The wedding cake is often deemed "the focal point" of an entire wedding. How did an object of such importance come to be? Well, the story is actually quite cute. The wedding cake found its beginning back in medieval times when guests of the wedding were to bring with them a small cake. This was the gift (a far cry from wedding registries and gift cards wouldn't you say?)! The abundance of small cakes would then be stacked into layers, and then it would be considered good luck if the bride and groom could kiss over the top of the cakes. The act of layering and stacking individual cakes is how we evolved into the three tiered wedding cake of the twentieth century. This three tiered cake was traditionally made with a twenty pound fruit cake as it's base with each layer atop of it getting slightly smaller. The only type of frosting used was royal icing because it was hard enough to keep out moisture in a time when refrigerators weren't available. From this very traditional three tiered wedding cake came the elaborate cake creations we see today: cupcakes, groom cakes, cakes that look like fish tanks, square cakes, and cakes of every color. With weddings today having grown into the huge events that they are, cakes have evolved into quite the spectacle as well. With shows like: Cake Boss, and Ace of Cakes, its no wonder people expect so much of the wedding cake.
Of course, when the words "wedding" and "cake" come together in the same sentence it is likely the name Sylvia Weinstock will soon follow. Sylvia Weinstock is the queen of cakes. If you watch the wedding channel on TV or have ever done a minimal amount of searching for a wedding cake, you've probably seen her; and if you don't remember her face, you will surely remember her for her glasses.
Doesn't she just make you smile?
Sylvia has also been noted as "the Leonardo Da Vinci of wedding cakes." She has more than 30 years of experience in the industry and when asked "why she was attracted to fancy cakes" she replied "...I was a pastry chef so I wanted to do something that nobody else was doing. People were baking cakes, but they weren't making wonderful, beautiful cakes." Simple philosophy, and extraordinary cakes. Sylvia's shop is (of course) located in New York, NY. Here is a video of the sweet Queen of cakes herself:
Next up for Part II of The Wedding Cake, I will break down the many decisions and options one has as they go to order their own wedding cake.
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