There hasn’t been a wedding without a beautiful wedding cake It is unheard off and would surely create a stir as guests would expect a better alternative but not total lack of cake. Wedding cakes have been a universal phenomenon for the highlight of the day. The cake serves as dessert for after everyone is done with their meal. It culminates the day’s events on a sweet note.
With the emphasis on the wedding cake, one is left to wonder how all these started.
The Origin of the Wedding Cake Tradition
Traditionally, wedding cakes were served to bring good fortune to the couple and guests as well. In Ancient Rome, the wedding cake made of wheat and barley was broken on the bride’s head to bring good fortune to the couple. In England, the wedding cakes had multiple tiers and the bride and groom were expected to kiss over it signifying a prosperous married life together.
Cakes were also used as a symbol of status with the rich investing in bigger cakes with more icing. However, the above facts have been disputed severally with others tracing the origin of the cake to the church. Just as bread is broken and shared in churches that serve Holy Communion, this was extended to weddings as well. While it is not clear how it all started, these are some of the references made in regards to the wedding cake tradition.
How Wedding Cakes Have Evolved
Over the years wedding cakes have evolved in flavor, design, decoration and presentation. Looking at the last 100 years, the start of the 19th century featured traditional sponge cakes topped with icing. This evolved to art designs on the icing with jewel and ornamentals as decorations in the 1920’s
The 1930’s saw a frenzy in the use of cake toppings created from porcelain, bakelite or wood. They also became more affordable as bakers started producing wedding cakes on a commercial scale. In the 1940’s, the Word Wars saw a ration in supplies hence wedding cakes were mostly baked out of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, with little butter, milk and eggs. They did not exceed two tiers.
The 1950’s introduced fruit cakes covered with natural flowers as decorations. In the 1960’s, with the end of the war and rationing, mega cakes were the highlight of the season with some going up to six tiers. The decoration was also more detailed compared to the later years. Again more detailed decoration was witnessed in the 1970’s with gold and silver plastic ornamentals, ribbons and edible flowers.
In the 1980’s, wedding cakes were made of dark fruit mixture with hardened icing supported on pillars. Decorators had begun experimenting with colors hence the cakes were color fully decorated with iced decorations, flowers and ribbons. The 1990’s saw the start of more customized design especially on toppings. The 2000’s introduced the start of accompaniments such as cupcakes.
In the 2010’s, we are witnessing a lot of creativity with wedding cakes. Water colors and none-frosted cakes are a delight in cake decoration.
If you are looking for a custom wedding cake in Markham, whether a modern or contemporary design, we are able to bake the perfect cake for you. Visit our showroom or website for more details.
