What is a Grooms Cake, and Where Did It Come From?

One of the most fun parts of planning a wedding, it is going to choose your wedding cake! You get to taste different flavors with different frostings and designs. A lot of people look forward to this part of wedding planning. As you are finishing up choosing what kind of cake you want, there is a question of deciding if you want a groom’s cake or not. Grooms cake came from a long standing tradition where during Victorian weddings, three cakes were served. A slice of wedding cake, a slice of brides cake and a slice of grooms cake. Wedding cake was served to the guests, the brides cake was served to the bridesmaids and the groom’s cake was served to the groomsmen. This tradition was adapted by southern grooms and brides, but put their own spin on it.

Groom’s Cake Tradition

Even though the tradition has changed a bit over time, it still plays a large part in most weddings. The first groom cakes were originally fruitcakes. Fruitcakes are known as a rich cake that was filled with nuts and candied fruits. They were also filled with liquor! This is the main reason why they tend to be so popular as gifts during holiday seasons. Now the cake tends to be filled with liquor and dark colored fillings.

The Twist on Groom’s Cake Tradition

The twist on the tradition of groom’s cake is now the cake tends to be molded after what the groom wants. It isn’t always filled with liquor but it is filled with what the groom prefers. It is catered more towards the groom’s taste. This is because the actual wedding cake tends to be molded and crafted after the bride’s taste and vision. So this is the groom’s chance to make this cake exactly how he wants it. There are no limits to how big, how many flavors, which frosting and the design. Some grooms want to make it look a little similar to how the wedding cake looks, and others want to have fun with it and tailor it to their interests. For example if the groom lives for the outdoors, and loves to go hunting, the design can be camo with deer antlers sticks out of the cake made with fondant. 

The Groom’s Cake

With the tradition of the groom’s cake being altered and adapted to fit the modern style and tastes, instead of the groom’s cake being served during the wedding to the groomsmen. It is now known to be served at the rehearsal dinner the night before. It is a great touch to the rehearsal dinner because it sets the mood for what is to come! Grooms cake is usually a fun small event and at rehearsal dinner, it is time for the bride and groom to relax a little bit before the big day. It is also better to serve it at rehearsal because the wedding cake won’t eclipse it, by having it introduced to your wedding party gives it time to shine in its own light.

Price

Sometimes the groom’s cake can’t be an option if you are having a smaller wedding and have a smaller budget. Getting an extra cake can be a little pricey and also may be seen as unnecessary. However, some grooms really do look forward to the fact that they get to create their own cake. So to compromise you can get a smaller cake with less of the bells and whistles but still cater it to the groom’s tastes.