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Adding An Ethnic Twist To Wedding Traditions

The institution of marriage has been around for centuries, but today many couples are redefining traditions with multicultural weddings. Today, 40-60 percent of engaged couples will incorporate ethnic traditions into their wedding day, according to the Association of Bridal Consultants.

• In addition to the wedding cake (see recipe below), traditional food served at Hispanic weddings may include: tamales, fajitas, flan, sopapillas chili and soups.
  

• Drinking sake is a traditional Japanese wedding custom, symbolizing the bond of matrimony and individuals uniting together as one.
  

• The traditional English wedding cake is a fruitcake, made with raisins, almonds and cherries and topped with candies called marzipan. The wedding cake includes multiple tiers, with special emphasis on the top tier, known as the "christening cake." The top tier is saved and served when the couple's first child is baptized.
  

• In Bermuda, couples place a small sapling on the top of their wedding cake. The couple plants the sapling after the wedding as a symbol of growth within a marriage.
  

• For traditional Dutch weddings, a sweet meat dish called "bridal sugar" and wine, referred to as "bride's tears."
  

• Also, check out more multicultural delicacies at http://www.travellady.com/Special/gourmet.htm .

Mexican Wedding Cake with Nutella® Chocolaty Hazelnut Spread

(photo1) 9-inch cake layers:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks, plus 2 tablespoons, unsalted butter
3/4 cup Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease three, 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Lightly dust the parchment paper with flour.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread, whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients over the Nutella mixture and whisk together until combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the three pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with minimal crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool completely in pans. Loosen the cakes by running a knife around the edges. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and remove the parchment paper. Invert the cakes again onto three, 10-inch cardboard circles. Cool completely and wrap tightly in plastic wrap until ready to use.

6-inch cake layers:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick, plus 1 tablespoon, unsalted butter
1/3 cup Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread
1 1/8 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease three, 6-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Lightly dust the parchment paper with flour.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread, whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients over the Nutella mixture and whisk together until combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the three pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with minimal crumbs. Loosen the cakes by running a knife around the edges. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and remove the parchment paper. Invert the cakes again onto three, 7-inch cardboard circles. Cool completely and wrap tightly in plastic wrap until ready to use.

For 12-inch cake layers:
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons salt
3 sticks plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread
3 1/3 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease three, 12-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Lightly dust the parchment paper with flour.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread, whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients over the Nutella mixture and whisk together until combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the three pans. Bake for 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with minimal crumbs. Loosen the cakes by running a knife around the edges. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and remove the parchment paper. Invert the cakes again onto three 13-inch cardboard circles. Cool completely and wrap tightly in plastic wrap until ready to use.

For the filling and frosting:
12 sticks (48 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
32 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 cups Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons chili powder

Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Remove 4 cups of the frosting and set aside. To make the Nutella® chocolaty hazelnut spread filling, use the remaining frosting in the mixer and add the Nutella, cinnamon and chili powder. Beat until well combined.

Note:
This recipe easily can be divided in half for a smaller cake.

Cake assembly:
Start with one of the 12-inch cake layers. Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip and pipe a circle of frosting around the top perimeter of the cake. This frosting will help secure the cake layers together once all frosting is completed. Frost the center of the cake with 1 cup of Nutella filling, spread evenly. Place one of the unfrosted, 12-inch cakes on top of the completely frosted cake layer and repeat the piping and filling. Place the remaining 12-inch cake on top of the other layers. Spread the top and sides with a thin coat of frosting. Refrigerate until firm for 15 minutes.

Assemble the 9-inch and 6-inch cake layers in the same manner. Use 3/4 cup Nutella filling per layer for the 9-inch cakes. Use 1/2 cup Nutella filling per layer for the 6-inch cakes. Frost both cakes with a thin layer of white frosting and refrigerate until firm for 15 minutes.

Apply a second 1/2-inch layer of frosting to the top and sides of the 12-inch layer. Smooth with an icing spatula. Repeat with remaining 6 and 9-inch cakes. Place the 12-inch cake onto an 18-inch plate. Pipe a decorative frosting border around the bottom edge of the cake. Insert 10 regular-sized plastic straws into the top of the cake. (Straws serve as support so other layers may be placed on top of each other.) Evenly spread the straws over the top of the cake, placing them within 2 inches of the cake edge. Snip the ends of the straws that stick out from the cake so the embedded straws are level with the cake. Pipe a small dollop of frosting over the straw pieces. Place the 9-inch cake directly on top of the 12-inch cake and adjust to ensure that the cake is even and level. Pipe a decorative frosting border around the base edge of the 9-inch layer. Place 8 straws evenly on top of the 9-inch cake, leaving a 2-inch border from the edge. Snip the ends of the straws that stick out from the cake so that the embedded straws are level with the cake. Pipe a small dollop of frosting on the straw tips and place the 6-inch layer on top of the straws, leveling as necessary. Finish by piping a small decorative frosting border around the base edge of the layer.

Garnish the cake with well-washed lime and chili clusters. Accent the cake with colorful orchids or other flowers.

Serving size: 1 slice - Cut 1 inch wide by 2 inches long by 4 inches deep
(measure from the edge to center of cake)

Servings: 100

Edited by Esther Cho

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