Cake and its customs: Twisted Flour & Sugar Merchants
A wedding cake is more than a dessert, it symbolises tradition, love, and prosperity.
The custom of wedding cakes dates back to ancient Rome where breaking a cake of wheat or barley over the bride’s head was believed to bring good fortune.
Fast forward a few centuries to 1840 when the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s wedding set new trends with a heavily adorned three-tiered plum cake that weighed a staggering 136kg, stood 35cm tall, and measured three metres in circumference.
The royal couple ignited a fascination with multi-tiered wedding cakes that continues today, say professional bakers Kate Podmore and Sally Holt of Canterbury’s Twisted Flour & Sugar Merchants.
“Cake tiers are meant to represent the different stages of life,” Kate says. “Traditionally, a couple’s first task after the wedding ceremony is to cut the cake together. This tradition is a show of the couple’s unity and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.”
The modern twist
A mother-daughter duo with decades of baking experience between them, Kate and Sally take pride in baking wedding cakes that stand out.
“We’ll happily create a traditional cake if that is what the couple wants,” says Kate. “We also love designing unique and quirky ones. One of our favourites was an elopement cake – it was such fun. Vegan cakes are in high demand, and we cater to allergy requirements, including gluten and dairy-free options. Many of our couples ask for two more flavours, which we are delighted to accommodate.”
These days, cakes come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Sally and Kate have just finished a 16-inch Italian-style wedding cake decorated with fresh raspberries. “We have access to the freshest produce when berries are required. For flower decorations, we work closely with the couple’s florist to ensure the cake matches the overall wedding aesthetic.”
Twisted Flour & Sugar Merchant’s popularity means Sally and Kate bake wedding cakes year-round. “There isn’t a wedding season for us,” Sally says. For any couple wanting a wedding cake fit for royalty, Sally and Kate will craft a stunning centrepiece that’s almost too beautiful to eat.
From traditional white to daring black and every colour in between, rules are out the window with today’s wedding cake styles. Cakes pictured by Twisted Flour & Sugar Merchants.
