insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 12 - February 2016 | Page 32

WEDDINGS

CHOCCYWOCCYDOODAH’S
WEDDING CAKE TRENDS FOR 2016
Amongst the many things that need to be thought about when planning
a wedding is the cake. But have you ever wondered why a wedding cake
is something we automatically assume we must have? Where did the
tradition come from, and what does it really mean?

The first wedding ‘cakes’ appeared in medieval
times. They were made from wheat, and were
supposed to symbolise fertility – these cakes
weren’t eaten, however; they were literally
thrown at the bride when the wedding ceremony
was over!
Thankfully the Romans had other ideas when it
came to wedding cakes, and they changed the
recipe into one that could be enjoyed by the
guests as a thank you for attending the wedding.
The first person to eat a piece of this cake – more

a loaf of bread in reality – would be the groom,
who would then proceed to break the rest into
pieces over his bride’s head before offering it
around. There wouldn’t always be enough to
feed everyone, so there would often be a fight
to get to the crumbs, which were considered
lucky.
Over the centuries, the wedding cake evolved
into the sponge cream delicacy that we know
today, which made it much more difficult to break
over anyone’s head!

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The tiers on a wedding cake stem from an ancient
custom in which buns were stacked up as high
as possible without toppling over; if the bride and
groom were able to kiss over the top of the pile
of sweet treats, they would lead a happy and
prosperous life.
As for the tradition of icing… well, it used to be
lard. There was no refrigeration, and no way to
keep the cakes fresh (since they had to be made
days in advance), so a layer of lard was used to