Preserving the top tier of your wedding cake and eating it a year later is known as an omen for good luck. You’ll get to celebrate your first anniversary together by reliving one of the most special moments you’ve shared. This wedding tradition is one that has been around for ages, and it’s important you take the proper steps if you are going to preserve your wedding cake so that it’s safe to eat a whole year later. We guide you through the process of bringing your wedding cake home at the end of the night.

Beginning steps

First off, make sure you let your caterer and staff know that you intend to preserve the top tier of your cake to take home. Next, choose someone reliable and that you can trust to be in charge of wrapping up the cake and putting it somewhere safe for you. As you will be exiting the reception to go off to your honeymoon or hotel room, the last thing you want to be on your mind is whether your wedding cake makes it home instead of into the trash. Choose your sister, a bridesmaid or your wedding planner, and ask them to carefully take the top tier off of the cake. Have them remove any decorations that may break and would make it difficult to wrap up the cake. You need to properly wrap up the cake so that it keeps its moist texture and so that it doesn’t dry out over time. Remove your cake from cardboard if it so happens to be on cardboard, for the taste may seep into the cake. It is important to put your cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes so that the icing hardens. Try to keep your cake away from anything with a strong or pungent smell so that the cake doesn’t absorb these flavors!

Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty

Step-by-step process

Now that you have a cake with frozen icing, you are ready to wrap the cake for good so that it does not go stale for another year. Cover the cake fully with plastic wrap, as tight as you possibly can. First wrap it with multiple layers of plastic wrap, and avoid foil for the bottom layers so that you do not get freezer burn on your cake! After wrapping your cake with several layers of plastic, wrap it with at least two layers of aluminum foil. We then suggest putting your cake into an airtight bag such as Ziploc. The more wrapping and protection you have over the cake, the less likely it is to get freezer burn or have any remnant smells from the freezer. You may want to put some sort of ribbon or decoration on the wrapped cake so that you don’t mistake it for something else and accidentally open it. Why not use something leftover from your reception decor? That way you’ll have another nice memory from your special day when you open the cake on your anniversary!

Photo Credit: Divacratus

Types of cakes

It is also important to know the type of cake you are eating. Some cakes will hold up much better than others. The more delicate your cake is, the more stale, less moist and drier your cake will become.  For example, angel food cake is a lighter cake that will not hold up so well. Anything with fillings such as custards, creams or puddings will also not do so well. Cakes such as chocolate and carrot are more likely to stay more moist and have a longer shelf life than cakes such as fruit cake or white cake.

It’s time to eat!

After a year, it is finally time to eat your cake. Make sure to begin defrosting your cake a day in advance in your refrigerator. Remove the cake from its wrapping and let it continue defrosting. It will taste the best if you let it sit in room temperature for a bit before diving into your wedding anniversary cake!

Another option in the case that you do not want to freeze your cake the night of your wedding day is to order a similar, smaller cake on your one year anniversary. Many bakeries will work with you to provide the same cake you had on your wedding day. This will help you remember and enjoy your wedding day cake without having to deal with the freezing of the cake.

Photo Credit: Arkansas Bride

Blog Post Credit to Bride Box Blog