We owe the architectural presentation of the pièce montée to Marie-Antoine Carême (born in Paris in 1784 and died in 1833), a pastry chef and cook with a passion for architecture.
Traditional pièce montée
Presented in the form of a pyramid, tray, basket or cornucopia, it is made of cream puffs assembled with caramel.
It is necessary to count between 2 and 6 € per person for 3/4 choux: from 70 centimes to 2 euros the choux.
American pièce montée
This is a series of cakes often abundantly filled with cream, arranged in a pyramid or on a tiered display. The price depends on the nature of the cakes.
Fruit cake
After a wedding meal, guests often have little appetite left when it's time for the pièce montée. It can be a good compromise to accompany a traditional cake with less filling (1 choux per person) with another one made of fruit, much easier at the end of the meal.
The figures
The wedding cake can be topped by a subject representing the bride and groom. Often very classic this figurine can also be quite original, movie characters, Playmobils, Simpsons ...
Superstitions
It is up to the bride to serve the first part, helped if she wishes it by her husband. It was said that if this rule was not respected, the bride would be sterile. All the guests must taste it and must be careful not to make the figurine representing the bride and groom fall.
Anecdote
The actress Eva Longoria during her wedding in Paris with the basketball player Tony Parker had the wedding cake made in Los Angeles. It was transported by plane, comfortably installed on a seat in first class and accompanied by a bodyguard.
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