Echoes - TCW

Choosing the Groom's Cake

Add a whimsical touch to the wedding day

The tradition of the groom’s cake started in southern United States as a symbol of the couple’s sweet life together. The groom’s cake was not to be served to the guests while at the wedding reception; rather, it was to be sliced up, placed into packages and given to guests as favors when they departed. Single women at the wedding would take their pieces of cake home and sleep with it under their pillows in hopes of dreaming of their future husbands. Well, that tradition has certainly changed over the years!

Now, the groom’s cake is a nod to the bride’s other half love of a sports team, movie or hobby usually. It has become a whimsical and fun centerpiece served at the rehearsal dinner or displayed next to the more traditional and elegant wedding cake at the wedding reception. Some couples even forgo the wedding cake and just serve the groom’s cake.

The popularity of television shows such as “Ace of Cakes” and “Cake Boss” has lent to the skyrocketing business of specialty bakeries. Cake decorating has become an art in and of itself. Most bakeries now employ students from art schools, as they possess the talent needed to create sculptured cakes such as those recently made at TipsyCake for groom’s cakes, including a replica of Wrigley Field, a “Ghostbusters”-themed cake, a “Donkey Kong” game cake and a four-foot long replica of Texas Longhorn stadium.

When shopping for a wedding and/or groom’s cake please keep the following in mind:

• Ask to see pictures of cakes the bakery has made. This will give you a good idea of how creative the bakery is and what they can produce. You probably don’t want the run-of-the-mill cake, so shop around.

• Schedule a tasting so you know exactly what you’re getting. Be clear about any food allergies that you or your fiancé may have. You won’t be able to accommodate every guest, but make sure you’ll both be able to enjoy the cake.

• Have fun with it! This is “your day.” Make it special by having a cake that reflects your love and commitment to each other and also the favorite things you enjoy doing together. One cake I recently saw at TipsyCake was a bride and groom appearing to fly above a football stadium with the bride in a Northwestern helmet carrying the football and the groom in a Purdue helmet chasing after her. Purdue and Northwestern were written the end zones of the cake. What a fun idea!

• Remember, with the new breed of specialty cake art, there’s nothing too extravagant for some of these bakeries. Don’t be afraid to ask what you envision. Someone will be able to create it for your special day.

Happy Wedding Planning!