The wedding cake has been around almost as long as the wedding. The Romans broke their salty-mealed cake over the bride's head at the end of the ceremony, and the crumbs were gathered by guests for good luck.

In medieval England, guests brought small cakes and piled them in the center of the table. The bride and groom then attempted to kiss over them, without knocking over the whole pile. A traveling baker from France conceived the idea of icing all the small cakes together into one large cake, to make this easier, and the modern tiered wedding cake was born.

Tradition says that the bride and groom cut the first piece of cake together, to ensure happiness. Then they feed a small piece of cake to each  other at the same time. Tradition also says that an unmarried girl who sleeps with a slice of wedding cake under her pillow will dream of her future groom.

Whether your wedding is large or small, the cake is a focal point. Though usually prepared by the caterer, the bride may choose to make the cake herself, with beautiful borders of garland, stars, and roses, all squeezed from a pastry tube. Add touches of doves or cupids, and top your cake with the traditional bride and groom, or even live flowers. Be sure you freeze the top layer to eat on your first anniversary.

It takes a lot of confidence to make a wedding cake, whether you are doing it yourself or letting a close friend or family member do it for you.

Check the schedules at craft and cookware stores and for continuing education classes, such as those offered by Wilton Industries in Woodridge, Chicago; they often include cakemaking and decorating classes.

But if you or a friend have an artistic way with icing, wedding books and cake cookbooks offer decorating ideas.

Some titles to look for: "Colette's Wedding Cake," by Colette Peters; "Sweet Celebrations: The Art of Decorating Beautiful Cakes," by Kate Manchester and Sylvia J. Weinstock; "The Wedding Cake Book," by Dede Wilson; and "Martha Stewart Weddings." Wilton Industries also publishes many books on cake decorating. One book that goes into helpful detail about cakemaking is "The Cake Bible," by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Here are some technique suggestions from "Martha Stewart Weddings":

 

 

• Make sure all the layers are the same height and are even. Uneven layers result in an uneven, crooked cake. If the cake has risen higher in the center, trim off the unevenness with a sharp serrated bread knife.
• Make all the layers of the cake in advance. Wrap extremely well in single layers, using plastic wrap. Depending on the recipe, the cake layers may be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to two months. When ready to frost the cake, thaw all layers in their wrapping. If the layers are slightly cold, the icing will set better.
• Frost the cake the day before the wedding and refrigerate it so the icing will be thoroughly chilled.
• Decorate the cake with flowers, spun sugar, etc., as close to serving time as possible. Consider the colorful addition of fresh, unsprayed or organic roses or edible flowers, such as pansies. They are simple but beautiful. Flowers should be kept in water up until the time the cake is to be decorated.
• To move the cake from one location to another, carry the layers separately, on large trays, and assemble the cake where it is going to be served.
• Always take a repair kit to the place where the cake is to be served to fix any marred frosting and decoration.
• Finally, because the occasion is so special and the cake such an important element, it would be best to practice making the cake ahead of time. That way, such details as time requirements, transportation issues, decorating ideas and perfecting the recipe can be worked out before the big day.               

 

 
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