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lucvanspace · 6 years ago

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Wedding Cakes Across Different Cultures

Wedding customs and rituals vary significantly around the world, and the cake is no exception. Each country has used their own cultural differences to form a unique traditional wedding cake.

Indonesia: A cake typically served at weddings Indonesia weddings cake is a massive, multilayered creation known as kek lapis. The cake is typically made from layers of chocolate and vanilla and dates back to the Dutch colonial period; today's versions are often spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. These layers are symbolic of a ladder that the couple will ‘climb’ up to success. To follow with this ladder symbol, some couples will cut the cake from the bottom up. The bride and groom will also cut each other a small bite size piece and feed each other.

Greece: These days, most Greek couples prefer a flourless almond cake, which is filled with vanilla custard and fruit, and covered in sliced almonds. The traditional rendition of a Greek wedding cake consists of honey, sesame seed, and quince, which is said to symbolize the couple's enduring commitment to each other. Sourdough wedding bread decorated with beads and blossoms is also a traditional treat. The couple will cut the cake immediately after their first dance to prevent the cake from melting in the heat. The couple will feed each other a bite with the same spoon to show they’re letting their boundaries down, sharing, becoming one.

Great Britain: The British go for a traditional fruit cake. Usually the cake is made with cognac-soaked dates, prunes, raisins, currants, and orange peel, to create a very moist texture. Popular frostings include marzipan, brandy butter, or fondant. And rather than saving a piece for their first anniversary, Brits hang on to the entire top tier, called the christening cake, until the birth of their first child. In some scenarios, the wedding cake was used more as a centrepiece because of the overly sweet flavour of the cake.

Ireland and Scotland: Fruitcakes are also popular in Ireland and Scotland, commonly created with three tiers, is often times laced with bourbon, brandy, or whiskey and each layer is spread with almond paste. According to Scottish legend, the cake should be baked just after engagement to really let the mix of flavours seep together. The bottom layers are the only layer of cake that should be eaten as the top layer should also be saved until the couple’s first child.

Japan: Many Japanese actually use imposter cakes at wedding receptions. Made of artificial rubber, these faux confections are iced with wax -- and even feature a slot for the bride and groom to insert a knife. Some models have even been known to produce a puff of steam! Other dupes consist of elaborately frosted Styrofoam dummy cakes. While the imposters are just for show, cakes hiding out in the kitchen are cut and served to guests.

Korea: Many wedding cakes are from ingredients we would consider sweet. In Korea, they opt instead for a cake made of ground steamed rice covered in red bean powder and filled with fruit, nuts or a mung bean paste. A tiered sponge cake covered in non dairy whipped cream is also a popular treat.

Italy: The history around the wedding cake goes back to Ancient Rome. A popular choice for an Italian wedding is a zuppa inglese. Scrumptiously filled with chocolate custard, vanilla custard, rum cream, and fruit, tiers of pound cake are elaborately trimmed with flower blooms of royal icing. Wedding cakes are regional in Italy, and in some areas cake is not served at all. At those where they are, taste trumps decoration. In many areas, the custom is to serve a mille-foglia, an Italian cake made from layers of light filo pastry, chocolate, and vanilla creams, and topped with strawberries. This is a single tiered dessert and is a light way to finish an evening meal.

Bermuda: In Bermuda, it's common to have a small cedar sapling top off a wedding cake. The sapling is said to symbolise the couple's growing love, and is usually replanted after the ceremony. This is typically a fruit or a pound cake. In some weddings, both the bride and groom will have a cake, one of each type.

Caribbean: Caribbean couples traditionally feast on fruitcakes. The cake is often dark and filled with dried fruits and sherry, wine, or rum. Party guests in the West Indies pay for a lucky peek at the wedding cake hidden under a fine white tablecloth. Here a rum-laced fruitcake is the sweet of choice. The cake is a minimum of three tiers and the top tier is put in the freezer for the one year anniversary. From the second tier, a sliver of cake should be cut and put under the bride’s pillow that same night as they believe this ritual guarantees contraception. As soon as a wedding date is confirmed, the dried fruits are put into a vat to soak for up to 6 months.

Norway: The Norwegians serve Kransekake, which is an almond based ring cake, with the texture more like a cookie than cake. It is popular to decorate these cakes with flags from Norway, Denmark, or Sweden, as well as with the signature ripples of icing on each layer. In other parts of Norway, cake is not traditionally served, Norwegians serve brudlaupskling, a type of wedding bread first developed when white flour was a rarity on farms in Norway. Any food containing wheat was once highly prized, so the wedding bread was considered a true treat. Topped with cheese, cream, and syrup, this unique bread is folded over and cut into small squares and served to all the guests.

Denmark: The Danish are known to feast upon a cornucopia cake. Made of almond cake and marzipan, the ring-shaped confection is decorated with pastilage and filled in the center with candy, almond cakes, fresh fruit, or sorbet. Sometimes marzipan portraits of the bride and groom are attached to the outside of the cake. To avoid bad luck, the newlyweds cut the cake together; all the guests must eat a slice.

Iceland: Icelanders enjoy a kransakaka at weddings. Made up of ring-shaped almond pastries piled on top of one another to form a pyramid, the hollow center of the tower is filled with fine chocolates or candies.

France: The French traditionally serve up what is known as a croquembouche. This tall tower of cream-filled pastries is coated in caramel and formed into a pyramid shape and is decorated in spun sugar. Typically these are large scale statement piece towers. Another not so traditional wedding cake choice is one made from crepes. These crepes are layered on top of each other and dusted with icing sugar.

Germany: Though American-style wedding cakes are slowly making their way into Europe, countries such as Germany are hanging onto their own traditions. German couples often serve up a rich nut genoise or sponge cake to their guests. The cake is usually laced with liqueur or syrup; filled with jam, marzipan or nougat; and covered in fondant or ganache. Any use of artificial coloring on a cake is considered a major faux pas.

Lithuania: In Lithuania, the wedding cake is actually a cookie-like pastry shaped into a Christmas tree. Baked to a sunny yellow hue, the pastry, called a sakotis, displays fresh flowers and herbs protruding from the top peak.

Ukraine: Ukrainian couples share a type of wedding bread known as Korovai. Decorated with designs representing eternity and the joining of the two families, the bread is considered a sacred part of the wedding feast.

https://www.theknot.com/content/a-world-tour-of-wedding-cake-traditions

http://www.expat.or.id/info/weddings.html

https://loveandtravel.dk/en/greek-wedding-traditions/

https://www.eater.com/2018/5/18/17340392/cake-royal-wedding-meghan-markle-prince-harry-william-kate-elizabeth-history

https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/blog/scottish-wedding-traditions-an-introduction/

https://shop.mybluprint.com/cake-decorating/article/traditional-wedding-cakes-from-around-the-world/

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_0000c2.htm

http://marrycaribbean.com/food/wedding-cakes/

https://www.asimplehomestead.com/kransekake-norwegian-wedding-cake/ input to reseach by Brittany for our group

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jenguerrero · 6 years ago

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#TrineHahnemann #ScandinavianBaking #QuadrilleBooks #HardieGrant

Oh, this time of year puts me right in the mood for Scandinavian baked treats, so I grabbed Trine Hahnemann’s Scandinavian Baking: Sweet and Savory Cakes and Bakes, for Bright Days and Cozy Nights. She never disappoints!

I flipped through, flagging recipes to try. Cardamom knots. Yes please! I read the intro, “When the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town is a legendary Scandinavian children’s story about a very peaceful place where three robbers enter in the night… but they are rather nice and do not take any more than they need. In the end they go to jail, but soon they are reformed and part of Cardamom town everyday life. Why Cardamom town, I don’t know… I suppose it just shows how much we love cardamom!” NO WAY! I coughed on my coffee a little bit, because my little one and I had this conversation about a year ago…

I still can’t even. No one cares if the spice is appropriate?! Okay, I’m totally off-topic now.

This is an amazing Scandinavian baking book! It’s filled with both sweet and savory bakes. The range is really impressive. She gives measurements by both cup and weight, so you’re set no matter what your preference is. Her instructions are really clear, though her tone is super relaxed, the perfect balance of homey and precise. The chapters are: Cakes and Pastries * Midsummer * Breads and Savories * Christmas.

I’ll tell you all about the rest of the book in a minute, but first, I want to share Trine’s recipe for Kringle with Rosehip Jam with you! A huge thanks to Hardie Grant Books | Quadrille for permission!

KRINGLE WITH ROSEHIP JAM

MAKES 3

Quintessential farmhouse baking. When I was around eight years old, my mother rented a cottage as an experiment in trying to live in the country. I became friends with our next-door neighbor, whose parents had a big farm. Her mother baked the best kringle I had ever eaten and she baked several times every week. This is best the day you bake it, but you can reheat it the next day and serve it warm.

For the kringle: 7 Tbsp [100 ml] lukewarm whole milk 3½ Tbsp [50 g] fresh yeast (They come in little cubes and you usually find a little box of them in the dairy section near the feta cheese. ~Jen) 3 eggs, lightly beaten ½ cup [100 g] superfine sugar ½ tsp salt 1 2⁄3 cups [350 g] butter 4½ cups [550 g] 00 grade (tipo 00) flour, plus more to dust

For the filling: 1 1/3 cups [150 g] almonds, chopped 1 cup [200 g] superfine sugar 1 1/8 cups [250 g] butter 10½ oz [300 g] rosehip jam (or Apple compote, see page 37) 1 egg, lightly beaten 1¾ oz [50 g] slivered almonds

Pour the milk into a bowl, crumble over the yeast, and stir to dissolve. Add the eggs, sugar, and salt, cover, and leave 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the butter into cubes and, with your hands, rub them into the flour. When the 30 minutes is up, mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Knead on a floured work surface until you have a smooth dough. The dough is very delicate, so you might have to use a little more flour and handle it with care. Place in a bowl, cover, and leave to rise at warm room temperature about 1 hour.

For the filling, mix the chopped almonds into a paste with the sugar and butter. Set aside.

Return to the dough. Roll it out on a floured work surface into a rectangle. Fold it into three, crosswise, like a business letter (see photo, page 92), then turn it by 90°, roll it out, and fold it once more, in the same way.

Now divide the dough into three and roll each out into a rectangle. (I made the rectangles about 16″x6″ each. ~Jen)

Divide the filling into three. Spread each portion out over a 1½ in [4 cm]-wide strip down the middle of each dough rectangle. Spread the rosehip jam on top. Fold the short ends up over the filling and then the long sides, first one side over the filling and then the other, so they overlap by 3⁄8 in [1 cm]. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, cover with dish towels, and let rise again, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F [220°C].

Brush each pastry with the egg and sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t turn too dark. If they are looking too dark, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F [200°C]. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm or cold.

My thoughts and pics of the bakes I tried: 1-2) Cardamom Knots (Knutar) – p 109. I am so in love with these. The dough is a rich, easy, buttery one, and the knots are fantastically fragrant. The whole house smelled amazing. The flavor is a lightly sweet, buttery cardamom, and they are nice and soft.

3-4) Sausage Bread Rolls – p 230. Delicious, and super kid-friendly dinner. I couldn’t get my hands on the specific sausage she mentions, chipolatas, so I used lil’ smokies. My kids loved the pesto version, too.

5-7) Basic Danish Pastry Dough – p 93. This dough is wonderfully buttery and flaky and much easier than it sounds. She gives terrific step-by-step photos along with the written instructions. It just takes a few very easy folds and a little patience waiting for fridge time. (A butter square about 13 ¼” is about 17” on the diagonal to fit perfectly into that dough.)

8-9) Christmas Stars – p 264 using the Basic Danish Pastry Dough on p 93. These are just wonderful. If you make the dough the day before, they’re a snap to pull together at breakfast time. They have a lovely prune filling.

10-14) Doughnuts and Spiced White Glogg – p 278. If you’ve never made aebelskivers before, you’re in for a treat. These little pancakes are fried in just a tiny bit of butter instead of deep frying in oil. We adored the warm spiced glogg. This is a cozy treat, perfect for snuggling up by the fire watching Christmas movies. (I found elderflower cordial both on Amazon and in the mixer aisle at the local liquor store. This is my aebelskiver pan. Yes, it’s spelled ebelskiver and ebleskiver sometimes. I use these aebelskiver turners, but if you have knitting needles, those work, too. :D)

15-16) Nordic Cheese Bread – p 190. This is exceptionally good bread. It’s got several eggs in it, so it’s nice and rich, and the sharp cheese taste is perfection. It’s a very easy loaf to make. You mix fresh yeast with water and a small portion of the flour and let it sit. Then you come back later and put that together with the rest of the ingredients. I mixed it with a dough hook on the stand mixer. It said knead lightly, so I was expecting to lightly knead for a while. No. The dough was smooth and lovely after about 6 passes. I just joined the ends of my bread log together. She must have twist her dough log, because hers is so much prettier. Trying that next time. 😀

17-19) Kringle with Rosehip Jam – p 112. This is the best kringle I’ve ever made. The almond/butter/sugar filing with a schmear of rosehip jam is delicious, and the kringle dough is super buttery, soft, and wonderfully easy to make. (I got the rosehip jam on Amazon.)

20) Raspberry Eclairs – p 34 using the Choux Pastry on page 20. These are delicious! They’re not overly sweet. The cream is sweetened with fresh raspberries and the seeds from a vanilla bean with just a tiny bit of powdered sugar. The top is glazed with dark chocolate. They are super rich!

Some others I have flagged to try: Tilly’s Dream Cake – p 25 (cake with macaroons, cream, marzipan, and chocolate) * Jens Jorgen Thorsen Meringue – p 32 (caramel cream, figs, and chocolate) * Rosehip Roulade – p 44 * Choux Ring with Plums and Cream – p 46 * Napoleon’s Hat – p 63 (pastry with marzipan and chocolate) * Lingonberry and Marzipan Cake – p 64 * Florentines – p 66 * Rum Balls – p 71 (made with day old pastries!!!!!) * Apricot and Chocolate Marble Cake – p 72 * Fall Pear and Nut Tart – p 75 * Meringue-Topped Rhubarb Cake – p 88 * Jam or Pastry Cream Danish (Spandauer) – p 98 * Poppy and Sesame Danish – p 100 * Choux Pastries with Rhubarb Cream – p 131 * Pink Meringue Kisses – p 138 * Sourdough Bread – p 178 * Mormor’s White Bread with Poppy Seeds – p 187 * Nordic Spelt Focaccia with Fruit and Nuts – p 188 * Walnut Bread – p 192 * Classic Course Wholemeal Bread (Grahamsbrod) From My Childhood – p 196 * Fridge Harvest Focaccia – p 234 * Beet and Bacon Muffins – p 237 * Norwegian Potato Pancakes (Lefse) with Salmon and Spinach – p 240 * Roast Beef and Horseradish – p 252 *

*I received a copy to explore and share my thoughts.

Need more of Trine’s Hahnemann in your life? Me too! I blogged about another book of hers, Scandinavian Comfort Food, about a year ago. It’s not comfort food in the American sense of the word, but comforting to your body – mostly really delicious, nutritious fare that’ll leave you feeling terrific. I fell totally in love with that book. Yes, I highlighted a pastry, but I can’t resist Scandinavian goodies. lol! Here’s that post if you’d like to check it out! 😀

Poppy Seed Danish recipe and Cookbook Review: Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge

Trine Hahnemann’s recipe for Kringle with Rosehip Jam and cookbook review: Scandinavian Baking #TrineHahnemann #ScandinavianBaking #QuadrilleBooks #HardieGrant Oh, this time of year puts me right in the mood for Scandinavian baked treats, so I grabbed Trine Hahnemann's…

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