Let them eat cake!
Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France (supposedly!)
Congratulations! If you are reading this, you likely recently got engaged and are currently planning your Wedding. In order to decide just how important having a wedding cake is to you, you should know a little of why it is a tradition for us to have it at our weddings.
Like all traditions, it developed over time:
The history of wedding cake
Ancient Rome
The groom broke a loaf of bread over the brides head as a symbol of fertility and guest ate the crumbs in the hope of receiving some of that good luck. Be thankful this isn’t part of our traditions today!
500 to 1500 AD
Guests all bought a small spiced bun as a gift to the bride and groom. They would pile them up high, and the happy couple would share a kiss over the top of the pile. If no buns were dislodged, they would have prosperity!
1600 AD
The bun pile morphed into the first “tiered” cake. A French chef who was visiting King Charles II is said to have done this. He saw the mounds of spiced buns and constructed them into a solid state by cutting down broom handles as supports, inserted into the buns and coated the buns in lard to keep them fresh. This was also the inspiration for the French Croquembouche.
1700 to 1800 AD
Moving on from bread and buns, it was a tradition to have a Bride’s Pye. This is a savoury pie into which a glass ring was placed. The guest who found it would be the next to marry (sound familiar, but with a bouquet?). Fun fact: The Accomplished Cook by Prince first published a recipe for Bride’s Pye in 1655.
During this time there was also no more gathering crumbs of the floor—small pieces of cake and buns were boxed up and given to the guests to take home. Put under their pillows, it was said to help them dream of the future partner.
1800s
Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert featured a white tiered white cakes, and set the trend followed up to this day. The reason behind a white, icing coating, tiered cake:
White is a symbol of wealth.
Sugar coated, also a symbol of wealth as sugar was insanely expensive.
Multiple tiers were for practical reasons. One to share with guests, one to post to non-attendees and one to keep for birth of first child as christening cake. During the years before birth control children usually came along within first year of marriage.
It takes two
Due to the thickness and hardness of the sugar coating and decorations, both the bride and groom are required to cut the cake. It was regarded as the first activity they did together as a married couple.
Okay, we got a bit sidetracked (because cake is amazing!). So far, we have only covered the history and a few superstitions. Look out for our next blog, where we will explore more traditions and symbolism surrounding weddings and wedding cakes. We’ll even share a handy, easy wedding cake recipe for those who want to DIY their cake!
If DIY Cake isn’t for you, email us at catering@mkbusiness.com.au to request a quote of our custom wedding cakes!
They taste even better than they look.
The Baking Monkey
Aka Susan
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