The Wedding Cake Book With A Social History Of Weddings

First published in 1992, Wedding Cakes and Cultural History is a unique contribution to the anthropology of food, tracing the fascinating history of wedding cakes, from late medieval feasts and rites, through the Victorian wedding breakfast and into the 1990s. Dr. Charsley maps the intricate creation of the wedding cake and explores its uses and meanings. He shows that the wedding cake provides a vivid illustration of the traditions and traditional values inherent in all foods and demonstrates the part that material culture plays in the process of change. Challenging in its ideas, yet approachable in style and subject matter, this book will be of great interest to students and teachers of anthropology, sociology and cultural studies.

Planning your wedding is all about the details, and this book will help make one detail much easier, understandable, and fun -- the wedding cake. Through 346 images, a delicious variety of cakes will whet your appetite and spark your creativity, as well as help you decide on the type, style, and design for your big day. Do you prefer the splendor of an all-white cake or one with modern simplicity? White buttercream roses and lilies or fondant flowers and leaves? Maybe you'd like icing lace to match your wedding dress? The choices are made much easier by using this wedding cake guide. Details of the beautiful cake designs accompany the images while the text explores the history and traditions involved with wedding cakes. With a glossary of cake decoration terms and tips on choosing a cake designer, this is a great resource for any bride (and groom)-to-be, wedding planner, and bakery owner.

As Long as we Both Shall Eat is a culinary history of wedding feasts. Examining the various food customs associated with weddings in America and around the world, Claire Stewart not only provides a rich account of the foods most loved and frequently served at wedding celebrations, she also offers a glimpse into the customs and celebrations themselves, as they are experienced in the West and in various other cultures. Shesheds light on the historical and contemporary significance of wedding food, and explores patterns of the varieties of conspicuous consumption linked to American wedding feasts in particular. There are stories of celebrity excess, and the book is peppered with accounts of lavish strange-but-true wedding tales. The antics of wealthy socialites and celebrities is a topic rich for exploration, and the telling of their exploits can be used to track the fads and changes in conventional and contemporary wedding feasts and celebrations. From cocktail hours to wedding cakes, showers to brunches, the food we enjoy to celebrate the joining of life partners helps bring us together, no matter our differences. Readers are treated to a tasty trip down the aisle in this entertaining and lively account of nuptial noshing.

An inspirational guide for the bride and groom on how to choose a wedding cake that reflects the style of the wedding. Also includes recipes for do-it-yourselfers. 35 photos.

Of all the decisions that go into planning a wedding, choosing the cake may be the sweetest. Much more than dessert, this beloved wedding symbol should be as special as the bride and groom themselves. Whether you imagine a majestic cake blooming with fresh flowers, a pristine fondant-covered masterpiece, or a homespun take on strawberry shortcake- or even if you don’t know where to begin- Martha Stewart’s Wedding Cakes will provide you with more than 100 delicious and inspiring ideas for timeless and beautiful confections that are perfect for every style of wedding. Not just visually inspiring, these pages are filled with information you won’t find anywhere else. Martha Stewart and Wendy Kromer, the master baker and decorator who has been creating cakes for Martha Stewart Weddings for more than a decade, guide you through everything you need to consider when selecting a cake- and even how to bake and decorate one yourself. Novice and experienced bakers alike will find recipes and insiders’ techniques to create truly memorable wedding cakes. You will learn: Where to begin- how to decide what style and flavors are right for you, taking into account the season, location, and theme of the event Buttercream or fondant? Ganache or meringue? Useful charts explain the delicious materials bakers use, so you can choose the ones that suit your taste and style Creative ways to display your cake so it takes center stage at the reception How to find and hire a baker, including questions to ask and contract considerations Ideas for cutting costs without sacrificing quality or beauty How to incorporate traditions from around the world Everything you need to know about baking a cake yourself, with complete recipes as well as how-to decorating techniques with color photographs and reference charts A treasury of inspiration, Martha Stewart’s Wedding Cakes will ensure that your cake, whether homemade or professionally baked, triple-tiered or a tower of cupcakes, embellished with fresh fruit or elaborate sugar roses, is every bit as magical as your big day.

The wedding market is a $32 billion business. Experts say that brides-to-be generally buy every book and magazine they can get their hands on when planning a wedding, and yet, remarkably, The Wedding Cake Book is the first cookbook of its kind -- a gorgeous idea book that really shows you how to bake a beautiful wedding cake. There are 30 complete recipes in all, with detailed, step-by-step instructions. A one-of-a-kind resource, with gorgeous photography throughout, The Wedding Cake Book is sure to become a classic cookbook among bakers, and makes the perfect shower gift.