The tradition of the wedding cake has ancient origins up to Ancient Greece, in fact during weddings some mixtures of honey and flour or sesame were offered: the first slice, accompanied by a date or a quince, was given to the bride to wish her fertility.
As for the classic glazing, the first examples date back to the Middle Ages: the British used to glaze several layers of biscuits and pastries with lard, creating walls of sweet bread that symbolized the prosperity of the spouses.
The wedding cake has always closed the North European and American wedding events but in Italy, only since the 1950s, this cake has become the main symbol of closing the wedding celebrations of every social class.
According to tradition, the cutting of the cake must also follow a ritual: the first incision must be by the groom and finished by the bride: the two spouses must always hold the knife together (the woman will have to grab it with her right hand and the groom will put hers on top of that. her). Subsequently, it is up to the woman to serve the cake to her husband, mother-in-law, mother, father-in-law, father, and her witnesses: with this gesture she concretizes the acquisition of the role of mistress of the new family.
Traditionally, the wedding cake is circular: this geometric shape represents the heavenly protection evoked on the spouses, just as the ring is a symbol of an endless promise. Likewise, the risers that support the various floors or the layers that overlap each other represent a sort of ladder of married life, where the spouses face together a journey made of joys and difficulties. For the more traditionalists, the cake topper should be made up of swans, to identify the monogamous bond.
As for the typical color for a wedding cake, white, there are two things to remember. To begin with, it is indicative of the purity of the bride, but not only: the whiteness also represents the wealth of her dowry, because refined sugar had a high cost that only a wealthy family could afford.
Wedding cakes are not all the same, below is a roundup of proposals:
- The English cake: The Anglo-Saxon cake is a type of wedding cake with large dimensions, decidedly flashy and whimsical. It consists of cylinders positioned one on top of the other in descending order. The peculiarity of this cake lies in the decoration, usually made with flowers and ribbons in perfect Anglo-Saxon style.
- The American style cake: The American style cake differs from the flat cake only in the coating, instead of with cream it is covered with sugar paste. The inside, on the other hand, usually remains unchanged, sponge cake and filling with cream. It is a cake with an elegant and "candid" look, especially if minimal decorations are applied to it.
- The Italian cake: Another classic among Italian wedding cakes is the one arranged on stands. The structure of the risers can be of different shapes and heights, and the various plates, generally round, transparent or in colored variations, all contain a top of the same cake.
- The naked cake has been very popular for some years now, that is the naked cake, also made on several levels but without being covered with either cream or icing: in the naked cake, in fact, the sponge cake is view! It is a beautiful and very scenic cake, often decorated with seasonal fruits or compositions recalling the bride's bouquet of flowers.
- Drip Cake: It's the runny cake and it's all the rage! It comes from Australia and with its syrup pour it conquers even the Italian spouses. It is a cake made on one or more floors, at the discretion of the spouses, coated with perfectly smooth butter cream and on which drops of syrup or chocolate slip. With the right cake topper and refined decorations, this cake becomes ideal for an elegant and refined wedding.
- Chalkboard Cake, the blackboard effect cake is simple but impactful appearance. Made with one or more layers covered with black icing, it is often decorated with names, messages or romantic phrases chosen by the couple. A perfect cake for an original, modern, and trendy wedding.
- Ruffle Cake: In the more romantic ones, however, the Ruffle cake cannot be missing! This cake with a spectacular scenic impact continues to be a trend and to be present at the trendiest wedding banquets. Like the Drip cake, the Ruffle is covered with a layer of butter cream which in this case is not smoothed, but "curled" recreating the flounces that give the cake this romantic effect. Generally white, the Ruffle cake also lends itself to beautiful play of shades of colors in pastel shades.
Trends 2021
The cakes are decorated with fresh flowers or fruits.The sensitivity towards current environmental issues and an ethical morality aimed at sustainability has led many couples to celebrate their weddings in contact with nature, frequently preferring that country chic style that has been riding the current trend. The rural atmospheres pervaded by a refined allure are interpreted to perfection by wedding cakes with delicate and very fresh flowers. The choice of colors will be closely related to the mood and the predominant decorations in the entire reception, perfectly embodying the stylistic expression determined by the couple.
The wedding cake for 2021 is getting slimmer too! Round cake is noticeable less and less wide and not very high, while few floors, two or three, but much higher than wide, take hold. Soaring, long-limbed cakes, with new shapes, therefore, but always very good.
The croquembouche, or the pyramid of puffs, filled with cream or cream, held together with caramel, which once crystallized creates a crunchy "covering" and then leaves room for the soft heart of the puff. The real novelty of 2021 is a non-tart cake, with a French flavor ... visually very sophisticated
And to finish this roundup, the new trend is square cakes. This year's imperative is to give free rein to lovers of the most “angular” geometric shapes, but as always with a soft heart.
