Why We Cut the Wedding Cake with Jane Dayus-Hinch
[photo courtesy of prlog]
Through the years, the wedding cake has become the focus of a variety of customs and traditions. Some of these customs have survived through time. Some have not.
First appearing in the middle of the17th century and well into the early 19th century was a popular dish called the Bride’s pie. The pie was filled with sweet breads, a mince pie, or may have been merely a simple mutton pie. A main “ingredient” was a glass ring. An old adage claimed that the woman who found the ring would be the next to be married. Bride’s pies were by no means universally found at weddings, but there are accounts of these pies being made into the main centerpiece at less affluent ceremonies.
By the late 19th century, wedding cakes became very popular, and the use of the bride’s pie disappeared. Early cakes were simple single-tiered fruitcakes, with some variations. It was a while before the first multi-tier wedding cake appeared in all its glory.
