The Royal Wedding Cakes by the numbers

• There were two Royal Wedding cakes for the reception at Buckingham Palace.

• There was one cake made by cake designer Fiona Cairns, and one cake made by the McVities Cake Company.

Flickr/British Monarchy
Fiona Cairn

The Fiona Cairns Cake

• There were 17 types of handmade flowers decorating the Fiona Cairns cake.

• There were 900 individually iced flowers.

• It was made up of 17 fruit cakes.

• There were 8 tiers.

Flickr/The British Monarchy
Some of the 17 handmade icing flowers,
each with its own meaning as indicated at left.

• The language of flowers spoke with these 17 flowers:

1. White Rose - National symbol of England
2. Daffodil – National symbol of Wales, new beginnings
3. Shamrock – National symbol of Ireland
4. Thistle – National symbol of Scotland
5. Acorns, Oak Leaf – Strength, endurance
6. Myrtle – Love
7. Ivy – Wedded Love, Marriage
8. Lily-of-the-Valley – Sweetness, Humility
9. Rose (Bridal) – Happiness, Love.
10. Sweet William – Grant me one smile
11. Honeysuckle – The Bond of Love
12. Apple Blossom – Preference, Good Fortune
13. White Heather – Protection, Wishes will come true
14. Jasmine (White) – Amiability
15. Daisy – Innocence, Beauty, Simplicity
16. Orange Blossom – Marriage, Eternal Love, Fruitfulness
17. Lavender – ardent attachment, devotion, success, and luck.

Flickr/The British Monarchy
The McVities cake with white chocolate lotus flowers.

The McVities Cake

• McVities has been making cakes for Royal events since 1893 for the marriage of George V to Queen Mary.

• The dark chocolate biscuit cake had 3 layers.

• The cake required zero minutes in the oven as it is a no-bake cake.

• The recipe included 1,700 McVities Rich Tea biscuits, and 40 pounds of chocolate

Flickr/The British Monarchy
Cake Design and Development Head
Chef Paul Courtney prepares
for the Royal Wedding.

• There were 12 white chocolate lotus flowers, or water lilies, to symbolize purity, beauty and spiritual perfection. The lotus is also an ancient symbol of light.

• There was also a selection of 10,000 canapés, both savory and sweet, prepared by 21 chefs who were led by Royal Chef Mark Flanagan. The canapés and other tidbits included assortments of Palmiers and Cheese Straws, Gateau Opera, Blood Orange Pate de Fruit, Raspberry Financier, Rhubarb Creme Brulee Tartlets, Passion Fruit Praline, White Chocolate Ganache Truffle, Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts, Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle, White Chocolate Ganache Truffle, and Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts to serve 650 guests at the reception.

Learn more about the Royal Wedding Cakes with these 5 Joy of Desserts articles:

• The two Royal Wedding Cakes in full color, in all their glory

• Royal Wedding cake designers interviewed and Queen Mother's 1923 Cake

• Betty Crocker proposes four royal wedding cakes fit for Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th

• Royal wedding cake to be decorated in Joseph Lambeth style

• Cairns and McVitie's to create 2 royal wedding cakes

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