A feast of creative cake ideas as well as the history of the wedding cake.
No wedding is complete without the cake - no matter what the shape or form. The traditions and influences that have transformed the wedding cake, into what we know today, go back centuries and are truly fascinating.
Cakes were first introduced into the marriage celebration with small biscuits being broken over the bride`s head as a symbol of fertility. This, and the ancient Greek tradition of throwing wheat, nuts and grain, have evolved into today`s confetti.

Medieval brides had wheat thrown at them and carried wheat stalks (the beginning of the bouquet) while dry biscuits were given to wedding guests at the feast. These biscuits gradually developed into small spiced buns which formed the centrepiece of the wedding table. The fruit cake as we know it today came from rich `wedding biscuits` made by the couple`s families, consisting of spices and currants.

Biscuits eventually evolved into cakes with changes in cooking methods and dried fruit became very popular in cakes for all festive occasions. An almond paste, marchpane (known today as marzipan) became a delicacy of the elite and was used as a glaze on the cake. Icing was first introduced by French pastry cooks, with white being the favoured colour.

Decorations such as turtle doves and good luck symbols became popular and today bridal couples continue this tradition by adorning cakes with figurines of the bride and groom, a bible, or interests the couple may wish to portray on their cake.

Grandeur began to emerge in royal wedding cakes, with feathers, vases of flowers and charms adorning the tops of several tiers. Queen Victoria`s famous wedding cake was adorned with Britannia herself and was 3m in circumference, while Queen Elizabeth II`s cake was 2.75m high and weighed 227kg! Different shapes became popular with Princess Diana and Prince Charles` 5 tiered hexagonal cake which was adorned with sugar buildings and flowers. Ring-shaped cakes have gained in popularity, especially in the USA, often in sponge with the couple`s initials in silver. Austrians and Germans enjoy their rich chocolate sponge cakes and in Luxembourg the traditional cake is a `dough` baked on a rolling rod. The shortcake-like rings are then glazed and stacked with the largest ring at the bottom and a crown made of almonds and sugar on the top.

A new approach to the old wedding cake is the ice cream cake, perfect for South Africa`s hot climate and popular with all your guests, however assortments of tiers connected by bridges and stairways across a large table remains a firm favourite of the South African bride.

Superstitions surrounding cakes

• Unmarried female guests would take a piece of wedding cake home and place it under their pillow at night, to dream of the man they would marry.
• The chief bridesmaid would keep a piece of cake in her pocket for the duration of the couple`s honeymoon if she hoped to marry soon.
• After the wedding of the first daughter in a family, a piece of wedding cake would be preserved until all the daughters had married.
• The bride would keep a piece of wedding cake to ensure her husband`s fidelity (this has evolved into the modern tradition of keeping the top tier for your first baby`s christening).
• The bride and groom cut the first slice of cake together to ensure they`ll conceive (today they cut the cake together because the crust is so thick it takes the strength of them both to cut).

  Article source: LifeWorld