The Groom’s Cake – what to do about it?

Several thoughts about grooms’ cakes…

Some believe that the custom of a groom’s cake originated in France several centuries ago. During that time, wedding cakes became more decorative and the tradition of breaking cake over the heads of the bride and groom was in fashion. It was decided by someone to use a plainer cake (the groom’s cake) to be broken and scattered, saving the decorative bridal cake to be cut and eaten.

Another version has the tradition originating in England where, until the 19th century and early 20th, wedding cake was a fruit cake with marzipan coating to preserve the cake.  When white cake became fashionable to be made for the bride, the fruit cake was relegated to the lesser position of “groom’s cake” to satisfy those who still wanted a fruit/nut cake.

Still another version is that grooms’ cakes have their origins in the Deep South…for no apparent reason.

There are those who believe that the groom’s cake can be eaten at the rehearsal dinner and others who believe it should be positioned alongside the bridal cake. Many hold the opinion that grooms’ cakes should a different kind of cake, i.e., if the wedding cake is light colored, the groom’s cake should be darker.

All the above being said, there is no reason why the groom’s cake cannot be lemon poppyseed or carrot or confetti – if that is what the groom wants.

There is no consensus as to who is responsible for providing the groom’s cake: the groom, the groom’s family, the bride as a surprise to the groom, ad cakeum.

Bottom line: if the decision makers want to have a groom’s cake, then – to paraphrase from history – let them eat [a groom’s] cake!