WEDDINGS
THE EVOLUTION OF
Cake
THE WEDDING CAKE IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING AND PERSONAL ELEMENTS OF A WEDDING . IT IS OFTEN THE ONE THING THAT IS CREATED COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH AND AS SUCH IT MEANS THAT THE BRIDE AND GROOM CAN HAVE COMPLETE SAY OVER BOTH WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW IT TASTES .
The first wedding ‘ cakes ’ appeared in medieval times . Far from the fancy , tiered numbers we ’ re used to seeing today though , they were made from wheat and were supposed to symbolise fertility – these cakes weren ’ t even eaten and instead were thrown at the bride when the wedding ceremony was over . Charming .
It wasn ’ t until Roman times that the idea of the happy couple and their guests enjoying the cake as part of the wedding feast came about , although back then the cake in question was more often a loaf of bread than something sweet . The groom would take the first bite , after which he would break the bread into pieces over his new bride ’ s head ( naturally ...) and hand the bits out to his guests . If it was a particularly large wedding there wouldn ’ t be enough bread to go around , but that didn ’ t faze the attendees ; they would fight over the crumbs , which were considered lucky .
Nowadays , wedding trends are fickle things and what was perfect last year could be considered utterly old hat now . We spoke to Alli Dockree , specialist cakemaker and owner of cake-making business , Glitter ‘ n ’ Ice , about all things wedding cake .
How do you think wedding cakes have changed over time ?
Some brides are happy to go with the traditional style , while some want bigger , more extravagant cakes . I have made so many different styles , but the trend at the moment for me appears to be either very simple , gorgeous and stencilled with fresh flowers , or over the top and covered in bling , shiny and sparkly !
What is the most extravagant wedding cake you ’ ve ever been asked to create ?
It was my version of the iconic ‘ Love Is All You Need ’ cake inspired by the Beatles . It was the biggest and most extravagant I ’ ve ever made . I spent many weeks making the decorations and many hours adding them to the tiers , as well as a totally nerve-wracking drive to the venue to set it up and add the remaining four boxes full of handmade decorations . We just about had time to change and get to the ceremony .
Have you ever had a request that you ’ ve had to turn down because it was too impractical or impossible ?
Never ! I will attempt almost any cake of any size and if it appears impractical or impossible , I will always find a way .
In what direction do you see the future of wedding cake design going ?
I see more and more of my clients wanting cakes reproduced from pictures they have seen on the internet ; more clients are researching designs they want rather than leaving it to the cake designer , which is fine as at least that way I know exactly what is required , although ocassionally I do try to gently persuade them to make some changes to make the cake more personal to them .
Glitter ‘ n ’ Ice 07798 753854 allidockree @ yahoo . co . uk www . glitternice . co . uk
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