Preserving the top tier of a wedding cake is an enduring ritual that dates back centuries. But there’s an art to doing it right, says Les Amis Bake Shoppe owner Stephanie Hansen, who provides her couples full instructions on how to do it. Start by placing the cake in the freezer, unwrapped, for about an hour so that the icing hardens, then cover it in plastic wrap and freezer paper. Place the wrapped cake in a box, then wrap the box with plastic wrap and stow it in the back of the freezer. She also provides specifics on thawing. Most of Hansen’s customers embrace this tradition, but some take her up on a tempting offer. She bakes her couples a free cake for their first anniversaries. Purists, however, swear by the freezing instructions. “They tell us it tastes just like their wedding day,” she says.

Les Amis Bake Shoppe

400 Convention St.

lesamisbakeshoppe.com