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. Cake is a form of Food that is usually sweet and often baked. A wedding reception is a Party held after the completion of a Marriage ceremony A wedding breakfast is a Dinner given to the Bride, Bridegroom and guests at the Wedding reception that follows a Wedding in A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage. 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. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Cake decorating is one of the sugar arts that uses icing and other edible decorative elements to make otherwise plain cakes more visually interesting Icing, also called frosting, is a Sweet glaze made of Sugar that often also contains Butter, Water, Egg whites For the character in the animated internet cartoon see Homestar Runner. Fondant is a cream Confection used as a filling or coating for Cakes, Pastries, and Candies or Sweets. Other common motifs include doves, gold rings and horseshoes, the latter symbolising good luck. A horseshoe is a U-shaped item made of metal or of modern synthetic materials nailed or glued to the Hooves of Horses and some other Draught 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 wedding cake in the U. S. in 2005 was $543. [1]
Tradition generally requires that the first cut of the cake be performed by bride and groom together, often with a ceremonial knife or even a sword. An older, archaic tradition had the bride serve all portions to the groom's family as a symbolic transfer of her household labor from her family to the groom's family.
Tradition may also dictate that the bride and groom feed the first bites of this cake to each other. Again, this may symbolize the new family unit formed and the replacement of the old parent-child union.
Other guests may then partake of the cake, portions may be taken home or shipped to people who missed the festivities. (An old tradition held that if a bridesmaid slept with a piece of wedding cake beneath her pillow she might dream of her future husband. )
A portion may be stored, and eaten by the couple at their first wedding anniversary, or at the christening of their first child. Sometimes this portion is the top tier, and sometimes a portion of the piece from which the bride and groom fed each other, depending on the local customs. The portion of the cake may be frozen for this purpose; the top tier of the cake may sometimes consist of fruitcake, which could be stored for a great length of time. Fruitcake (or fruit cake) is a Cake made with chopped Candied fruit and/or dried Fruit, nuts and Spices and optionally soaked
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Modern adaptions
Recently some western weddings have started to use cupcakes or other individually sized dessert items in place of a larger tiered cake. A cupcake (the common US term or fairy cake (the common British term although it is now used interchangeably with the US term is a small Cake These individual cakes are often arranged in tiers to represent the shape of the traditional tiered cake.
Wedding cake toppers are small models that sit on top of the cake, normally a representation of a bride and groom in formal wedding attire. This custom was dominant in US wedding in the 1950s where it represented togetherness. [2] Modern weddings have embraced more variety in design and significance. Wedding toppers today are often figures that indicate shared hobbies or other passions. [2]
See also
- White wedding
- Cake Pull
- Stack cake
- Wedding dress
- Croquembouche - A French wedding cake tradition
- Kransekage - A Scandinavian wedding cake tradition
References
- ^ The Wedding Report, market research from the Bridal Association of America, 2005. A white wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal Western Wedding. A Cake Pull is a Victorian tradition at Weddings in the Southern United States where tiny silver charms attached to satin ribbons are placed inside part of the A Stack cake is a unique regional variation that replaces a Wedding cake, which can be prohibitively expensive in the economically deprived area of Appalachia, A wedding dress or wedding gown is Clothing worn by a Bride during a Wedding ceremony A croquembouche or croquenbouche is a French Dessert, a kind of Pièce montée often served at weddings The kransekake (literally ring cake) is a traditional Norwegian and Danish ( kransekage) Dessert, usually eaten on special occasions Retrieved August 16, 2007. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ a b Cele Otones and Elizabeth Pleck, Cinderella Dreams: The Allure of the Lavish Wedding, University of California Press, 2003. University of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a Publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in Academic Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
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