Corina from Dunn's Bakery is sharing her knowledge on wedding cakes and traditions
I've been to quite many weddings (almost all the time crying, nostalgic that my wedding happened a while in the past) and I find it really interesting that there are so many different habits and traditions.
One of them has to do with cakes – and the variety of wedding cakes and wedding cake traditions is quite impressive.
In Japan, the wedding cake may very well start as a prank before actually being served to the guests. Guests will be welcomed by a massive artificial rubber cake, so elaborate, that many take it as real. This is one, though, is real.
In China, wedding food has special symbolism. It is usually eight dishes that are served, and that does not include the cake! The appetizers are a combination of various sliced meats, jellyfish and nuts shaped like dragons and phoenixes. The dragon symbolizes the male, while the phoenix the female.
In France, many opt for the croquenbouche as the traditional wedding cake. This is also served at first communions. Croque-an-bouche actually means “crunch in the mouth”. It is a form of pastry, the one éclairs are made of, that is generally served as a high-piled cone of chocolate, cream filled profiteroles, all bound with threads of caramel. It can be decorated with flowers, ribbons; it all depends on the baker’s skills and the couple’s request.
In Britain, wedding cakes are traditionally made of fruit cake and they come as tiered wedding cakes. The cake is usually made with cognac soaked dates, prunes, raisins that render a smooth texture and an incredible flavour. Curiously enough, British wedding cakes were made of wheat at first, as a symbol of fertility. Tiered wedding cakes first became popular in the 1600s amongst nobility and royalty. It is an older article in the BBC news magazine that tells us these details. It also highlights the popularity of the tiered cake in countries like France. Luckily, we can all enjoy tiered wedding cakes nowadays. Interestingly, the top tier of the cake was traditionally kept and used at the christening of the couple’s first baby; now it is used at the couple’s first anniversary. In the end it all comes down to what you choose as a couple.
If you ever fancy a tiered wedding cake, you may want to check this page where you can admire and choose contemporary or classic cakes.
In Ukraine, the Korovai is a type of celebration bread used at weddings and anniversaries. It symbolizes family and community. The korovai can be adorned with dough embellishments, coins, leaves, flowers. Usually the dough embellishments are doves or other birds that symbolize the bride and the groom. The dividing of the korovai is also interesting: the top part symbolizes the Moon; it is divided in half and goes to the married couple. The next slice goes to the mother and father of the bride and so on so forth. I find this really interesting.
Traditions like these give weddings charm. While to some they may be common, to others they are completely new and exciting. So perhaps, exchanging wedding traditions and cakes might be a good idea, as long as the history of that tradition is also known.
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These wedding cakes all sound so delicious, I'd love to have a slice of cake right now after reading this haha. The idea of rubber cakes as a prank is a pretty good one too!
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