The history of the wedding cake

The wedding cake has a long history that dates back to the Germanic peoples. Long before our era people gathered for large communal meals to mark important occasions such as weddings. Lavish dining and drinking put people in touch with the gods, who had to be propitiated with sacrifices. If bread was the main food source, it was sacrificed in place of an animal. As a product of the cycle of the seasons, the sowing and harvesting of the grain, bread was also seen as a symbol of fertility, which made it an essential part of any wedding ceremony.

As people grew richer, their breads became more luxurious. With the addition of ingredients such as honey, nuts and fruit, the bread became more like cake. As a special treat the usual rye meal was replaced by wheatmeal. But only the nobility and rich merchants could afford white flour, which was made by sieving wheatmeal. The term ‘white bread weeks’, which refers to the honeymoon period, gives some indication of just how special white bread was. It was a luxury that people could only afford for their wedding celebration and a short period thereafter.

The real wedding cake, which replaced the so-called ‘bridal bread’, originated in England, where it became traditional to make very elaborate wedding cakes.
In the Netherlands the inside of a wedding cake consists of many layers of luxuriously light sponge cake, patisserie cream and cream, richly sprinkled with liqueur. The cake is often covered with marzipan and decorated with roses or threaded sugar. Or with the decoration of your choice naturally.
Making a wedding cake is a labour-intensive process that involves a great deal of skill. It is one of the things that Verhoog specialises in. Making a wedding cake is our way of wishing the bridal pair every happiness in their marriage.