Northshore Magazine

guests played a vital role. After the couple cut the first slice together, guests ate pieces to guarantee everything from good luck to future children. Fortunate guests even received symbolic trinkets baked into the batter. The Romans may not have envisioned today's grand creations, but no matter the century, the size, or the level of detail, a wedding cake still harkens back to the firmly rooted tradition of good tidings. Over time, cakes became more elaborate symbols of status and wealth, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's white-icing wonder weighing in at 300 pounds in 1840. the wedding cake was only a standard tradition that looked pretty but often fell flat on flavor. Couples made sure they had one but didn't give it much thought until the cutting ceremony. But today's newlyweds want more than just dessert—they want a cake that is truly memorable, inside and out. As celebrity bakers like Cake Boss Buddy Valastro have shown, a creative approach to flavors and decorations ensures a personalized confection, a multitiered reflection of its intendeds' personalities. Like a storybook made of butter, sugar, and flour, a successful cake keeps guests engaged until the last meaningful, delicious, and beautiful bite. Cake Makers Ingredients and cakes from Eat Cake!, Jenny's Wedding Cakes, and Cakes for Occasions Historical references to sweet cakes at weddings date back to Roman times when a wheat or barley cake was broken over the bride's head at the ceremony's end. Later references to spiced buns or even the savory 17th-century Bride's Pye (a spiced blend of meats and animal parts) preceded the more traditional wedding pastry. More than just sustenance, the cake represented superstitions of good luck, prosperity, or other predictions, and "When I meet a couple, I encourage them to choose something that expresses their personalities," says Hilary Larson, owner of Eat Cake! in Newburyport. "A wedding is such a personal statement, and couples are looking for ways to set themselves apart," she adds. Christina Karsadi-Tadiello, wedding coordinator at Cakes for Occasions in Danvers, says a bride wants her cake to tie in family memories or something especially meaningful to her and her fiancé. "It is the signature of the couple, not just their wedding," says Karsadi-Tadiello, noting how she once made a cake with a Ghostbusters character emerging from the bottom tier in a nod to the groom's favorite movie. And even if guests don't get the reference, the originators understand it intimately. Many couples begin the design process by gathering pictures of cakes they love—their dream cakes. But these found inspirations must ultimately mesh with the big day's emerging color scheme and décor. "The cake ties in with the entire wedding—the invites, the colors, the flowers," says Karsadi-Tadiello. Jenny Williamson, owner of Jenny's Wedding Cakes in Amesbury, is skilled at incorporating an upcoming wedding's nuances into her sugary works of art. For clients Noelle and Joey Levis, Williamson 128 KJ JanFeb14 Cake.indd 128 11/22/13 9:21 AM

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