Could someone please tell me what bride's are doing with the top tier of their fondant wedding cakes? Are they cutting them to serve or are they freezing them even though fondant should not be frozen? I am making a small wedding cake next month for a friend and I'm not sure what to tell her about the top tier. This has probably been answered before, but I haven't been able to find the answer. TIA

I've never heard of the top tier being kept until Cake Central. I suggest you ask her if she is keeping the top tier or not. Fondant can be freezed btw.

I'd say 99.9% of my brides are taking the free anniversary cake on their first anniversary instead of saving the top tier. We are more of a mobile society .... military and college couples, who are moving from base to base or from mom's house to an apartment to another apartment to a house ... well, all that moving doesn't do well for a cake that gets frozen/thawed/frozen/thawed, etc.


From my files of "wedding facts you didn't know you wanted to know", saving the top tier of the wedding cake goes back a couple of hundred years:

There is hardly a bride today who can't resist saving the top layer of her multi-tiered cake. Most couples freeze the cake with the intention of sharing it on their first wedding anniversary.

The tradition has its roots in the late 19th century when grand cakes were baked for christenings. It was assumed that the christening would occur soon after the wedding ceremony, so the two ceremonies were often linked, as were the cakes. With wedding cakes becoming more and more fancy and elaborate, the christening cake quickly took a back seat to the wedding cake.

When three-tiered cakes became popular, the top tier was often left over. A subsequent christening provided a perfect opportunity to finish the cake. Couples could then logically rationalize the need for three tiers --- the bottom tier for the reception, the middle tier for distributing and the top for the christening.

As the time between the weddings and the christenings widened, the two events became disassociated, and the reason for saving the top tier changed. Regardless of the underlying reason, when the couple finally does eat the top tier, it serves as a very pleasant reminder of what was their very special day.

I think everyone does it different. I actually saved my top tier and wrapped the heck out of it. It actually tasted pretty good.