I have a client that wants the traditional white wedding cake.
I'm not quite sure what that exactly is.
They do not want buttercream frosting. They want the white traditional frosting.
I'm at a deadend. All the white icings and frostings do not seem like traditional ones. They all have buttercream or cream cheese.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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im stumped..i always thought traditional white icing would be buttercream (maybe all shortening no butter to keep it white?)

are they thinking about SMBC OR IMBC maybe? i would think regular buttercream would be the "traditional" thing? hhmmmm?

My Dad owned a bakery and was a baker and decorator for 65 years. He once told me that he never put butter in his buttercream. I said, well how were you able to call it buttercream? he just laughed at me.
He just used pwd sugar, lard, a bit of salt and milk pwdr and vanilla.

So I guess if you make regular buttercream but substitute the amount of butter for more crisco, or better yet, hi-ratio shortening that the bakers used to use, then add a tiny bit of almond flavor. Mix on low-med, don't whip it fluffy, that would be what they might be referring to. It really doesn't taste like the buttercream we make now. It is very much heavier and creamed.

White cake....no whole eggs. If you use mix, use white cake mix and egg whites. If you are a scratch baker, I'm sure there are tons of white cake recipes.

Who knows. maybe they mean something totally different!

Traditional icing is Royal Icing. Until I made Buttercream I always thought of Wedding cake as being covered in Royal Icing. When I was younger and went my cousins wedding it was always RI... Always I like so that me. But most people dont.

As far as the cake being traditional that would be a meidera cake recipe - lots of butter and eggs.

I have some history info somewhere I will try to dig it up.

Good Luck.

Here are a few site on History of Wedding cakes:

http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/cakehistory.htm

http://www.cakechannel.com/history-of-wedding-cakes.html

http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/history-of-wedding-cakes.html

Lots of fun reading.

You might be able to steer them towards Buttercream or Fondant they are propably going on the "white cake" part of the history - purity and all that.

By the way Fondant came to life in 1850 in France it was 10 years in the making it was during a "lent" or "careme" expriment gone wrong in 1840. A candy maker/chocolatier/patissier who did it, he is names Mr. Gile sorry no first name in my info.

Good Luck.

maybe you could make a couple of small cakes with different icings and have her over for a tasting and let her decide?