The Royal Wedding Cake (Recipe and Part I): A Sight to Behold

Eight tiers. Decorated with 900 delicate, beautiful symbolic flowers. It was truly a sight to behold and, as with most other details of this fairytale wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, kept secret from the public until the big day. Check out this photo slideshow for some great shots from different angles of this fairytale wedding cake!

According to the Daily Mail Reporter, the main requests from the bride for her cake were three-fold:

1) She did not want the cake to be “seven feet tall” or “towering and thin”,

2) She “wanted elements from the Joseph Lambeth technique of cake decoration, where intricate piping is used to make three dimensional scroll work, leaves, flowers and other adornments”,

3) 17 different blooms and foliage were to be used in the decoration of the cake, chosen specifically by Kate for their symbolism and meaning. (Read the entire article for more detail about which flowers were chosen, their meaning, and the layer of the cake on which they appeared.)

The cake-maker, Fiona Cairns, and her team certainly seem to have succeeded in the end result of a stunning cake that met these expectations of the bride.

One aspect of the cake that surprised me was the type of cake chosen: fruit cake. Fruit cake? For a wedding cake? But yes, apparently that was one of the reasons Ms. Cairns was chosen to make this cake. She is well known for her fruit cakes and has sold them in the past to celebrities such as Paul McCartney (for Christmas every year) and the band, Pink Floyd. I think fruit cake is one of those things you either really like or don’t like at all. I fall into the latter category. But hey, to each his own, and I’ve always felt that a bride should get to choose whatever she wants for every aspect of her big day. If you have a “formal” wedding, it’s the one day where you get to “call all of the shots,” so to speak.

ABC News has published the recipe for the Royal Wedding Cake! I may have to try this one sometime. If Ms. Cairns is so well known for these cakes, who knows? Maybe I would like hers.

I hope this couple truly lives “happily ever after” together! After all they’ve been through together, they seem to be getting off to a strong start.

*If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, subscribing to receive e-mail updates of future recipes, or sharing it with your family/friends:

Find more great recipes at Foodie Friday, My Meatless Monday!

About the Author

Adopted at age 2, grew up in the Charlotte, NC area. Obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Loves being a Mom of two and taste-testing Chef John's culinary creations and sharing them with readers.