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While soon-to-be newlyweds know they’ll have to choose a cake, few know the historical significance behind the tradition. The importance of wedding cakes at a wedding reception dates back to the 17th century, and they come from different parts of the world.

White Icing

White is a predominant colour in weddings, from the bride’s dress to the wedding decorations to the frosting of traditional white wedding cakes. White frosting symbolises the virginal purity of the bride and simultaneously stands as a status symbol. The whiter the frosting of the white cake, the more refined the sugar in the frosting, and therefore, the higher the family’s social status.

Cake Cutting

The cutting of the cake is the first task the bride and groom perform together after becoming officially wed. Traditionally the new spouse holds the cake knife and the groom places his hand over hers to “help” her cut the first slice of cake. Afterward, the bride and groom often feed each other a piece. These acts symbolise conquering tasks together, as well as sharing or providing for one another through marriage.

Wedding Cake Tiers

Wedding cakes are typically tiered, or multi-layered. Having a taller, layered cake feeds more guests and is more decorative than the average cake, but this stylisation has further importance. The height of the tiers symbolises fertility for the bride. In medieval England, the bride and groom would attempt to kiss over a stack of buns. It was believed that the higher the stack, the greater number of children the couple would eventually have.

Saving the Top Layer

A newly married couple may choose to save the top layer of their modern wedding cake by freezing it. Today, this preserved top tier of their wedding cake is often eaten on the first wedding anniversary as a symbol of love that’s as new as the day the couple wed. This tradition comes from the past use of the three layers of a tiered cake. In the 19th century, the first layer of a cake was used for the reception.

The middle layer and the bottom layer of the cake was distributed to wedding guests, family, and friends, and the top was for the christening after the wedding. Now the top layer can be saved for a separate but important future event.

What Is the wedding tradition of Eating Your Wedding Cake One Year Later?

You spent enough money on your wedding cake, so you might as well enjoy it beyond your wedding day. Many couples observe the tradition of freezing a bit of their top tier of the cake to be enjoyed on the first anniversary. This tradition will remind you of your wedding and help you reflect on the sweetness of your first year as a married couple.

Origins And Different Traditions

Although the tradition of serving a wedding cake dates back to the Roman Empire, couples only began saving the top layer of their wedding cakes in the 19th century. Since the main objective of marriage at this time was to produce children, couples would save some of their cake to serve at their first child’s christening. Once marriage became more about love than producing heirs, wedded couples continued freezing their cakes to eat the treats on the one-year anniversary.

Storing The Entire Cake For That Special Occasion

Some cakes freeze better than others. Dense cakes like carrot or chocolate cake will freeze better than airy or fruit-filled cakes. Likewise, cakes covered in butter cream frosting will freeze better than cakes covered in whipped cream. If you are going to freeze the top layer of your cake after the wedding, first remove any sugar flowers or other adornments. Stick the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours so it will harden a bit, then wrap the entire thing in a few layers of plastic wrap and store it in an airtight plastic bag before placing it in the freezer.

Eating The Piece Of Cake

You can’t wait until the night of your first anniversary to take your cake out of the freezer, since microwaving it will lead to a puddle of melted frosting. The day before you intend to eat the cake, move the bag from the freezer to the refrigerator. After two hours, take the cake out of its wrappings. Place it on a plate and return it to the refrigerator. A few hours before you plan to eat the cake, set it out at room temperature.

Alternatives

If you opt not to save any of your original piece of wedding cake or the pastry appears to have succumbed to freezer burn, you can still pay tribute to this tradition by ordering a new cake for your first anniversary. Take a wedding album photo of your wedding cake to a baker and ask her to replicate the top layer on a small cake. If you still have your original cake topper, place it on top of your new cake before sharing the tasty treat with your spouse.

Wedding Cake Historical Tradition Around The World

Traditions can be fun, but no matter what your mother says, she does not want a truly traditional wedding cake. History suggests this would be small wheat or barley cakes that the groom breaks over the bride’s head. The guests then pick up the pieces for luck.

One wedding cake tradition common to most cultures is sharing the cake with the guests. If everyone has a piece, it wards off evil spirits and brings good luck, fertility, and prosperity to the couple. In some cultures, guests are considered rude to refuse a piece.

France

The French wedding “cake” is a pile of cream-filled pastries called a croquembouche. The pyramid-shaped pile is held together with caramel. This wedding night cake may have evolved from a medieval times tradition in which the bride and groom were supposed to kiss over a stack of buns without toppling it. Success meant a prosperous life and good fortune.

England

In England, the wedding cake is often a cognac-soaked, layered fruit cakes with marzipan or brandy butter frosting. The top layer is saved to celebrate the birth of the couple’s first child.

A precursor to the wedding cake in Yorkshire was the bride’s pie, which was considered essential to the couple’s happiness. This pie consisted of a plump hen surrounded by minced meats, fruits, and nuts. The lady who found the ring hidden in the pie would marry next.

Peru

Peruvians also hide a ring in the cake. Multiple charms, including a ring, are attached to ribbons and placed between the layers. The single women each pull a ribbon and the one who gets the ring will be the next to marry. This tradition has also become a popular bridal shower game in the U.S., especially in Southern states.

China

The traditional wedding cake in China is a multi-layered creation called Lapis Surabaya. Its layers represent a ladder leading to success and prosperity, and the couple “climbs” the layers by cutting the cake from the bottom up. They feed the first pieces to the parents and grandparents.

Caribbean Islands

Caribbean Island weddings feature a fruitcake, called a “black cake,” containing dried fruits that have soaked in rum for up to a year. The recipe is handed down through the women in the family, and each generation adds its enhancements. A rum sauce accompanies the cake.

Denmark

The Danish wedding cake is a ring cake (kransekage) made of marzipan, almonds, and pastilage. The outside is decorated with sugar and the hollow is filled with candy and fresh fruit. The tradition of the newlyweds cutting the cake together may have originated in Denmark, where this has long been a custom believed to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.

Norway

Flour was once so scarce in Norway that bread was a treat saved for special occasions. Therefore, the Norwegian brudlaupskling is a bread with cheese, cream, and syrup toppings.

Lithuania

Lithuanian wedding cakes, called sakotis, are shaped like pine trees and decorated with fresh flowers and herbs stuck on the top.

This is just a small sampling of the couple’s commitment and traditions surrounding the wedding cake. Research your heritage for many more ideas.

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