A wedding cake is the traditional cake served at wedding parties after dinner. In some areas of England, the cake is part of a meal called a "wedding breakfast," which does not mean the meal happens in the morning. Instead, it takes place 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, they are more often used as a main decoration at the wedding and may not always be served to guests. Some cakes have only one tier that is eaten by the bride and groom, but this is uncommon because the cost of fake and real cake tiers is similar.
Basic information
Wedding cakes come in different sizes based on the number of guests they need to serve. Today, pastry chefs and cake designers use many ingredients and tools to create cakes that often show the couple's personalities. Ingredients like marzipan, fondant, gum paste, buttercream, and chocolate are commonly used. The cost of cakes depends on their size and the materials used. Prices are often set based on how many people will eat the cake or how many slices are needed. The price per person or slice can vary from a few dollars to several hundred dollars, depending on the chef hired to make the cake. Wedding cakes and cake decorating have become symbols in Western pop culture. In the United States, television shows such as Cake Boss and Amazing Wedding Cakes are popular and widely watched today.
History
The first wedding cakes were likely made in ancient Greece. Roman weddings also included the bride and bridegroom eating a wedding cake.
During the 16th to 17th centuries, a dish called "bride's pie" was served at most weddings. Unlike modern sweet wedding cakes, bride's pie was savory. It had a pastry crust and was filled with ingredients like oysters, lamb testicles, pine kernels, and cocks' combs, as described in Robert May’s 1685 recipe. One version of the recipe included a section filled with live birds or a snake for guests to find while cutting the pie. Guests were expected to eat a piece of the pie out of politeness. Not eating it was considered rude and bad luck. A tradition involved placing 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 common, and the bride’s cake became the main cake. When both were served, the groom’s cake was usually darker, rich in fruit, 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, showing celebration and social status. Larger cakes meant higher social standing. In England and early America, wedding cakes were often fruit cakes, stacked in tiers and topped with marzipan and icing. Cutting the cake was an important part of the wedding reception.
In medieval England, cakes were stacked high for the bride and groom to kiss over. A successful kiss was believed to guarantee a prosperous life together. This tradition inspired the creation of the Croquembouche, a French dessert made of stacked sweet rolls. A pastry chef in France later built a tower of sweet rolls, called the Croquembouche, which is still popular today. Modern versions are made of profiteroles and topped with spun sugar.
In 1703, Thomas Rich, a baker’s apprentice from Ludgate Hill, fell in love with his employer’s daughter. He created a cake inspired by St. Bride’s Church in London.
Traditionally, the bride would hide a ring in the cake to symbolize acceptance of the proposal. Over time, bride’s pie evolved into the bride’s cake, which became sweeter. The bride’s cake was often a plum or fruit cake. By the mid-18th century, cakes were iced twice—first with almond icing and then with white icing. The white top was used to display scenes and symbols, sometimes in three dimensions. Some decorations were not edible. 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 easier to obtain, but pure white sugar was still expensive. Wealthy families used white icing to show their status. Queen Victoria’s use of white icing on her cake led to it being called "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 added about 20 years later, made from broomsticks covered in icing. Tiers symbolized prosperity and were a sign of wealth. Prince Leopold’s cake was made in layers with dense icing that hardened to support stacking. Today, modern cakes use dowels for added support, especially for large 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 appeared in different forms, such as pies or bread. Wedding cakes have always had special meanings. The first known sweet wedding cake was called a Banbury cake, and it 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 highlighted an existing symbol: the color white was often 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 refined white sugar.
Cutting the cake is an activity with special meaning.
In China, the couple begins cutting a cake with several levels from the bottom. They give the first pieces to their parents and ancestors as a way to show respect, since these family members are seen as the foundation of the family.
Superstitions
The wedding cake has many superstitions. In traditional American weddings, young women would be invited to pull ribbons attached to the bottom layer of the cake. Only one ribbon contains 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 the connection between the couple. 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 brings good luck because the cake represents happiness and a good life for the newlyweds.
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 the cake in their left foot’s stocking or under their pillow after passing the cake 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 over time. 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 culture prefers a certain cake, that preference can change over time. For example, in Korea, the traditional wedding cake was a rice cake with red bean powder, but now many weddings use sponge cake with fresh fruit.
Modern white wedding cakes are often decorated layer cakes. These cakes are usually covered with frosting and may have layers filled with frosting, pastry cream, lemon curd, or other fillings. They can be decorated with frosting, edible flowers, or other items. A layer cake can be one piece or made into a tiered cake with multiple levels.
In Indonesia, very tall tiered cakes are important. The height of the cake is believed to predict the couple's future happiness and wealth.
In the United States, three-tiered cakes have been the most common choice since the 1960s.
In Appalachia, a stack cake was a way for poorer families to celebrate weddings. Guests would bake thin cakes for the wedding, and these layers were stacked together. The layers often had apple butter or cooked apples as fillings.
Among the Cajuns in the U.S., the bride's family usually bakes multiple small cakes instead of one large cake.
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the traditional wedding cake is a rich fruitcake decorated with icing and sometimes filled with almond paste. In the U.S., fruitcake was also a traditional wedding cake until the middle of the 20th century.
A survey from the 1960s to the 1980s showed that most U.S. wedding cakes were white or yellow. In the 2000s and 2010s, more cake flavors became popular, but white and chocolate cakes remained common.
In Greece, the traditional wedding cake had flavors like honey, sesame seed, and quince. Today, an almond torte is more common. Greek wedding cakes are often elaborate with many tiers.
In the Philippines, wedding cakes can be vanilla sponge cake or a purple ube cake.
White cake is currently the most popular flavor in the U.S., but fillings like chocolate, carrot, Italian Rum, and Italian Cream are also common choices.
Wedding cakes can have flavors like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. Many modern cakes use flavors such as 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. The groom's cake was once a dark, liquor-soaked fruitcake but is now often chocolate or another favorite flavor. The groom's cake may have decorations or shapes that reflect the groom's interests, such as a hobby or sports team. In the movie Steel Magnolias, a red velvet groom's cake shaped like an armadillo was shown.
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 couple later plants and cares for the tree.
When Prince William married Catherine Middleton in 2011, a groom's cake was served alongside the wedding cake. The groom's cake was a chocolate biscuit cake based on a family recipe, and McVitie's helped create it.
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 firm, and can be decorated with designs, shapes, or colors. Poured fondant is used to glaze small cakes and other detailed treats.
Flowerpaste or gumpaste is a soft dough made from egg whites, gelatin, and powdered sugar. It is used to make flowers and decorations for cakes. Because of the gelatin, it can be rolled very thin.
Royal icing is made with water, sugar, and egg white or meringue powder. It hardens quickly and can be used to create detailed shapes or decorations. It works well for piping or covering large areas. When using royal icing, it is important to use clean tools and avoid humidity. Joseph Lambeth, a British cake decorator, developed a technique using royal icing to make layered scrolls.
Wedding cakes may have fresh flowers on top. This is common in the Philippines.
Wedding cake toppers are models or art pieces placed on top of the cake. In the U.S., the most common topper shows a bride and groom in wedding clothes. This was popular in the 1950s and symbolized the couple's unity. Some toppers may show hobbies, jobs, or other interests. In Mexico, toppers and decorations often tell a story about the couple's history.
Alternatives
Some people choose to serve pastries or cookies instead of, or along with, a wedding cake. Some weddings use stands with cupcakes arranged in tiers. A small cake may be placed on top for cutting. Cupcakes are often less expensive than large multi-tiered cakes and can come in many flavors, colors, and designs.
In France, a traditional wedding dessert is croquembouche, a complicated pastry made of cream puffs and sugar that is melted and hardened. In Norway and other Scandinavian countries, a pastry called Kransekake is commonly used as a wedding cake. Families often make this dessert themselves.
At Thai weddings, a fried pastry called Kanom sam kloe is served. It is made by frying three dough balls filled with coconut and sesame seeds. There is a belief that if the dough stays together, it predicts a happy marriage and at least one child.
After the wedding
In the 19th century in Europe, the cakes made for an infant's christening were similar to those used for weddings. Over time, people noticed that wedding cakes, which were often made of fruitcake, could be stored for a long time. Since the first baby often arrived within a year of the wedding, it became traditional to save the top part of the wedding cake to eat during the baby's christening. More recently, some people have started freezing part of the cake and saving it to celebrate the couple's first wedding anniversary.