History of Royal Wedding Cakes

My Writing Process

The Beginning of the Semester

Essay Announced

I take it easy

7 Days Before Due

I don't know where to begin. I'm struggling to find an idea for this paper

5 Days Before Due

I casually research, hoping to find inspiration

  3 Days Before Due

Coming down to the wire and I still have no fresh ideas

 1 Day Before Due

I quickly come up with a thesis and short outline, and try to make it work together

 Due Date

I turn in something that resembles a paper

The End of the Semester

Essay Announced

I book it to the library

 7 Days Before Due

I narrow down the books/articles I need

 5 Days Before Due

Inspiration hits like magic and I find my thesis

3 Days Before Due

I write and write and write

1 Day Before Due

I turn in my paper and thank God it's finished

Due Date

I collapse and relax

Blogging Focus Reflection

1.       I decided to leave my blog public mainly because if people wanted to read this, they should be able to, and also, I don’t know how to make it private. I am new to blogger and don’t know how everything works just yet.

2.       I have not invited family and/or friends to view my blog because I figured it was more a blog for this class and they may not know what was going on. Also, I don’t think my family or friends would actually check it out. They might smile and say that they would but then completely forget.

3.       I would be surprised if somebody found my blog that wasn’t from this class because the topic seems pretty specific. That being said, I wrote mainly for the class as my audience.

4.       I tried to put up all of my focus reflections just to make sure I had enough at the end of the class. If I didn’t include some it might be because I couldn’t log in to blogger. I can never remember not to use my school account.

5.       I will most definitely include this reflection on my blog because I’m not quite sure how many reflections I have already and would like to have the required amount at the end of the semester. Also, this seems like a nice final reflection to have on there.

6.       Blogging has been okay. I am not much of a blogger, and if I do it’s normally solely with pictures and short captions. I am not really used to using blogger either so it was a little confusing at times. However, I never felt uncomfortable about sharing what I had to say on my blog. I figure it’s my opinion and anyone who disagrees or doesn’t want to read it can visit another blog.

"Eat Food" Focus Reflection

I think Michael Pollan’s advice in “Eat Food: Food Defined” is good on the outside but realistically, it probably isn’t sustainable. I have read these tips before in fitness magazines and diet blogs but the advice doesn’t fit everyone. I can’t afford most of the things I SHOULD be eating, so I have to settle for the things I have to eat. True, key lime pie is not exactly healthy, but, I mean, it’s really good. Of guilty pleasures, I have too many and am not willing to give them up to eat healthier. Sure, I want to look like Elle Macpherson, but in the moment a Krispie Kreme is looking at me, I have can’t not have a taste. Staying on the ends of the supermarket is a nice idea, but noodles are in the direct center of any supermarket and pasta is one of my favorite dishes. So, for me, I wish I could follow Pollan’s advice, but I won’t in the near future. Can’t Elle Macpherson follow me around the supermarket knocking things out of my hand?

Service-Learning Log #3

1.    What did you do?

I started to carbonized wood that we could use to help plants grow, I planted a crazy amount of garlic, and I made some Korean cabbage dish in the learning kitchen.

2.    In what ways has your service-learning experience enhanced your academic growth?

This hands-on experience has really helped me understand the hard work that goes into growing food, so I definitely have gained more respect. It is really cool reading about farming and actually getting to participate with it.

 

3.    In what ways has your service-learning experience enhanced your personal growth?

Personally, I wasn’t too excited to go help out in the gardens but I have met some really nice, interesting people working there. Paul and I love starting the carbon-firing bin. I also met Ryan, who is also really funny and cool.  The people working there definitely keep the levity going.

4.    In what ways has your service-learning experience enhanced your civic learning? 

As I am new to Asheville, this has really helped getting to know some more people and getting familiar with the land I live on. The Rhodes Garden is a really neat place and I’m glad I got to help out.

5.    What are your service-learning goals for the future? 

I waited to start my service-learning hours, so I’ve been crunching them all this week. As for the future, I can’t say exactly but I think it would be cool to return to see if any of the garlic or strawberries I planted have sprouted.

Research Paper Reflection

I must admit that when first faced with this research paper prompt, I was overwhelmed. The truth is, I had never before considered food as a topic that I really wanted to delve into. First, I had to find a topic that I found interesting, determine what I wanted to say about my topic, learn all I could, and communicate my message through my writing.

            I must say I had a difficult time narrowing down my topic. I love history so I thought I could focus on particular important events concerning food, like the riots in 18^th Century Paris. I also was inspired when I visited a lecture from a local author about his latest book concerning growing food and religion. However, both of these ideas weren’t topics that could really keep my attention, that I would really enjoy writing a research paper on. Then I thought of a combination of these two things – The history of the wedding cake; this idea had history, religion, and weddings (my other all time favorite subject). I had found my topic.

            The next phase was a little more difficult as I had to narrow down my topic into a main point and purpose. It was quite a challenge to come up with a thesis statement that wasn’t just centered on the ramblings of a girl idealizing weddings and cake. I thought it would be best to tell the history of the wedding cake as a sort of guide for brides-to-be who wanted a royal feel to her wedding. This seemed like a natural fit for a thesis because most of the wedding cake trends have been and still are made trendy my monarchical marriage.

            Through my reflection, I discovered many things I had not known before. I was delighted to find out that the wedding tradition of throwing rice originated ages ago with the throwing of cake instead. An example of this was at Lucrezia Borgia’s first marriage, a historical figure I find most compelling. Through my research I learned that in the Middle Ages and not until the Stuart reign in England had cake tins been invented. In fact, when watching a new TV show called “Reign” (a historic drama following Mary Queen of Scots’ time in France), I was able to point out that their use of tiered cake was not historically accurate. I was happily able to apply this newly acquired knowledge that I thought I would never get a chance to share beyond this class.

            While writing my paper, I found it difficult not to use first person perspective. But, I thought in order for my paper to have a more masterly tone, third person was the better choice. I outlined my paper chronologically in order to communicate my opinion that the most modern royal wedding cakes have been the most magnificent. At first, my voice was taking over the essay and I was getting off track from my thesis, but that was soon corrected. After my discussion with Professor Pisano, I took out some of the wordy sentences and added more about the latest cake trends.

            After finishing my paper, I was quite pleased with what I had accomplished. I had found a topic I was eager to learn about having to do with some of my favorite subjects. I had come up with a thesis statement that fit well within my topic and that I could format my paper around. I had analyzed my topic fully, consulted multiple sources, and was able to use the information I learned in my own life. I had said what I wanted to say through out my paper.

Research Paper: "Royal Icing: Weddings Take the Cake"

One of the most common answers that bridal gown consultants get when they ask “What would you like to look like on your wedding day?” is “A princess.” Most brides want to feel like royalty on the day they say “I do” to their future husband; they want their guests and attendees to think their wedding was the best they’ve seen. But it’s not just the bride that has to be regal, it’s the entire ceremony and reception. And while the bride may be the symbol of magnificence during the ceremony, the reception is ruled by the wedding cake. Indeed, the wedding cake has become the most important detail of a wedding besides the bride and groom. The cake sets the tone for the wedding, whether it be grand and opulent, simple and sweet, or fun and full of personality. In order to retain the elegance of a decadent affair fitting a princess, the bride should look through the history of royal weddings and draw inspiration from those styles into her own vision. From the first wedding cakes dating back to the 16^th century to the most modern cakes of today, the bride could easily take note of the traditions and trends of these desserts and incorporate elements into her own wedding cake for a regal touch.

            Even before the wedding cake came into existence, sugar “subtleties,” or sugar sculptures, were popular during the reign of Henry VIII. The bakers constructed these desserts from ground down Persian sugar and reformed the powder into grandiose sculptures, such as animals, castles, boats, etc.; these sculptures were then painted using vegetable colors and covered in edible 24 karat gold (Royal Wedding Cakes). They were truly edible art. The sugar subtleties were seen as a sign of wealth and grandeur. They would be served at feasts, special occasions, and royal gatherings to really show off the magnificence of the empire. However, it wasn’t until 50 years after the Tudors, during the reign of the Stuarts, that the wedding cake as we know it came into being, and this is because of the invention of the cake tin (Royal Wedding Cakes). But these cakes were rather thick and heavy compared to what we now enjoy. They were filled with exotic fruits and nuts all the way from the Mediterranean in order to wow the court (Royal Wedding Cakes) (fig. 1). These sweet additions were meant to symbolize fertility and prosperity. This trend was taken from the Middle Ages, where wedding guests would eat and toss cake at the bride for good luck. In place of modern rice that we throw today, during the Middle Ages, it was tradition for pieces of cake, were broken of the bride’s head and tossed at the happy couple for hopes of a child and a happy marriage – the first example of confetti. It is said that at one of Lucrezia Borgia’s weddings, the daughter of Pope Alexander VI, “[…] over two hundred and sixty pounds of ‘confetti’ were consumed at the banquet […]” (Wilson 69). Also, instead of catching the bouquet, guests would take home a slice of cake, place it under their pillow, and supposedly dream of their future husband/wife. A bride today looking for brilliant centerpieces or cake toppers might be influenced by the extravagant sugar sculptures from the Tudor era; or for a simpler, rustic wedding, she might be influenced by the sweet fruit-and-nut-filled cakes from the Stuart era. The bride could also save parts of her cake as confetti to be thrown instead of rice; or give out slices of cake in boxes to be taken home by her guests in place of wedding favors.

Fig. 1. 17^th Century Wedding Cake. Wedding Sevens.

Still, if either of these trends don’t strike her fancy, she might choose the Georgian age. It is in this reign that wedding cakes stayed pretty much the same, if not a little lighter, however they did set a very popular trend still used today – tiers. In this time, wedding cakes began to get a little more ornate, but most of all they became vertical. There is a story about a French chef who came over to England in the 18^th century and designed the first tiered wedding cake from admiring the steeple of St. Bride’s Church on Fleet Street in London (fig. 2). This steeple has a look of stacked layers of white stone, each layer decreasing in width as the tiers get higher. This type of cake would today be most akin to Jaqueline Onassis and John F. Kennedy’s wedding cake - a very simple, understated white 5 tiered wedding cake, standing around 2 feet. A bride looking for a very clean look to her wedding should take note of the Georgian cakes, as they are refined and uncluttered.

And as far as extravagance begining to take hold in history, the most popular wedding cake trend we find today comes from the Victorian era, with the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert. This was the first globaly publicized wedding where pictures of the Queen’s cake was viewed worldwide; it is noted that, “This media frenzy set the standard for all subsequent royal weddings during the Victorian period—and there were quite a number, as all of Victoria and Albert’s nine children married” (Allen 464). In fact, “[…] her chef was the first to put a model of a happy couple on top of the cake, in the way that we see today” (Royal Wedding Cakes) (fig. 3); and it is also for the first time that we see white icing on a wedding cake to symbolize purity and to show that the best British sugar had been used. It should also be said that it is because of Queen Victoria that we get the tradition of the white wedding dress. Before her wedding day to Prince Albert, monarchs were normally dressed in gold, silver, red, or another bold color. It is also in the Victorian era where wedding cakes took on a much lighter quality with hardened sugar icing to support tiers. The cakes are shown to be much more ornate and graceful, with more sugar flowers and elegant piping. For the bride going for a more classic but romantic feel, she can do no wrong with the Victorian style cakes. These wedding cake styles really envoke a sweetness and innocence into the wedding reception, rather than something overly-gaudy and ostentatious that might suggest otherwise.

Fig. 2. St. Bride’s Church Steeple. Hidden London.   

Fig. 3. Queen Victoria’s Cake.  Victoriana Magazine

However, it isn’t until the royal weddings of the 20^th century that wedding cakes take on different forms. It is in this era where we find many smaller cakes, even though there’s always one which is the centerpiece. These wedding cakes are the most decadent, and the higher, the better. The current Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, had a wedding cake that was nine feet tall and weighed five hundred pounds. Along with the smaller sister cakes, pieces were sent as wedding favors to guests (in the grand tradition of the Middle Ages) and to bakers in Australia that sent some of the ingredients (Wilson 72). This paramount cake is perhaps the best example of a royal wedding cake; it was tall, covered in delicate sugar lace volumetric embellishments, and displayed the royal crest of the United Kingdom (fig. 4). This prime example of a royal wedding cake would be the perfect inspiration for the glamorous bride. Or, take Grace Kelly’s cake when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco; her cake was just as white and tall, but with miniature sugar cupids and castles encircling and holding up the layers, and, of course, a crown on top. These cakes were really meant to show off the magnificence of the monarch’s wedding, and any bride hoping to feel like a princess needs only to see these lavish cakes to draw inspiration for her own.

Fig. 4. Queen Elizabeth II’s Wedding Cake. People Magazine.

Today, modern brides are sticking to similar wedding cake trends and adding their own twists. Most commonly seen in 2014 have been the colorful cake, the naked cake, the vintage cake, and the statement cake (Solaru). The colorful cake is a bold cake that strays from the normal white Victorian icing; these cakes are most like the Tudor sugar subtleties that were very colorful and often decorated with gold adornments. Modern brides are using this color trend and adding geometric patterns as well, like stacked chevrons. The naked cake is made up of tiered loaves of cake with a sweetened icing separating the layers but none on the outside; these cakes are most like the Stuart cakes where a sugar icing was used only on the top of the cake, with the cake showing through. This trend has been very popular this year for the natural, whimsical wedding. The vintage cake is a classic white or pale color cake most of the time with edible lace, simple piping or ribbons surrounding the tiers, and sugar flowers; these cakes are most like the Victorian cakes where white icing was key and romance was the main theme. Vintage cakes are classically decorative, charming, and enchanting. Finally, the statement cake is a statuesque cake that is garnished with fine details, but most importantly – tall; these cakes are most like the 20^th century royal brides, such as H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II or Grace Kelly. The glamorous bride of this year have really gone for mimicking this style because it is the most grand and spectacular.

It is with these fine examples of other royal weddings that the bride of today can find the prefect wedding cake for her desired princess feel. The princess bride of today may be inspired by the extravagant sugar sculptures from the Tudor era, the exotic cake confetti from the Stuart era, the simply classic tiers from the Georgian era, the ornate white icing from the Victorian era, or the grandiose ornamentation of the 20^th century. In order to have the perfect wedding, the couple needs the perfect wedding cake. For a royal wedding feel to be achieved, the wedding cake must have a certain magnificence and “by looking to the past it can therefore be used as a pointer […]” (Charsley 233). A princess bride should look to past monarchs for inspiration when planning her own wedding. For the bride to feel like a princess on her wedding day, she must become a princess, and that includes having a royal wedding cake.

Works Cited

17th Century Wedding Cake. Digital image. Wedding Sevens. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

Allen, Emily. "Culinary Exhibition: Victorian Wedding Cakes and Royal Spectacle." Victorian

            Studies 45.3 (2003): 457-84. EBSCO. Indiana University Press. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Charsley, Simon. "The Wedding Cake: History and Meanings." Folklore 99.2 (1988): 232-41.

JSTOR. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Queen Elizabeth II's Wedding Cake. Digital image. People. Time, Inc., 23 Apr. 2011. Web. 22     Oct.  2014.

Queen Victoria's Wedding Cake. Digital image. Queen Victoria. Victoriana Magazine,

n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

Royal Wedding Cakes: A History. Perf. Marc Meltonville. YouTube. YouTube, 27 Apr. 2011.

            Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Solaru, Elizabeth. "Top Wedding Cake Trends for 2014." Elizabeth's Cake Emporium. N.p., 20

Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

St. Bride's Church Steeple. Digital image. Hidden London. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

Wilson, Carol. "Wedding Cake: A Slice of History." Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical

            Food Studies 5.2 (2005): 69-72. JSTOR. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.