Gourmet Fare Magazine | Sweet Inspirations

Sweet Inspirations

More than a dessert,
a wedding cake evokes the
dreams of love and romance.

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Wedding Cake: Inspiration For
The Heart And Taste Buds
By Lisa D. Russo

ith hands clasped gently on the knife, the newlyweds slice carefully into the beautifully iced creation. With a mischievous grin, the groom feeds his wife a piece of cake, smearing a bit of icing across her nose. As the cameras flash, the happy couple shares a sticky kiss.

The tradition of the wedding cake has evolved from the Roman marriage of "confarreatio," or eating together. Greek wedding cakes were a concoction of honey and sesame seeds. In the 1890's, the typical white "bride's cake" made its first appearance. The previously popular dark cake survived in the custom of the "groom's cake."

Courtesy of WeddingChannel.com

More than a dessert, a wedding cake evokes the dreams of love and romance. According to one superstition, young girls who sleep on a piece of wedding cake will dream of their future husbands. Many couples save the top layer, eating it with champagne on their first wedding anniversary. As a confection, however, wedding cakes of the past were bland and tasteless—plain white cake covered with white icing.

Recent trends have given the wedding cake a life of its own. Rather than selecting a traditional cake, many brides are choosing personalized flavored concoctions. At today's receptions, the wedding cake often inspires both emotions and taste buds.

In past years, many Southern weddings featured a plain pound cake. Today, however, trends are shifting toward different flavors of cake, filling and frosting. Today, brides want something different…a cake that will embody the personality and tastes of individual brides. One popular choice is a cake consisting of layers filled with fruit, liquor, custard or mousse. Another option involves multiple tiers, each with a different flavor. From filled cakes to cheesecake iced with French buttercream, picking a wedding cake can be as important as buying a car. Recently, however, the trend is toward lighter cakes, like sponge layers filled with custard.

After selecting a flavor, brides must then choose a decor style for their wedding cake. Available to customers are books of cake designs. By selecting different aspects of numerous designs, the future bride can fashion a unique creation. Sometimes it can take up to three or four sessions to finalize design plans for a cake.

Firefly Fandango Wedding Cake Cookies

Firefly Fandango Wedding Cake Cookies
Product Details

Deliciously beautiful! These wonderful creations are almost too pretty to eat. Inspired by the beauty of traditional wedding cakes, the Wedding Cake Cookie is a perfect confection to give as a remembrance of that special day. Perfect as a wedding or shower favor or tucked into flower arrangements at dining tables. Guests will want to take them home and admire them, but not for long. The four-tier cookies are hand-glazed with white and yellow icing, embellished with delicate flowers, and trimmed in scrollwork with tiny bead accents. Set of 2 individually wrapped cookies, festooned with a white silk ribbon, will last for months. These irresistible creations are made with the finest ingredients. Kosher certified. Each cookie measures 5.25" wide by 4.25" high.

Available at Gourmet Fare Shoppe. For large orders or special requests, please contact Customer Service for assistance.

While many brides still choose white icing, decorating options abound. Bakers use icing to create delicate details like lace and basket weave. Gum-paste flowers can be molded and painted to resemble the bridal bouquet. Rolled fondant icing, an English delicacy with a marshmallow flavor, creates a perfectly smooth cake surface. Some cakes even look like a pile of stacked peanuts!

Wedding cakes are often priced by the serving. Typically, prices can range from $1.75 to $2.50 per person and up. Options like rolled fondant icing and cheesecake cost extra at most bakeries.

The final decorating touch, of course, is a cake topper. Most brides top their wedding cakes with fresh flowers or fruit, although bride and groom figurines remain popular. Today, many couples choose cake toppers to reflect their interests.

With its long tradition, the wedding cake is certainly no ordinary dessert. As a confection, however, these romantic treats have come into their own. Today's wedding cakes are a true feast - for the eyes, the heart and at long last, the mouth.