Image by Lavan Photography via Beth & Daniel’s Traditional Melbourne Wedding
Ever heard of a groom’s cake? Me neither. But since it’s cake month on Polka Dot Bride, I thought I’d investigate.
It turns out a groom’s cake is pretty much what it sounds like: a second cake for your wedding chosen by the groom.
Now, as someone who loves cake, I’m pretty devastated to find out about this concept years after my wedding.
But you’re probably thinking: we’ve already got a wedding cake why would we want another?
Well, like many wedding traditions the origins go way back.
According to Martha Stewart Weddings, the groom’s cake can be traced back to the Victorian era in England, when the groom and the bride got their own cakes in addition to the main wedding cake.
At the end of the wedding, the two cakes were sliced and served to the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
Kind of cool, huh?
I can’t say I’ve been to a wedding where they had a secondary cake, or a tertiary cake, but the idea of recognising the groomsmen with their own dessert, well, that sounds like not a bad idea at all!
These days the groom’s cake is more common in the USA, but it’s not unheard of in Australia.
Last year Brisbane’s Vanilla Pod created more than 140 wedding cakes!
Vanilla Pod owner and creative director Carla Burns says groom’s cakes are not a frequent request but they do occur.
“I’ve only done it once or twice in 12 years but one was a four-tier wedding cake so it was quite extravagant,” Carla says.
“Some Islander cultures tend to have a groom and a bride cake, so we have actually done a couple of wedding cakes for guys.”
While those cakes Carla produced for grooms were a bit more traditional, she had a few suggestions for any grooms looking to step things up a notch.
“We have such an array of flavours but our latest, the Peanut butter and jelly cake, has been pretty popular with the guys.
“It’s a chocolate mud cake and through the middle of it is a decadent peanut butter mousse and raspberry jam.”
Sounds incredible.
Peanut butter and jelly cake by Vanilla Pod
But Carla wasn’t done there.
“The other one that could be quite fun, and is on trend at the moment, is the Hamburger cake.
“It’s a bit novelty but people are quite quirky, they are up for doing all sort of things at weddings these days.”
Carla tells me the Hamburger cake is a “luscious” white chocolate mud cake which looks like a three-dimensional burger.
“It’s layered with a cookies and cream butter cream, with peanut butter and raspberry jam sauce.”
If you weren’t thinking about a groom’s cake before, I bet you are now.
Hamburger Cake by Vanilla Pod
Here’s a list of quality & quirky cake makers that would kill it at making the perfect groom cake for you – also check out our list of cake makers on our directory here for further inspiration.
The novelty cakes at Ministry of Cakes are epic. To quote the owners, they are “making the impossible, possible.”
For a Groom’s cake, we suggest the ‘Bottle in ice cake’.
‘Bottle in Ice’ Cake by Ministry Cakes
Perth
The Cake Factory knows their stuff when it comes to creating the perfect cake. If you’re a groom with a bit of a sense of humour, how about getting your own picture printed on the ‘groom’s cake’. The perfect dish to laugh your way through dessert.
Cake My Day by Jo is a Brisbane boutique cakery. They make all the usual hits from weddings, engagements to birthdays. If you’re looking for an ‘grammable cake, Jo knows what’s up.
Vanilla Pod Specialty Cake Kitchen
The demand for this Ascot café’s cakes grew so much they opened their own specialty cake kitchen in 2014.
Ms Zigzag says: Such a fun concept… but if you don’t want to have two cakes on the wedding day, maybe the groomsmen could consider organising a novelty cake for the groom for the bucks day instead. Go the groom cake!
About the author Mr Houndstooth: I am a happily married man. I enjoy a fine whisky, a new suit and swashbuckling around town with my beautiful bride. Looking back on my wedding day always makes me smile, even though it began to rain just as I said ‘I do’.
Mr Houndstooth – you’ve done it again – fun and interesting post – and that peanut butter and jelly cake – well peanut butter makes everything better of course (other than cheese!)