Elvis and Priscilla Presley's 1967 Wedding Cake: The 5-Foot Tower That Used 20 Pounds of Crisco

When Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas in 1967, the world expected an event. The couple were supposed to marry in California but the press caught wind of the plans, so the pair flew to Las Vegas to wed on May 1, trading one spectacle for another. The newlyweds were the top story, but the cake was the real star of the room. The cake, which cost $3,200 back when a brand-new car would set you back about $2,500, was an edible monument to 1960s excess. The confection dripped in light-pink frosting and came loaded with enough kirsch to make a guest lightheaded before the first dance.

The King didn't build a career on subtlety. Reports claim the star wanted something that looked like it belonged in a palace, even if it would end up in a floral-carpeted suite in Vegas. Designed and styled by the chef of the Aladdin hotel, Bjorn Jaeger, and made by the hotel's pastry chef. Denis Martig, the recipe used 20 pounds of Crisco and 576 eggs. The final touches on the cake's recipe included 500 silver balls and 50 sugar hearts for extra sparkle.

The flavor profile was pure ‘60s camp. ""The cake itself was a yellow sponge cake. Each layer was filled twice with apricot marmalade and a kirsch flavored Bavarian cream," Martig once said. All the layers were glazed with kirsch flavored fondant icing and decorated with royal icing and marzipan roses."

The famous photo of Elvis and Priscilla cutting the cake shows the scale of the dessert. Priscilla had to reach up to chest level to find a spot to slide the knife. And that was just the second level. Because this was a Presley event, they had more than one cake, with dozens of smaller versions made for the press and staff.

Yet the big one remained the centerpiece. It sat perched on a table and served alongside silver platters of fried chicken, oysters Rockefeller, and poached salmon. It was a mix of Southern comfort and Vegas glitter.

It remains the most famous wedding cake in pop culture history. Elvis's wedding cake was exactly like the man himself: too much, and yet, somehow, exactly enough. If you're looking to recreate it, maybe skip the 20 pounds of shortening. But keep the brandy. Elvis would have wanted it that way.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 5:00 AM.