I always wanted to surprise Mr. LF with a groom’s cake, but it stayed in the back of my mind for some time while I tried to sort out the logistics. The only wedding I’d been to with a groom’s cake was my cousin’s reception in Atlanta a few years back, but I thought perhaps there would be too much cake to do it the night of, what with our six-inch presentation cake and 84 cupcakes taking center stage.
Yes. I just said “too much cake.” Check my temperature, ’cause I must be coming down with something.
The groom’s cake is most well known as a Southern tradition, though its origins may date back as far as early Rome. Word has it that in the Victorian era, and later the 19th century South, bridesmaids would wrap the pieces of the groom’s cake and hand them out to unmarried female guests, who would then sleep with the slice under their pillow to help them dream about their future husband. And in 19th century England, the groom’s cake was made of heavy fruit soaked in liquor, being that it was before the invention of the modern icebox. This way, the bride and groom could enjoy a slice of the groom’s confection on their first anniversary without having to eat buttercream frosting that tasted like it had been sitting in a poorly ventilated British basement for 50 years.*
We’re not Southern (or Victorian, or living in 19th century England), but I still love the idea of gifting LF his own dessert. Plus, it gives me an excuse to have some fun with cake concepts and do something a little different that will surprise him and guests. Surprise desserts = always a good thing.
Image via Creative Bride
Image via The Sugar Suite
Image via Jessica Otwell Photography / Cake by Angels Cake and Confections
After we booked our baker, I stuck “call her about a groom’s cake” on my to-do list—and kinda forgot about it until LF booked the rehearsal-dinner location and told me that they asked if we’d be bringing in a groom’s cake.
Of course! It makes so much more sense to do it at the rehearsal dinner. For one, that’s more traditionally the groom and his family’s turf, since the groom’s family tends to host, present toasts at, and foot the cost of that event (and in our case they actually are, kindly enough!). But more importantly, since there was no other dessert plan in place for the rehearsal dinner, it seemed like the perfect time to surprise LF with something that’s his. It will also allow us all to preview a bit of the tasty sweet goodness to come at the following evening.
So I contacted Lyndsy at Pastries by Design and explained my plan.
“He’s a huge Yankees fan, so I was thinking something having to do with that?”
“Yeah!” she started, immediately brainstorming (why I love her, reason 528). “We could do a baseball…or we could do like a 3D Yankees logo, the N and the Y?”
“The logo sounds good!” I said.
And then the money shot.
“Oh!” she said. “We could also do a little caricature of him hugging the logo. Do you have a picture of him you can send me?”
Oh, Lyndsy, it is so ON! I’ve seen their artsier work, and I’m super excited and confident they can make this pretty awesome. And it’ll be nice to have something a bit more dressed up (though humorously so) since our cupcakes at the reception will have a basic rough finish with not much adornment or decoration, aside from a few flowers here and there.
Images via Pastries by Design / Also, now I want nachos.
Did you embrace the idea of a groom’s cake, or did he have to eat the same drek as everybody else? If you did/are doing one, what concept are you going with? Do you like nachos as much as I do?
*Name that scene.
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