When you think of a traditional wedding cake, you might think of a towering vanilla cake covered in fluffy white icing. However, this cake is a fruitcake, which is the traditional cake for royal weddings.
This tradition is steeped in history. The fruitcake, made with brandy or rum, was the go-to choice for weddings in older times when refrigeration wasn’t available. Its preservation qualities made it a popular option, ensuring that the joy of the wedding could be savored long after the event.
It also helped bakers, who often spent days or weeks decorating cakes and needed something that wouldn’t be stale and ruined. It might not be your first choice for the cake at your own wedding, but we understand why it was so well-liked back then.
Shockingly, the cake is still technically edible due to this! The raisins are still plump, and the cake looks beautiful despite its age. Another fun fact: this cake stood five feet tall and weighed 225 pounds, making it a behemoth to transport for this royal wedding.
