JFK’s Wedding Cake Recipe
Rose Heichelbech
At the time of the wedding of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953 he was a junior senator in Massachusetts, not yet the presidential candidate that anyone and everyone could recognize on the street. But, he was well known enough for photos of the nuptials to be featured in a 3-page spread in LIFE magazine.
It has been reported that she thought her gown looked rather like a lampshade! And, to go with that lacy dress was a tiered cake embellished with a scroll and paisley design. You
may have seen the photos but if you ever wondered what this cake tasted like you’re in luck as it’s what we’re making today!For the wedding the cake was commissioned from the small East Coast business Plourdes Bakery. JFK had gone into their shop in 1951 while campaigning and once he got a load of their pastries and cakes he vowed that they would bake his wedding cake. He not only kept
his promise, but he also invited the owner and his wife to the wedding, too.
The flavors of this cake are simple, just vanilla and raspberry. Jacqueline enjoyed simple combinations of fruit with vanilla so this was a perfect choice for the couple. This cake was served at JFK’s presidential inauguration and at the celebrations of many other presidents as well, such as for Clinton’s birthday and George H.W. Bush’s inauguration.The original wedding cake was clad in white buttercream, but our version has some raspberry mixed into the frosting for even more berry flavor.
To decorate this cake I chose to do a simple design using a frosting comb. I think mine came from a dollar store and it’s been one of the best baking purchases I’ve ever made! Since this frosting is very soft it’s best to keep the cake and the frosting cold until it’s time to decorate.
If you have a piping bag then you can attempt to recreate those lovely paisley designs, but any way you make it look it will still have the fantastic flavor that has entranced so many over the years.
The vanilla cake is one I am truly enamored of- and I don’t usually go for white or yellow cake to be honest. It’s got a rich flavor and a firm texture that gives it the oomph to stand up to the sweet filling and frosting. And, if you can I advise to use real vanilla bean pods or paste for the frosting. It makes a world of difference.
This is one layer cake that will lend a show-stopping elegance to any occasion and the flavor is simply divine. Well, you’ve got to try it for yourself to see and taste a little bit of history while you’re at it!
Archaeologists Find Proof of Just How
Dangerous The Middle Ages Were For
Workers
Rose Heichelbech
A new study carried out over 3 historic graveyards in Cambridge, England, reveals just how many injuries were sustained during daily life for people in the Middle Ages. Many of these injuries -apparent in broken bones- are speculated to have been the result of work injuries.
These non-fatal injuries show just how dangerous it was to be alive and working during that era, but the findings of this study also show that even across social lines injuries were
common.
The researchers from Cambridge University, the University of Aberdeen, and the University of Leicester looked at 314 skeletons from 3 different medieval graveyards: one for average
workers in the parish, one for an Augustinian friary (which buried wealthy patrons alongside friars), and a cemetery for a charitable hospital.
What archaeologists found was the there was a discrepancy in the number of broken bones between the 3 sites. The most broken bones were found in the graves of regular working
class people at the parish cemetery where 44% of those buried there showed evidence of at least one fracture. In life these folks would have been farmers, stone masons, bread bakers,laundry women, and other tradespeople. By the Middle Ages some tools were in use to
reduce the amount of back breaking labor needed to earn a day’s wage, but these tools still required massive amounts of energy to use and had zero safety precautions. At the time most commoners would have begun work around age 12 and this is the age when many
apprenticeships began.
Injuries like broken arms, fingers, and legs were common at the time. People buried in the parish cemetery also had the highest levels of blunt force trauma to the skull. People were buried in this cemetery between 1000 and 1365.
The group with the next highest levels of broken bones was the graveyard of the friary where
32% of those buried there had endured a fracture. Despite having support from wealthy patrons to live a sheltered life this group still did suffer injuries. While some in the clerical life
were academics, scribes, or administrators many others were working regular jobs within their holy communities. Each friary or monastery was responsible for making most (if not all
of) their own food and supplies, which means a variety of trade accidents were likely just as with the laboring classes.
The friary was established in the late 13th century and functioned until 1538 when King Henry VIII initiated the dissolution of the monasteries.
The hospital graves had the lowest percentage of broken bones of the group at 27%. At first glance this might sound strange for a hospital cemetery to have fewer fractures, but researchers think they know why that is. Patients of the hospital would have been arriving for
all manner of illness and injury, meaning that people of all age ranges were dying at the hospital from all causes. Some patients died from disease before they could sustain common job-related injuries of the era. Patients at the hospital would have been impoverished and often destitute.
People buried in this graveyard would have died between 1204-1214 and 1250 when grounds reached maximum capacity.
Violence and traumatic events were also a factor in whether a medieval person sustained broken bones. Males across the 3 groups were more likely to have sustained a traumatic injury than females. However, one woman who was buried in the parish cemetery appeared to show signs of repeated domestic abuse in the form of a broken foot and jaw, as well as broken ribs and vertebrae that each had time to heal before her death.
The findings of this study were published in January 2021 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and show the disparity between average workers’ safety and those of religious orders and the patrons who funded those orders.