Living in the Midwest, the idea of having a groom’s cake along with the wedding cake is not as familiar of a tradition as in the southern states. Originating in England during the Victorian era, a groom’s cake was traditionally a single layer, heavy, rich and dense fruitcake to represent the “stronger sex” male as opposed to the light, white wedding cake. The tradition was brought over from Britain by the colonists which explains why it’s more common to find them at weddings in the south.
Today, the fruitcakes have lost popularity, being replaced by still a rich cake, e.g., a heavy chocolate cake made with a liqueur. The cakes are now designed to reflect the personality of the groom or to show off one of his many interests: golfing, fishing, drinking, football, food, you name it.
In Victorian England there was also a small bride’s cake along with the groom’s cake that were usually cut up and shared with the wedding party. The pieces were placed in small boxes and legend has it that if a bridesmaid would sleep with the piece under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband.
Today, the groom’s cake can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. It can serve as the dessert for the rehearsal dinner, or it can be cut up and shared at the reception with the guests as a second option to the wedding cake. Or sliced and sent home with the wedding party.
So if you haven’t considered a groom’s cake, it’s a thoughtful way to honor the groom. After all, it is his special day too 😉