 During
a consultation with a bride-to-be about her wedding cake, there are a few
questions to consider. One of them is regarding the number of servings she would
like from her cake. This often leads to a discussion about saving the top tier.
The tradition of saving the top tier of the wedding cake began long ago in
England, when tiered wedding cakes were made of a rich, wine or brandy-soaked
fruitcake. This cake was well preserved by the liquor and fruit it contained,
and was usually served to the guest at the christening of the first child the
marriage produced. Birth-control, and life-styles being what they were in those
days, this blessed event most often occurred within one year of the wedding.
Now, modern wedding cakes are rarely make a out of fruitcake, and most
couples plan to extend their “honeymoons” beyond a year of their wedding
date. Therefore, if saving the top tier is a tradition the couple wished to
pursue, is should be wrapped really well, and kept it frozen for up to three
months. It can then be thawed (slowly, in the refrigerator), and shared when
celebrating the one-month anniversary, a family member’s birthday, or a
holiday gathering.
However, having a tier of cake which is not going to be served at the wedding
also adds to the cost of the cake, so I don’t recommend it for the budget
conscious. And speaking of budgets, it really isn’t absolutely necessary to
have exactly the number of servings match the number of guests. As hard as it is
for me to imagine, some people actually don’t care to eat cake, especially
when there is another dessert being served. A smaller cake can be commissioned,
and later on, if the guest list should grow, or the couple is concerned about
having enough, a small “back-up” cake can be ordered within two weeks of the
wedding date.
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