number of ways. It is never really the “main” cake, and is usually a different type of cake than the larger wedding cake.
CAKE CUTTING
Cutting the wedding cake is usually a pretty big deal at weddings.
This tradition started with the bride cutting the cake by herself. This act was to symbolize her loss of purity (doesn’t that sound awful?!), and giving it to her husband. Today, most couples will cut the cake together. Typically the bride’s hand is on the cake cutter and the groom’s hand is on top of hers, to symbolize support for her. Wedding photographers usually help the couple place their hands properly so their wedding rings are showcased.
Couples almost always cut from the bottom tier first. Cutting the cake from the bottom was originally supposed to symbolize a long relationship, but to be honest, it also is what makes the most sense. Once the cake is cut, couples will usually take the opportunity to feed each other. Of course, many guests may wish to see them start a food fight, but most of the weddings I’ve been to have been pretty respectful about this.
Some couples may opt to have a small cake just for photos, and then a larger sheet cake for serving. This helps save some costs, as well as being pretty functional.
SLEEPING WITH WEDDING CAKE
My grandma was right, there is a tradition that involves sleeping with a piece of wedding cake.
This superstition actually dates back for hundreds of years. As mentioned above, the middle tier of a wedding cake is supposed to be sent home with guests for consumption shortly after the wedding. Many unmarried women (and probably men), have long believed if you took that piece of leftover cake, all properly wrapped up, and put it under your pillow, you would dream about your future spouse. I’m not sure if this actually comes true for the majority of people, but it’s a kind of sweet tradition.
WEDDING CAKE CHARMS
I’ve gone over this tradition before in this post, but it’s still fun to mention it again.
At some weddings, charms are placed in wedding cakes. Bridesmaids or single ladies will stand around, and pull the charms out by ribbons that are attached to them. Different charms mean different things. For instance, if someone pulls out a charm with wedding bells, a heart, or a flower, it could mean that she will get married soon. A ring could mean an engagement, and anything child-related could mean a pregnancy. Horseshoes or clovers would be for luck.
CURRENT TRENDS IN WEDDING CAKES
Alright, we’ve learned about some long standing history and traditions, but what’s new with wedding cakes?
Well, a lot is new with wedding cakes! Just like all elements of a wedding, cakes have trends all their own. Often they are a featured piece of the wedding, with many, many options for looks and flavor, so of course there are some notable trends in 2021:
- Many wedding cakes are not even cakes at all these days. Couples are opting to make cakes out of cookies, doughnuts, or even rice crispies.
- Wedding cakes may reflect the time of day for the wedding. For instance, some couples with brunch weddings have wedding cakes made out of waffles or pancakes.
- Cheese cakes are trending. No, not cheesecakes. Cheese cakes. Some weddings may feature actual cheese in the shape of a cake.
- Naked cakes are on display. There is a beautiful and rustic feel for cakes that showcase what is actually inside, with minimal icing on the outer layer.
- Individual cakes are popular in 2021. Many couples are choosing to serve small cakes that can be carefully packaged and don’t have to be cut at all.
- Geo-cakes are an actual thing. Wedding cakes that are made into all sorts of shapes, different elevations, or even see-through can be a very exciting thing at a wedding.
- Pressed flowers and the outdoors are huge wedding trends in 2021, and they are showing up on cakes. Hand painted flowers, toppers made from wood or stone, and strong references to nature are all popular.
DO IT YOURSELF WEDDING CAKES
As with many things, do-it-yourself has become super trendy since the pandemic started.
Some couples are going for it with DIY wedding cakes. This is especially true if you’re having a small wedding or have a tight budget. Now, I understand that this could be a stand alone post in and of itself. However, I thought it would be fun to highlight some tips in case you’re thinking of going the DIY route with your wedding cake.
- Plan on making smaller sheet cakes.
- Practice your icing skills ahead of time, or go for a naked cake look.
- Recruit friends and family to help.
- Make the cake a few days before the wedding.
- Consider how you will transport your cake.
- Plan on how you will store it (like in a cool, dark place).
- You can always serve other desserts in addition to your cake.
WEDDING CAKE RECORDS
Alright, now that we know the history of wedding cakes, some common customs, current trends, and even tips for making your own wedding cake, let’s go over some crazy wedding cake records:
- The biggest wedding cake ever weighed over 15,000 lbs. It was made by chefs at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut, and displayed in February, 2004.
- The most expensive wedding cake ever made was $52.7 million. It took more than 4,000 diamonds to decorate it’s eight tiers, and was made for the National Gay Wedding Show.
- The tallest wedding cake ever was 25.65 feet tall. It was made of 850 sponge cakes, shaped into bricks and glued together with caramel. As you can imagine, the structure of the cake wasn’t that strong, and it didn’t stay that tall for long.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Are you craving a wedding cake now? Hopefully this has helped put a new perspective on them for you. If you are debating if you should even have a cake, perhaps you now know a little bit of how they came to be and are more motivated to make one a part of your wedding. Wedding cakes can be a huge piece of décor and focus at most weddings. Luckily, they taste good, too!
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Excellent overview of wedding cake traditions and modern trends. Helpful tips for choosing a stunning yet meaningful centerpiece dessert. Valuable insights!
Thank you so much!!