The Cakewalk of the Wedding Cake

By Richard Palms

I bought a professionally made, three-tier wedding cake for my son’s wedding in August 2008 and this cost me £296.00 [$419.53]. Apart from the fact that it was beautifully iced and decorated, the cake was delicious - or should I say cakes: the top tier was made as a walnut cake as the bride’s request; the middle layer was rich chocolate, requested by the groom; the bottom layer was a delightfully moist and rich fruit cake for the majority of the guests, with enough to send out to those who were unable to attend the ceremony.

There are lots of different icings and fillings which are used with wedding cakes when they are made, such as fondant icing, or ganache, to mention just two. When fondant icing is made it is kneaded and rolled to make it smooth and then it is draped over the cake in a solid sheet and trimmed to size. It provides a very smooth surface and can be dyed any number of colours. Buttercream is usually used as a filling, although it can also be used as an icing. I find this particular covering sickly but it does provide a lovely texture. Basically it is made by adding a large amount of icing sugar to butter and the two mixed together and then beaten so that the butter takes on a creamy appearance.

Ganache is another sickly-sweet flavouring, being made with double cream and melted chocolate. It is poured over the cake and, when this mixture dries it becomes quite stiff and is very effective as an icing. Then there is pulled sugar which I know from experience is extremely difficult to make [very difficult!] and gum paste which consists of gelatine powder, cornstarch and sugar and which can be made into very realistic looking flowers. Summer icing is another form of buttercream but is better to use when the weather is hot. It contains vegetable shortening which has a much higher melting point than that of buttercream.

Colour schemes for wedding cakes are usually designed to fit in with the colours the bridesmaids are wearing, or with the overall theme of the wedding. As my son’s wedding last August was based on the colours of his regiment, the flowers in the bride’s bouquet also followed through the same theme, as did the flowers on top of the wedding cake. The only difference between the flowers from the bouquet and those on the cake were the cake flowers were edible icing.

The wedding cake is the focal point of the whole reception and is another very old custom based on the representation of fertility. It represents the coming together of two families, with the cake cutting designed to enable the guests to share in the bride and groom’s joy. The wedding cake is traditionally made from dried fruits as the grains and fruit represent fertility. Nowadays cakes are often made with pure chocolate, sometimes white chocolate, sometimes dark chocolate, often finished with shaved chocolate curls.