Typical wedding cakes are more than just confectionery treats after a fancy dinner these days. They are marked works of art that solidify themes and wow taste buds. Today wedding cakes aren't just plain white tiered desserts; they're tailored to match the wedding's theme, like cakes shaped like wine bottles if it's a vineyard wedding or something as abstract as a fish because the couple met on a dating site. There is a new level of appreciation for personalization when it comes to wedding cakes, and unique cakes that buck the norm are de rigueur. But when it comes to wedding cakes, it may be true that innovation was always in style.
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Wedding cakes have an interesting history, dating back as far as ancient Rome, where marriages were solidified by the groom smashing barley cake over his bride's head. And an early British recipe for "Bride's Pye" included ingredients like lamb testicles and oysters. But as sugar became more plentiful in England in the 16th century, the tradition graduated to using very refined sugar to create pure white icing to symbolize not only the bride's purity but the families' affluence as well.
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Overtime, the décor and artistry have become more intricate, and wedding cake trends, just like the fashions of the day, have come and gone. But when you take a look at wedding cakes of years passed, you can see that grandeur was never out of style.
