Topic of the Day: Wedding Cake
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 average cost of a professionally made wedding cake in the U.S. in 2005 was $543.[1]
The wedding cake is a tradition that began back in the Roman Empire. At the time, it was a loaf of bread that the groom broke over the brides head as a symbol of his dominance in the marriage and over her. Since then the tradition has evolved. It is no longer a loaf of bread but a cake. 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.
In the United Kingdom, the traditional wedding cake is made from a rich fruitcake, although many modern cakes now consist of either 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.[citation needed] 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, which can save on cost in some ways and can be seem as more quirky. To imitate the tiers of a wedding cake, the cupcakes are placed on a structured stand and decorated in the main wedding theme colors.
