The Wedding
Cake
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Wedding cakes are a very ancient tradition in many cultures. The
Romans ate a 'cake' baked from wheat flour, salt and water as the
marriage contract was performed, and tribes such as the Iroquois
Indians and the Fiji Islanders have long traditions of the bride
offering a cake to her new husband. In this country the Roman type
of cake gave way to a spiced bread or biscuit, and by Tudor times
sugar, eggs and fruit were added to make a mixture more similar to
the rich fruit cake we know today.
The traditions of the cake
Originally the custom was to bake many small cakes and to throw
them at the bride after the ceremony, or to shower her with them
as she entered her new home; in some countries the bride's
attendants threw the cakes to the witnesses to the marriage. After
the Restoration the fashion of covering a pile of small cakes with
marzipan and sugar was introduced from France; the whole edifice
could then be broken over the bride's head at an appropriate
moment and all the little cakes would shower out. Gradually the
pile of small cakes became one large cake that formed the
centrepiece of the wedding feast.
Your cake
Your wedding cake will be the focal point of your reception, even
if you are only having a casual buffet, and you will probably want
to make sure that your own version of this traditional item is a
very special reminder of a very special day. You will need to
think of the size of cake that you want, its decoration and shape,
whether you want more than one tier, and whether you want to
incorporate any special features such as real flowers, ribbons, a
message or initials, etc.
Who will make it?
Do you want to make your cake yourself, or will it be made by a
friend, a relative, a bakery chain, or a cake specialist?
Sometimes wedding caterers or hotels that provide wedding
receptions will quote for the cost of a cake as well. The
traditional recipe is a rich fruit cake but you don't need to keep
to this if you don't want to; American tradition is to have a
plain white cake under attractive frosting, and some brides in
this country choose a plain sponge or a chocolate cake. You could
be completely different and have a cherry cake, orange cake, lemon
cake or any other recipe to make your cake unusual and less
filling! If your cake is to be made by a firm of bakers or
caterers, ask to taste a sample first to make sure that it is of
good quality
How big?
The size of your cake will depend on the number that you want to
feed with it. This will take into account the guests at your
reception, any extra pieces! that you will want to save for
friends, relations, etc., who couldn't come to the wedding, and
any pieces you may want for other people such as friends at work
or at a social club. Some couples save the top tier of their cake
for their first wedding anniversary, the christening of their
first child, or their housewarming in their new home if you want
to do this you will have to add the size of the top tier to the
amount of cake you need for consumption on the day. Professional
caterers work to standard portions; you could on the principle
that a piece of cake 13 x 6.5cm (2 in x 1 in) x the height of the
cake will be ample for each serving. Work this out for a square
cake then convert it to the equivalent if you are having a cake of
a different shape. Remember that the cake will be larger once it
is covered with marzipan and icing.
Checklist
Who is going to make the cake?
Who is going to ice the cake?
How much is it going to cost?
How early do we need to order?
How many guests will need a piece?
How many people unable to attend will need some?
How many pieces do we need for friends etc?
Do we want an extra tier to save?
How big does it need to be?
What shape do we want?
What recipe do we want?
Will it have tiers, if so how many?
What decorations do we want?
When will we need to collect it?
Shapes and styles
There are many different shapes in which your wedding cake can be
made. The easiest shapes of all, of course, are square and round;
these are also easiest to decorate as they are regular shapes. If
you are just having a small wedding celebration you could simply
have a single round, square or heart-shaped cake; if you want
something more elaborate you might choose two or more tiers,
spaced on top of one another by decorative columns (round for
round cakes, square for square ones). American brides often place
the tiers one on top of the other without pillars so that the
different layers can be iced as one cake.
If you want to be more unusual you could go for one of the more
elaborate designs interlocking hearts or rings, a cake iced like a
basket of flowers or a box of chocolates, a cake in the shape of a
flower or a butterfly, or two cakes made up in the shape of your
initials. Cake tins can be bought or hired for all these shapes
and many others such as hexagons and octagons, stars, clover
leaves and horseshoes.
Traditionally the origin of the tiered wedding cake is attributed
to a pastry cook on Ludgate Hill in London. He used to make cakes
for the many illegal marriages that took place near the Fleet
prison. and apparently decided to copy Sir Christopher Wren's
design for the spire of St Bride's Church.
Decorating the cake
The decorations you choose for your cake are the main features
that will make it uniquely yours. Generally royal icing is used
for wedding cakes as it is harder and easier to pipe into fancy
shapes, but the relatively recent advent of malleable fondant
icing has meant that very attractive finishes can be obtained much
more easily. If you are icing your cake yourself look through some
of the specialist books to see the many effects that can be used
to good advantage on your cake; if you are using a professional
ask to see a portfolio of work so that you can choose your own
combination of decorations.
Colour schemes
Most wedding cakes are iced in white, but there is no reason why
you have to keep to this tradition. The cake offers an ideal
opportunity to pick up the colour scheme of the rest of your
wedding party - the colours of the flowers, the bridesmaids'
dresses, the ribbons in your hair, etc. You may choose to have a
Wedgewood effect of white decorations on a pale blue or green
icing, or you could have the whole cake iced in a pale shade of
yellow, orange, pink, green or blue. Iced flowers and trellis work
can be done in white or in coloured icing, and ribbons and real
flowers can be incorporated into the design to make your cake
really special. To personalise the cake you could have your
initials or names or the date included in the decoration.
At the reception
The cake will generally form the focal point of your reception,
and the tradition is to place it in the centre of the top table at
a sit-down reception, or in the centre of the plates of food at a
buffet. However, you might find it more convenient to have a
special table set aside for the cake, so that your guests will be
able to admire it at their leisure. At some receptions the bride
and bridesmaids place their bouquets around the cake; at others
the cake is already decorated with flowers - real or imitation -
to match the bouquets.
Cutting the cake
This ceremony is usually the last formal part of the reception,
although some couples choose to do it before the speeches and
toasts so that the cake can be cut up while these are taking
place. if the icing is to be very hard, it is sensible to make a
cut in the cake before it is iced and to mark its position
covertly when the icing is on; this will prevent bride and groom
from struggling with a sharp knife in an unseemly way! The bride
and groom usually cut the cake together, with the groom's hand
covering the bride's. The cake is then removed to be cut up into
small pieces and distributed to the guests. if you are saving one
of the tiers, arrange for it to be wrapped in greaseproof paper
and stored in an airtight tin until needed; do the same with any
cut up pieces of cake that will be sent to friends and relations.
At Jewish weddings the tradition is to cut the cake when dessert
is served. The bride cuts the cake with a knife decorated with
flowers and ribbons, and then feeds one or two mouthfuls to the
groom.
At military weddings the cake may be cut with a ceremonial sword
instead of a knife.
At many American weddings the Bride's cake, which is eaten at the
reception, is a decorated sponge cake. The Groom 's cake, which is
the rich fruit cake we associate with weddings, is often cut into
pieces and boxed before the reception; the boxes are placed on the
tables, at the edge of the buffet, or on a silver platter at the
door, for guests to help themselves as they leave.
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