History of Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes play a large part of today’s weddings, but they have always had quite a big role to play in previous years. Whether they are triple tier or single, there all symbolic in one way or another.

Where did the wedding cake come from?

Wedding cakes have customarily been celebrated with a special caked. In the ancient roman times cakes made from wheat or barley were often broken over the brides head by the groom as a symbol of good luck and fortune. After the couple had eaten a couple of the crumbs, the guests would eat the rest for good luck!

Where as in the medieval times, small spiced buns were stacked up as high as possible, and if the newlyweds were able to kiss over the tall stack, it would mean they would have a long married life filled with prosperity.

Wedding cake traditions

The wedding cake traditions may not be the same as those in the medieval or roman times, as they have evolved, but there are a number of different cake traditions people choose to follow on their special days. An example of this is the cake cutting. Just like the first dance or the throwing of the bouquet, this is probably one of the most anticipated parts of a wedding. The cake cutting is said to represent the first activity done as a married couple. Today tiered cakes are usually made for weddings with the top tier made for the bride and groom to keep, the middle tier for guest distribution and the bottom tier for the cake cutting at the reception.

Another well-known cake tradition is the bride and groom feeding each other cake. This follows from the cake cutting, with the newlyweds feeding each other a small bite of the wedding cake. This is meant to symbolise the affection and commitment that the couple promise to show towards each other.

 

Although this tradition may not be as popular now as the previous two, the tradition of baking charms into the wedding cake was one that used to be widely used. Each charm that was placed into the cake symbolised something different.

Dunn’s Bakery Wedding Cakes

Dunn’s Bakery specialise in wedding cakes, with each and every one produced with the finest and freshest ingredients, baked and decorated at our North London premises. We make all of our wedding cakes suited to all tastes, whether they are the fruit wedding cakes crafted with the family owned secret recipe, or the cream wedding cakes made with the freshest cream. We accommodate any preference.

We produce contemporary wedding cakes with intricate cake toppers, such as figurines and other edible decorations, including flowers, ribbons and birds. All of our contemporary cake designs are modern and extraordinary.

However, if you prefer a more tradition wedding cake, we also create those. Often being topped with a bride and groom figurine, our classical wedding cakes are often decorated with handmade floral decorations, all ranging in complexity to suit our customer’s desire.

Go on to our website and take a look at some of our wedding cake creation or give is a call to find out more information about how we can make you special day be filled with delicious flavours.

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Dunn’s Bakery Catering Services

Dunn’s Bakery: Catering Services in London

Dunn’s Bakery has been creating amazing bread and baked goods in Crouch End since 1827. A family-run business, the mouth-watering array of breads, cakes and savoury snacks has seen husband and wife team Christopher and Christina at the helm for many years, overseeing their extended family of talented bakers and shop staff.

Our North london bakery has a busy shop and cafe, which is much-loved by the local community and our reputation for fresh bread and amazing tasting cakes stretches far past the borders of our local streets with the online offering of items they can deliver. Not only do we offer baked goods, we also have a catering service where we can fulfil food requirements for both corporate events and party occasions.

Corporate Catering in London

If you’re looking for corporate catering in London and you aren’t sure where to turn, talk to the friendly staff at Dunn’s. Whilst known in the local area for our 5th generation on-site bakery, we stretch our wings much further than Crouch End to provide food catering in London.

If you need to arrange food for an office function or you have a very important in-house event, with external visitors and you need to arrange lunch, don’t struggle with trying to buy, prepare and present dishes  yourself. Trying to handle all this in the confines of an office or staff kitchen can be challenging.

Dunn’s can prepare freshly made sandwiches on a range of different bread types, including ciabatta and on bagels. Additionally, we can create delicious sausage rolls, vol-au-vents and cheese sticks. The sandwiches and rolls  are all made from bread baked on the day.

We also offer a number of platter options to help take the stress out of choosing. A popular choice is the cake platter which includes chocolate fudge, ginger, banana and fruit cake. Even breakfast meetings are catered for as plain, chocolate or almond croissants can be ordered in rounds of 5 or 10.

Party Catering in London

Any party is always exciting; the thrill of friends and relatives visiting to help celebrate an occasion. If you’re tasked with the catering, the last thing you may be thinking is having ‘fun.’ For those with a busy life, catering can be hard work. Trying to prepare food for many people in your kitchen can become frustrating when you run out of fridge space and plates to arrange sandwiches on.

Party catering in London is something Dunn’s Bakery excels at. We are more than happy to take over at the reins for you and provide just what you need to feed hungry mouths as the day or night goes on.

For both corporate and party catering, Dunn’s can also whip up the most delicious side dishes and salads, so there’s no need to add anything else to the table.

Contact Dunn’s Bakery for Catering Services

The next time you’re volunteered to prepare the food at work or for home, don’t break out in a cold sweat thinking of the shopping list and the amount of washing up you’ll be facing. Talk to Christopher or Christina about what you’d like so guests can arrive, plate in hand and eager to eat.

Feel free to drop us a line. 

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Dunn’s: A Family Bakery

We at Dunn’s Bakery have been crafting scrumptious treats for five generations. We’re definitely comfortable with a mixing bowl and some powdered sugar. The excitement we receive from our amazing customers and local Crouch End community continue to drive our family business forward.

The story of Dunn’s Bakery is extremely important to the spirit of our establishment here in Crouch End. So, where did it all begin? In 1827, Robert Freeman started the business and now Robert’s great-great grandson, Christopher Freeman, wife Christina and son Lewis continue the baking tradition of Dunn’s. The fancy cakes and yummy treats that are made today do not fall shy of the original indulgence of baking excellence. The eclectic menu has since evolved, but all of the knowledge and techniques have been passed down from generation to generation.

Christopher Freeman with Dunn’s employees

Each treat baked here at Dunn’s Bakery has a story. Not just a story of 2 cups flour and 3 tablespoons vanilla. It’s a story of laughter and the community that surrounds Dunn’s. The Freeman bakers and the entire baking family here at the shop, are not only proud to represent this area, but want to forever be the creators of the sugar coated and cream filled memories of every Crouch End resident.

Although we know all you want is another bite of that delicious tart or bun, before you stop in for a treat, we want to thank you. The sweet smells that fill this shop are only half of the delight of running this North London bakery. A variety of craftspeople and trades backgrounds have built up the staff of Dunn’s over the years. However, the most important member of the staff has remained constant since the very start. And that member is you.

Our customers and the community are not only crucial to the running of this bakery, they are the best part of our staff. To our staple of traditional buns and breads, we have added so much to the menu from our gluten free additions to our ever-changing wedding cake designs, but one thing that will never change is the high quality ingredients and care that goes into making our baked goods.

The families that have consistently come back for seconds will always remind us why we enjoy creating delicious treats. We hope your children and their children will always want the extra layer of frosting as well.

 

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Wedding Cake Season is Upon Us

The sun is finally starting to shine (sort of), the daffodils are blooming and wedding season is upon us. While many worry about the venue, music and other important aspects of weddings, we here in Crouch End bakery like to think that the most important part of a wedding is the wedding cake. It’s the sweetest part of the day (literally and figuratively) and it’s something that every guest will remember.

Besides being a sweet treat at the reception, wedding cakes were originally used to bring good luck to all in attendance and the newlyweds. However, cakes were not always the centrepiece. Many other baked goods have previously been used, like sweet rolls, breads and even pies.

Wedding desserts even took the place of the tradition of catching the flower bouquet. Instead of catching the bouquet, the woman who found the glass ring that was placed in the middle of the dessert would be the next to marry.

Modern, tiered wedding cakes did not make their first appearance until Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, was married in 1882. At his reception the cake consisted of many layers and white icing, both of which were extremely expensive at the time. The method of stacking iced cake had never before been used, but it is still a popular method today.

Here at Dunn’s Bakery we continue to use this method, as well as more contemporary ones when we make our wedding cakes. From tiered, white traditional wedding cakes to croquembouche to modern fondant creations, we can bake and decorate the wedding cake of your dreams. At our North London bakery, we take pride in using only the finest ingredients, and we make sure that your made-to-order wedding cake is made to your exact specifications. Our bakers and cake decorators can also decorate your wedding cake to your taste, with whatever cake toppers, figurines or edible fondant decorations you would like. All of the baking and decorating is done in-house in order to ensure the absolute best quality.

We have many different types of cakes to choose from, so if you would like a sponge chocolate or fresh cream cake, we can definitely have it prepared for your wedding. However, we are partial to our rich, dark fruit cake because the recipe is a family secret that has been passed down through the Dunn’s Bakery generations.

If you are interested in our wedding cakes, you can find more information here.

And feel free to contact us!

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