Recently (as in today), Craftsy published a post of mine about interesting wedding cakes from around the globe. It features about 7 interesting cakes from far-flung locales, and in my opinion, it's a sweet way to do some armchair travel and learn about some unique cakes.
But I wanted to expand upon the tradition of Bermudese wedding cakes, because I found it so darned interesting. And, the cakes are so, so, pretty. That's them, above. The photographer, Sacha Blackburne, was kind enough to share some of her images with me, which is delightful, because as you can see, she's a really talented photographer and really knows how to capture the beauty of a cake.
But on to the Bermudese wedding cake tradition. As you can see in the photo at the top, weddings are twice as nice in Bermuda, because there are two cakes. They are decorated in silver and gold, respectively, so you'll have to give me a moment here while I do some arpeggios and sing the "siiiiiiiiilver and goooooooooold" song from the TV special of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for several moments here.
(pause)
OK, I'm done. Back to the cakes.
The larger cake, sometimes referred to as the “bride’s cake,” is a large, often multi-tiered fruitcake-like confection covered with silver leaf, which I have read is meant to symbolize purity. Snazzy purity, that is!
And, of course, the fruitcake is often made using rum from the region.
A smaller cake, the groom’s cake, is a pound cake that is often covered in gold leaf. This is meant to symbolize wealth and prosperity. Once again: snazzy!
Photo via Sacha Blackburne
The traditional topping? No figurines of a smiling bride and groom here. The traditional cake topper is a real sapling, which is then planted by the couple as a symbol of their growing love and life together. Decoration including other vines, leaves, etc may accentuate this theme.