Summer Banquet Hop--- Let's Talk About Regency Wedding Cakes

It's June, the month for weddings; what better topic for a food related blog hop than a discussion of wedding cakes from the Regency Era? 

Imagine if Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy got married today. Given Mr. Darcy's remarkable income (some estimate that it would be roughly $1M annually) and prestigious family, we would certainly expect their wedding cake to be a fancy multi-tiered concoction created by any one of a number of reality show bakers. 

Today, they might have something like this, though I suppose Mr. Darcy would not care for something so whimsical.


But Lizzy and Darcy married at a time when weddings, and wedding cakes, were a much simpler matter. 

Regency Era wedding cakes were a single layer and may not have even been frosted (What??). They usually included nuts and dried fruits and copious amounts of liquor as a preservative. 

 This image is probably a bit optimistic since it includes a layer of frosting and maybe even a layer of fondant.

Remember: it's not like they had giant freezers to keep the cake in until the day of the event. Also, weddings were much smaller and usually only included immediate family and close friends, which eliminated the need for a ginormous cake. 

However, and this is important for the contest so pay attention, it was traditional for single women to take a piece of the cake home with them (and sometimes it was sent to distant relatives --- another good reason to have a sturdy confection) to place under their pillow with the promise that if they do so, they will dream of the man they will marry. 

To be entered in my drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card, please answer the following question in  the comments. Please leave your email address in the comments so that I will be able to contact you if you are the winner. A winner will be randomly selected from those who enter. 

Question: Select one of the single women who might have attended the marriage of Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy (Caroline Bingley, Mary Bennet, Kitty Bennet, Georgiana Darcy) and tell me the type of man you think they might marry. 

Alternate Question: If for some reason you are not familiar with Pride and Prejudice (you can get a FREE copy for your kindle from Amazon. ) then please share your favorite flavor of cake. Also include your email address to be included in the drawing. 

Confession: I'm planning to write a book on this very topic with the women taking home pieces of cake and dreaming about the men they will marry, so I'd love to hear your suggestions. 

For more fun and prizes, please be sure to visit all the participating blogs. 

Hop Participants

1. Random Bits of Fascination (Maria Grace)
2. Pillings Writing Corner (David Pilling)
3. Anna Belfrage
4. Debra Brown
5. Lauren Gilbert
6. Gillian Bagwell
7. Julie K. Rose
8. Donna Russo Morin
9. Regina Jeffers
10. Shauna Roberts
11. Tinney S. Heath
12. Grace Elliot
13. Diane Scott Lewis
14. Ginger Myrick
15. Helen Hollick
16. Heather Domin
17. Margaret Skea
18. Yves Fey
19. JL Oakley
20. Shannon Winslow
21. Evangeline Holland
22. Cora Lee
23. Laura Purcell
24. P. O. Dixon
25. E.M. Powell
26. Sharon Lathan
27. Sally Smith O'Rourke
28. Allison Bruning
29. Violet Bedford
30. Sue Millard
31. Kim Rendfeld