The History Of Traditional English Wedding Cakes

A traditional English wedding cake is a fruit cake. This type of cake has a long shelf life, which is why a tier of the wedding cake is often saved for the christening of the couple's future offspring. The cake is usually decorated with marzipan and icing. The tradition of using fruitcakes for wedding cakes dates back to medieval times. The choice of fruitcake makes sense for several reasons. The brandy or rum used to make a fruitcake acts as a natural preservative, and in the days before refrigeration, a cake that could stand the test of time was a key to having guests survive your wedding. The ingredients of a fruitcake, such as dried fruit, spirits, and spices, were also not easy to come by, so a fruitcake represented prosperity and wealth.

Fruitcake: the traditional English wedding cake recipe

Fruitcake is the traditional English wedding cake. It is a dense, durable cake that has been infused with liquor. The most common alcohol used is brandy or rum, which acts as a natural preservative. This means that the cake can be made well in advance of the wedding day.

Fruitcakes were originally a symbol of wealth and prosperity due to their expensive ingredients, such as dried fruits, alcohol, and spices. The ingredients would have been sourced from across the British Empire. The cake also represented the vastness of the British Empire, with ingredients coming from all corners of the globe.

The traditional English wedding fruitcake is an elaborate mixture of reconstituted dried fruits soaked in fruit juices and an alcoholic beverage. Port, sherry, rum, or whiskey are popular choices. Dark brown sugar is added, along with a mix of fragrant spices, butter, and flour. The cake is then coated in a layer of marzipan, followed by royal icing, to create a smooth and elegant finish.

The first published recipe for a wedding fruitcake was in 1655, for "the Countess of Rutland's receipt for making the rare Branbury cake." Fruitcakes have been served at English weddings for centuries and are still a staple of royal weddings today. Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and Prince William and Kate Middleton all had fruitcakes at their weddings.

The role of the wedding cake in ancient Rome

In ancient Rome, the wedding ceremony was finalised by breaking a cake of wheat or barley called a mustaceum over the bride's head. This custom was believed to bring good fortune to the married couple. The bride and groom then ate a few crumbs of the cake together, in a custom known as confarreatio. After this, the wedding guests would gather crumbs of the cake as tokens of good luck.

The tradition of breaking a cake over the bride's head evolved into crumbling sweet wheat cakes over her head. Eventually, the sweets were replaced with rice, flower petals, and coloured paper, which are still showered over happy couples around the world.

The wedding cake in ancient Rome was not just a dessert but a symbol of good fortune and a key part of the wedding ceremony.

Wedding cake as a status symbol

Wedding cakes have long been a status symbol, with their size, colour, and ingredients all conveying something about the social status of the couple and their families.

In medieval England, cakes were stacked as high as possible for the bride and groom to kiss over. A successful kiss guaranteed prosperity, and the taller the stack of cakes, the higher the social standing of the couple. The tradition of stacking cakes or buns eventually evolved into the contemporary croquembouche, a tower of sweet rolls or profiteroles with a halo of spun sugar.

In the 17th century, two cakes were made: one for the bride and one for the groom. The bride's cake was usually a simple pound cake with white icing, as white was a sign of virginity and purity. The groom's cake was typically a darker, rich fruit cake, and much smaller than the bride's cake. The groom's cake eventually fell out of favour, with the bride's cake becoming the main cake for the event.

In the early 19th century, sugar became easier to obtain, but the more refined and whiter sugars were very expensive, so only wealthy families could afford a pure white frosting. This was a clear display of wealth and social status. When Queen Victoria used white icing on her wedding cake, it was renamed 'royal icing'.

The contemporary wedding cake originated at the 1882 wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. His cake was the first to be completely edible, with separate layers of cake and dense icing that were stacked on top of each other. The tiers represented prosperity and were a clear status symbol, as only wealthy families could afford them.

In addition to the size of the cake, the ingredients used also conveyed social status. Fruitcakes, which have been a staple of English wedding traditions since medieval times, were a symbol of wealth and prosperity due to their precious ingredients, such as dried fruits, alcohol, and spices. These ingredients were often sourced from far-flung corners of the globe, representing the vastness of the British Empire.

The evolution of the contemporary wedding cake

The contemporary wedding cake has evolved from various ethnic traditions. One of the earliest traditions began in Ancient Rome, where a cake or bread was broken over the bride's head to bring good luck to the couple. This evolved into the multi-tiered, elaborately decorated cakes we know today.

In Medieval England, cakes were stacked as high as possible, and the bride and groom would attempt to kiss over the top of the stack to ensure fertility and good fortune. This tradition led to the creation of the Croquembouche, a tower of sweet rolls topped with a halo of spun sugar.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the "bride's pie" was a common feature of weddings. This savoury dish was filled with oysters, lamb testicles, pine kernels, and cocks' combs. A glass ring was often placed in the pie, and the maiden who found it was believed to be the next to marry.

During the same period, two cakes were typically made for weddings: one for the bride and one for the groom. The bride's cake was usually a simple pound or plum cake with white icing, symbolising virginity and purity. The groom's cake was a smaller, darker fruit cake.

In the early 19th century, sugar became more accessible, and the bride's cakes became sweeter. The more refined and whiter sugars were still very expensive, so only wealthy families could afford pure white frosting. This displayed the family's social status. When Queen Victoria used white icing on her wedding cake, it became known as royal icing.

The modern wedding cake as we know it today originated at the 1882 wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. His wedding cake was the first to be completely edible, with separate layers stacked on top of each other using dense icing. This innovation allowed for taller, more impressive cakes.

Today, wedding cakes come in various sizes, flavours, and configurations. They are often designed to reflect the personalities of the couple and have become a pop culture symbol in Western society. While some traditional elements remain, such as fruit cakes in England, wedding cakes have evolved to include modern ingredients and designs.

Wedding cake superstitions and symbolism

Wedding cakes have been a part of wedding ceremonies for centuries, and they are steeped in symbolism and superstition.

The first wedding cakes probably originated in ancient Greece, but the tradition of a cake of wheat or barley being broken over the bride's head to bring good fortune and fertility to the couple began in ancient Rome. This tradition evolved over time, with medieval English couples kissing over a stack of cakes and buns, believing it would bring them a lifetime of happiness and prosperity.

The traditional English wedding cake is a fruit cake, often soaked in rum or brandy, which acts as a natural preservative. The choice of fruit cake also symbolises wealth and prosperity, as dried fruit, spirits, and spices were expensive and not easily accessible. The white icing on the cake is also significant, as it represents the bride's purity and is a display of wealth, as refined white sugar was costly.

In the past, wedding cakes were considered to bring good luck to the couple and all the guests. Today, while the superstitions remain, the cake is more of a centrepiece and is not always served to the guests.

Some wedding cake superstitions include:

• Saving the top layer of the wedding cake to eat on the couple's first wedding anniversary or for their future child's christening.
• Eating the crumbs of the wedding cake for good luck, as the cake symbolises happiness and a good life for the newlyweds.
• Bridesmaids sleeping with a piece of the cake under their pillow or in their left stocking to dream of their future husbands.
• The belief that a spider on the wedding dress is a good omen.
• Rain on the wedding day symbolising fertility and cleansing in some cultures.
• Crying on the wedding day being good luck, as it is believed the bride has shed all her tears.

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