A wedding cake is the traditional cake served at wedding receptions after dinner. In some parts of England, the wedding cake is served during a wedding breakfast. This term does not mean the meal happens in the morning, but rather after the wedding ceremony on the same day. In modern Western culture, the cake is often displayed and given to guests at the reception. Traditionally, wedding cakes were made to bring good luck to the couple and guests. Today, however, they are more often used as a main attraction at the wedding and are not always served to guests. Some cakes have only one edible layer for the bride and groom to share, but this is uncommon because the cost difference between real and fake layers is small.
Basic information
Wedding cakes come in different sizes based on how many guests they need to serve. Today, professional bakers and cake decorators use many types of ingredients and tools to make cakes that show the couple's personalities. Common ingredients include marzipan, fondant, gum paste, buttercream, and chocolate. The cost of a cake depends on its size, the materials used, and the baker hired. Prices are often based on the number of people or slices served. A slice or serving can cost as little as a few dollars or as much as several hundred dollars, depending on the baker. Wedding cakes and cake decorating have become symbols in popular culture in Western societies. In the United States, television shows like Cake Boss and Amazing Wedding Cakes are widely watched and remain popular in today's culture.
History
The first wedding cakes were likely made in ancient Greece. Roman weddings also involved the bride and bridegroom eating a wedding cake.
From the 16th to the 17th century, a dish called "bride's pie" was served at most weddings. Unlike modern sweet wedding cakes, bride's pie was savory. It was a pie with a pastry crust filled with ingredients like oysters, lamb testicles, pine kernels, and cocks' combs, as described in Robert May’s 1685 recipe. In May’s version, one section of the pie contained live birds or a snake, which guests would cut and share during the meal. Eating the pie was expected, and not doing so was considered rude and bad luck. One tradition involved hiding a glass ring inside the pie, and the person who found it was believed to be the next to marry, similar to the modern flower bouquet toss.
In the 17th century, two cakes were made: one for the bride and one for the groom. Over time, the groom’s cake became less popular, and the bride’s cake became the main cake. When both were served, the groom’s cake was usually darker, richer, and smaller, while the bride’s cake was a simple pound cake with white icing. White icing symbolized virginity and purity.
Wedding cakes were originally a luxury item, showing celebration and social status. Larger cakes meant higher social standing. In England and early America, wedding cakes were often fruit cakes with tiers, topped with marzipan and icing. Cutting the cake was an important part of the wedding reception.
In medieval England, cakes were stacked high so the bride and groom could kiss over them. A successful kiss was believed to ensure a prosperous future. This tradition inspired the creation of the Croquembouche, a French cake made of sweet rolls stacked in a tower. Today, the Croquembouche is still popular in France, often placed on a bed of cake and decorated with spun sugar.
In 1703, Thomas Rich, a baker’s apprentice in London, fell in love with his employer’s daughter. He asked her to marry him and made a cake inspired by St. Bride’s Church on Fleet Street.
Traditionally, a ring was hidden inside the couple’s portion of the cake to symbolize acceptance of the proposal. Over time, bride’s pie evolved into the bride’s cake, which became sweeter and no longer in the form of a pie. The bride’s cake was usually a plum or fruit cake. By the mid-18th century, double icing (first almond icing, then white icing) was used. The white-iced top of the cake became a platform for decorations, which were often colorful and three-dimensional. Some decorations were inedible. The belief that eating the pie brought good luck remained, but the glass ring tradition faded as the flower bouquet toss became more common.
The bride’s cake eventually became the modern wedding cake. In the early 19th century, sugar became more available, though refined white sugar was still expensive. Wealthy families used white frosting to show their status. Queen Victoria’s use of white icing on her cake gave it the name "royal icing."
The modern wedding cake originated at the 1882 wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. His cake was the first to be completely edible. Pillars between cake tiers were not added until about 20 years later, made from broomsticks covered in icing. Tiers symbolized prosperity and were a status symbol, as only wealthy families could afford them. Prince Leopold’s cake was made in separate layers with dense icing that hardened to allow stacking, a new innovation. Today, modern wedding cakes use this method with added support from dowels to hold larger cakes.
Symbolism
Wedding cakes have been part of wedding ceremonies for many years. They were not always the main part of the event and often looked different, such as pies or bread. Wedding cakes have always had special meanings. The earliest known sweet wedding cake was called a Banbury cake, which became popular in 1655.
The color white has been connected to weddings since the Victorian era, when Queen Victoria wore a white lace wedding dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. Queen Victoria helped make the symbol of white more famous, as white was already linked to purity in Western culture. The wedding cake was originally called the bride's cake, so the color white became common because the cake needed to match the bride and show the family's ability to afford expensive ingredients, like white sugar.
Cutting the cake is a meaningful tradition. In China, the couple starts cutting a multi-tier cake from the bottom tier and gives the first pieces to their parents and ancestors. This action honors the role of family ancestors as the foundation of the family.
Superstitions
The wedding cake has many superstitions. In a traditional American wedding, young women are invited to pull ribbons attached to the bottom layer of the cake. Only one ribbon has a charm or a ring, and the person who finds it is believed to be the next to marry. In southern England, a similar tradition involves baking a wooden clothes peg into the cake. This symbolizes how the couple is connected. In other countries, the wedding cake is broken over the bride's head to ensure fertility and bring good fortune. Some people today believe that eating the crumbs of the wedding cake will bring them good luck, as the cake represents happiness and a good life for the new couple.
There are also myths about bridesmaids dreaming of their future husbands. Bridesmaids would take a piece of cake home and place it under their pillow. Some would sleep with cake pieces in their left stocking and others under their pillows after passing the pieces through the bride's wedding ring.
During the medieval era, wedding cakes were made from rolls and buns stacked on top of each other. The bride and groom would try to kiss on top of the stack to ensure fertility and good fortune.
Types of wedding cakes
Different types of cakes have been popular in different countries and times. In some countries, like Italy, couples choose different cake types based on their preferences. In other places, most people prefer one type of cake. Even when a cake type is popular in a culture, it can change over time. For example, in Korea, the traditional wedding cake was a rice cake with red bean powder, but now many people choose a sponge cake with fresh fruit.
A modern white wedding cake is often a decorated layer cake. It is usually covered with frosting and may have layers filled with frosting, pastry cream, lemon curd, or other fillings. The cake can be topped with frosting decorations, edible flowers, or other items. A layer cake can be one piece or stacked to form a tiered cake.
In Indonesia, very tall tiered cakes are important. The height of the cake is believed to predict the couple’s future prosperity. In the US, three-tiered cakes have been the most common choice since the 1960s.
In Appalachia, a stack cake was a way for poorer families to share the cost of a wedding. This cake is made of thin layers baked by different guests, stacked together and filled with apple butter or cooked apples.
Among the Cajuns in the US, the bride’s family often bakes multiple small cakes instead of one large cake. In the UK and Australia, the traditional wedding cake is a rich fruitcake decorated with icing and sometimes filled with almond paste. Fruitcake was also the traditional choice in the US until the middle of the 20th century.
A survey from the 1960s to the 1980s showed that most US wedding cakes were white or yellow. In the 2000s and 2010s, more variety appeared, but white or chocolate cakes remained popular.
In Greece, the traditional flavor was honey, sesame seed, and quince. Today, an almond torte is more common. Greek wedding cakes are often elaborate with many tiers. In the Philippines, the cake may be a vanilla sponge cake or a purple ube cake.
White cake is now the most popular flavor in the US, but layers can be filled with chocolate, carrot, Italian Rum, or Italian Cream. Modern cakes may include flavors like vanilla sponge, chocolate sponge, or carrot cake.
In some areas, like the American South, two cakes are served at weddings. The large, white tiered cake is called the bride’s cake, and a second cake with a different flavor is called the groom’s cake. This tradition began with early American colonists who thought the bride’s cake was too light for men. Groom’s cakes were once dark fruitcakes soaked in liquor but are now often chocolate or other favorite flavors. These cakes may be decorated with symbols of the groom’s hobbies, job, or interests. For example, the movie Steel Magnolias showed a red velvet groom’s cake shaped like an armadillo.
In Bermuda, the bride’s cake is a three-tiered fruitcake decorated with silver, and the groom’s cake is a pound cake decorated with gold. The groom’s cake is topped with a live cedar tree, which represents the couple’s growing love. The tree is later planted and cared for by the couple.
When Prince William married Catherine Middleton in 2011, a groom’s cake was served alongside the main wedding cake. The groom’s cake was a chocolate biscuit cake based on a family recipe.
Tiered cakes are often separated by flowers, columns, or other items to add height and visual appeal. Separators can include jewels, shells, flowers, or chrome stands.
Fondant is a type of frosting that is rolled out and placed over cake tiers. It is smooth and can be shaped, flavored, or tinted. Poured fondant is used to glaze small cakes and detailed desserts.
Flowerpaste or gumpaste is a pliable dough made from egg whites, gelatin, and powdered sugar. It is used to make flowers and decorations for cakes. Because it contains gum, it can be rolled very thin.
Royal icing is made with water, sugar, and egg white or meringue powder. It hardens quickly and is used for detailed shapes or to cover large cake areas. It works well for creating designs ahead of time. Joseph Lambeth, a famous British cake decorator, used royal icing to make layered scrolls.
Wedding cakes may be decorated with fresh flowers, which is common in the Philippines.
Wedding cake toppers are models or art pieces placed on top of the cake. In the US, the most common topper shows a bride and groom in wedding clothes. This was popular in the 1950s as a symbol of togetherness. Some toppers show hobbies or interests, while others are humorous. In Mexico, toppers and decorations often tell a story about the couple’s history.
Alternatives
Some people choose to serve other desserts instead of a wedding cake, or they serve both. These desserts may include pastries or cookies.
Instead of a large, multi-tiered wedding cake, some weddings use stands with multiple tiers to hold cupcakes. A small wedding cake may be placed on top for the cake-cutting ceremony. Cupcakes are often less expensive than multi-tiered cakes and can be made in many different flavors, colors, and designs.
Croquembouche is a difficult-to-make pastry made of cream puffs and caramelized sugar. This dessert is traditionally used as a wedding cake in France.
In Norway and other Scandinavian countries, a pastry called Kransekake is often used as a wedding cake. This dessert is usually made by the family.
Kanom sam kloe is a fried pastry served at Thai weddings. It is made by frying three balls of dough that contain coconut and sesame seeds. There is a belief that if the dough pieces stay together during frying, it means the marriage will be successful and the couple will have at least one child.
After the wedding
In Europe during the 19th century, the cakes baked for a baby's naming ceremony were similar to those used for weddings. Over time, because wedding cakes were usually made with fruitcake, which could last a long time, and because the first baby often came within a year after the wedding, people began saving the top part of the wedding cake to eat when the couple had their first child. More recently, some people have started freezing part of the cake and saving it to celebrate the couple's first wedding anniversary.