A wedding cake is the
traditional cake served to guests at a wedding. That is at the end of the wedding, at the reception. The cake is considered one of the most significant aspects of the wedding reception and many people say there can’t be a wedding without a cake. The wedding cake is normally the work of art of the baker.
Today, wedding cakes come in different styles and shapes and some bakers are moving away from baking the traditional fruit cake. Wedding cakes are made in a variety of ways and with different flavours. Much time is spent on preparing the cake, with a lot of emphasis placed on the decoration.
You will see wedding cakes that looks like a castle or even a car. Then, there are cakes with several layers that take them high in the air. The layers sometimes can be round, square or even rectangular.
But whatever shape the cake is built in, it is the decoration of the cake that will make it stand out. While simple decorations are used on cakes, there are bakers who will go the extra mile in decorating their cake, using different styles. The cakes are also decorated using the colour the couple chooses for the wedding. Also decorations used may include edible buttons, pleats, roses, ribbons and beads.
The white, three-tiered, round cake has remained a classic throughout the years. This confection can be comprised of vanilla pound cake and white butter cream filling, and iced with either white butter cream or fondant. The décor can consist of simple patterns, such as piped shell borders, small swags, delicate scrolling, or ivory rosettes.
Designs are a great way to add texture, and a talented designer will even be able to mimic the lace pattern from your dress, or the stephanotis blooms from your bouquet.
When it comes to the inside of a unique cake, tantalizing cake flavors and fillings replace the usual white cake. For chocoholics, chocolate cake with a chocolate truffle filling satisfies every craving. Many bakeries also offer specialty flavors, such as spice cake, lemon mousse, hazelnut, and even cheesecake.
A significant aspect of the cake is the wedding cake topper. These are small models that sit on top of the cake, normally a representation of a bride and groom in formal wedding attire.
Wedding toppers today are often figures that indicate shared hobbies or other passions.
Personalised wedding figures can be created from edible sugar paste or from coloured clay, and can be customized to look very similar to the wedding couple or even the whole wedding party.
The cutting of the cake is an exciting aspect of the wedding reception. But before the cake is cut, in Jamaica, it is a tradition to have the mothers of the bride and groom or some other well-respected family members unveil the cake. Once the cake is unveiled, the couple is led to where the cake is and the bride and groom together cut the cake. Often, a special knife is used.
FEEDING
An exciting part of the wedding, after the cake is cut, is for the bride and groom to feed each other with the cake. Some people believe that this shows how well the couple will take care of each other. The bride and groom normally cut a piece of the cake and take turns in feeding each other. The groom usually goes first and once he cuts the cake, he is required to put it in his mouth and, without using his hands, feed the cake to his wife. The bride is then required to do the same.
Once the cake is cut and the couple fed, the guests can part take in the cake. At some receptions, the guests are not fed with the cake that the couple cuts. Instead several cakes, depending on the size of the wedding, are made and shared among the guests.
The cake is sometimes placed in beautifully decorated cake boxes with a picture of the bride and groom or their names beautifully inscribed and handed out to guests as they leave the reception.
Many people attending weddings will tell you that they look forward to tasting the wedding cake no matter how small it is. The cake, to some guests, is even more important that the meal that is served.
The couple, after the reception, will share the cake with people who may have missed the festivities. Family members and friends are normally given a much bigger slice of the cake than what was served at the wedding. Several days or weeks after the wedding has passed, people would still be given cake.
Most couples store a portion of the cake they had cut at the reception until their first anniversary. Together they will eat the cake and reminisce on the day of the wedding. The cake is normally stored in a freezer. Ingredients in the cake will allow the cake to store for even longer than a year.