History of the Wedding Cake

The history of the wedding cake, believe it or not, goes back to the days of the Roman Empire. During those times it was more like the bread we eat and it would be broken over the brides head. From the 17th century through the 19th century there was a custom of the bride’s pie, with the main ingrediant a glass ring. An old adage stated that the woman that found the ring would be the next to be married. By the late 19th century the brides pies disappeared and the single layer wedding cake we know started to appear. White has been the traditional color for the cake, denoting purity. Symbolically one of the first tasks that a couple perform together is the cutting of the wedding cake. This is one tradition that most of have seen many times. The bride cuts the cake with the help of the groom.The multi-tiered wedding cakes used to be reserved for British royalty alone but today they have become the rule of the day. Saving the top tier for the first anniversary goes back to the 19th century, to be eaten on the first anniversary of the couples wedding. This cake pictured above was recently served at a wedding at Saguaro Buttes for a reception of over 250 people.