Wedding Advice - Here Comes the Blog » wedding cake ideas

How to Choose Your Cake Shape

Sarah — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:53:18 +0000

A wedding is a culmination of dreams; brides have long imagined what their dress would look like, how it would trail behind them as they walk down the aisle, how the flowers would look and smell, what gorgeous wedding favors will be gracing the decorated tables... And what their cake would be like. Next to the dress, the cake is often one of the biggest concerns because it is such an integral part of the entire wedding experience. Besides flavors, fillings, icings, and decorations, have you considered the shape of your cake?

Wedding cakes have traditionally been round or square; today, however, there is no limit to the creativity of these confectionary delights. From classic multi-tiered cakes to asymmetrical treats to cupcakes and custom designs, you can find it all. One Texas bride celebrated the renewal of her vows with a five-foot tall replica of herself, complete with flowing, fondant wedding gown. Your style may be a little simpler, but there’s no reason you can’t have the cake of your dreams.

Round

A round wedding cake is very traditional and elegant. For a classic look, flowers are an inexpensive choice for decoration, and pearls never fail to impress with a larger budget. If you want to give your cake a contemporary update, opt for “non-traditional” colors, such as pink or turquoise and chocolate. You can alternate patterns: one layer can have polka dots, another stripes, etc., or you could alternate round and square layers.

Round cakes are practical because they cut easily and always look classic so you can enjoy looking back on your cake in twenty years. They can be made even more practical still: have a smaller cake at the top. The bottom layers will be made of Styrofoam and decorated to look like your “real” cake. A sheet cake waits in the back to be served for guests. It’s delicious, easy, and less expensive.

Square

Square cakes are easy to layer, decorate, and cut. If your baker charges a cutting fee, this is a great benefit. A traditional square multi-tiered cake gets progressively smaller and is beautifully symmetric. This is a classic style, but you can give it a fresh look by offsetting the squares or decorating them to look like gifts.

A variation on this is to opt for a hexagonal or octagonal cake; this has the classic crisp lines you want, but offers a great deal of decorating freedom. It can give a modern feel to a traditional cake.

Asymmetrical

We are seeing more asymmetrical cakes, and they are beautiful. These are not perfectly lined up, and sometimes the tiers are not even. The result can look like an Alice in Wonderlandesque dream or an unexpected but elegant display that your guests will never forget.

These have really become popular at modern weddings. It's kind of a fun way to show the bride and groom's personality.

Cupcakes or Individual Cakes

No matter what you call them, more couples are opting for individual cakes that surround a larger round or square cake. These are typically as carefully decorated but are meant to be enjoyed by each guest. This might be a great way to celebrate and honor your guests at a smaller wedding. And they are very easy to serve.

The shape of your cake is important; but as always, it is what is inside that matters most. Choose a delicious cake with colors and flavors you love. The shape is, you could say, the icing on the cake.

For more cake ideas, see this article for Wedding Cake Trends.

Wedding Cake Trends

Sarah — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:49:50 +0000

The secret to the perfect wedding cake? Make it unique and personalized to your tastes. Gone are the days when you had to go all white with nothing but a bride and groom wedding cake toppers on top. Today’s cakes are over the top with color splashes and the most outrageous designs.

One big trend is to use bold colors that no one would expect. Brides are going with bright purple cakes or vivid green. Any color goes and a good bakery will do anything you ask.

Another trend is the toppling cake. These cakes are designed to look like they are about to tip but are actually very sturdy. Think Alice and the Mad Hatter’s party cake. These kooky cakes are actually lovely and can be done so that they stand out as a marvel of cake engineering.

Flowers on cakes have hit new heights. Brides have long added flowers to their cake tops. But now flowers are cascading down the entire cake, wrapping around it and even being done with a mix of real and silk flowers.

Jewelry is in style now. All the finest cakes are wearing it. Cake decorators are now using rhinestones and pearls on their cakes. The finished products are attractive and really have a bling to them that you can’t get any other way. Of course, the jewels are removed when the cake is cut, but it’s a lovely way to decorate a cake that’s different from anything your guests will expect.

The cupcake trend is huge these days. Brides are opting for tiers of cupcakes rather than a full wedding cake. When stacked, they actually do look like a big wedding cake. Up close, guests will see that they are actually cupcakes. Some brides opt for the cupcake display as part of a coffee bar and then have another wedding cake off to the side for cutting and decoration.

The ornately decorated fondant cake is still going strong. Martha Stewart made the smooth fondant cake into an art form that is being taken to new heights by bakers who seem more like fine artists. The Wedgewood cake is now very popular. Cakes are being covered in smooth blue fondant and decorated with white cherubs and latticework like a Wedgewood vase or tea cup. It’s stunning to look at.

Cakes in the shapes of animals are big now. If you’re a Texas couple, a long horn cake may be just the thing. Met at the zoo? Go for an elephant cake. These cakes aren’t just decorated with the animal, they are the animal. Cakes cut into odd shapes have been made popular by The Food Network’s show Ace of Cakes. Now brides are asking for cakes in the shape of their school mascots, their dog or cat, and even animals that the couple both favor or are meaningful to them. The bakery then carves out a cake shape to look like a 3D version of the animal and ices it to near real-life perfection. Air brushing frosting tints can add details that are stunningly realistic. You can also opt for a giant shoe or handbag or any shape that you like. The groom also can have a say with his motorcycle or favorite car done in icing.

For more wedding cake ideas:

Fairytale Castle Wedding Cakes

DessertLover — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:25:38 +0000

Every bride should feel like a Princess on her big day! And if you are a bride that wants the full-on royal treatment, then you are likely going with a fairytale or Cinderella themed wedding. If you've found your Prince Charming, then a "Happily Ever After" or "Dreams Do Come True" wedding where your dressed in a voluminous white ball gown and you arrive at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage may be the vision you have for an ideal wedding. Of course, no fairytale wedding is complete without the castle so why not incorporate that component directly into the wedding cake. You can make it the focal point of the reception. Below you'll find some of my favorite castle themed cakes from Flickr.

These AMAZING cake creations definitely take the castle theme to the fantasy level! Many of these cakes likely were constructed over a few days as fondant was rolled and faux bricks were made with a rolling tool. Castle towers can be sculpted from things like rice krispie treats wrapped around pipes or they can be made from non-edible components that are just wrapped in fondant. Prince charming and princess figurines can be constructed from marzipan, fondant or even modeling chocolate.

The intricate details of these cakes can make them quite expensive. That said, a more affordable option would be for the designer to create an elegant tiered cake fit for a princess and then use a beautiful fairytale castle cake topper like the one shown to the right from Wedding Favors Unlimited. The glazed porcelain castle makes a great wedding day keepsake and it says "And They Lived Happily Ever After" along the base.

And don't forget to use a castle themed cake serving set and guest book. You can get a fully coordinated fairytale castle bridal set that includes the toasting flutes, cake server, guest book and pen set from Wedding Favors Unlimited as well.

Nautical Themed Wedding Cake Ideas

DessertLover — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:02:43 +0000

When it comes to a nautical themed wedding, I personally envision a stylish east coast preppy wedding. Think the Kennedy's sailing on their yacht near Hyannisport on Cape Cod. The nautical motif usually incorporates things like sailboats, lighthouses, Adirondack chairs, anchors, and beach items such as starfish and sand dollars. And when it comes to the color scheme, think blue, green and white with a hint of khaki mixed in here and there. With all that in mind, I set out on a quest to find some of my favorite nautical themed cakes at Flickr. You can see a collage of my favorites below:

As you can see from all the photos above, I generally prefer a white fondant or buttercream base for the cake color. That way, the designer can easily incorporate a wide range of blue hues into the color scheme. I especially like a navy and red or navy and light blue striped pattern around at least one of the layers. The middle cake is also one of my very favorites as I love the nautical roping that encircles the cake tiers. For the wedding cake topper, I prefer either a lovely sailboat or even a pair of white Adirondack chairs.

As always, I recommend finding some photos online of nautical themed cakes that you like and bring those to the bakery with you to show the designer. Don't forget to interview a few bakers and taste lots of cake because you deserve only the best on your big day!

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Country Western Wedding Cake Ideas

DessertLover — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:51:25 +0000

Yee-haw! Get ready for an old-fashioned rustic country wedding. If your vision for the perfect wedding includes an entrance on horses galloping across a hayfield, centerpieces constructed of galvanized pails filled with wildflowers, or a barn reception complete with hay bales, then these charming country western styled wedding cakes will be right up your alley! Photo below is from Flickr.

Above you'll see some of my favorite country themed wedding cakes from Flickr. Creativity abounds on these cakes that would be a welcome addition to any western style event. When it comes to the wedding cake, you can choose to have a tiered design like most of those shown above or you can go with a shaped cake such as a cowboy hat, a covered wagon or even a pair of cowboy boots. Bakers have all kinds of tricks for incorporating a western theme into the tiers such as hay bales made using toasted coconut, red and white gingham, plastic or molded chocolate horseshoes, plus fence, rope, and raffia ribbon. Country western figurines and wedding cake toppers can add the finishing touch to the top tier of a rustic wedding cake. Here are a couple of fun wedding cake toppers that I found online. The first topper depicts a bride in her cowboy boots having a rootin' tootin' good time dancing with her groom who is also wearing cowboy boots and also a cowboy hat. The second cake topper features wooden lucky horseshoe along with a white and black cowboy hat that sit atop a base covered in white organza ribbon. What a great way to finish off a Western Themed Wedding Cake!

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Beach Wedding Cake Ideas

DessertLover — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:59:33 +0000

When it comes to creating a beach wedding cake that will wow your guests, consider the location of your wedding and use the local landscape and scenery as your inspiration. Will you be getting married in a more tropical setting full of hibiscus flowers or a more nautical setting near a cliff-side lighthouse? Take a cue from your surroundings and you are sure to have an impressive cake.

Seashells
Without a doubt, the most popular motif for a beach wedding cake is seashells. Television shows like Cake Boss demonstrate just how creative and talented cake bakers across the U.S. are these days. If you give your baker some shells that you love as inspiration, they should be able to create similar "shells" out of marzipan, chocolate, and other tools at their disposal. I've found that it is best to try and get the shells to look as natural as possible using colors that you find on the actual real shells.

Besides shells, you can consider using other sea creatures on your cake as well. Things such as sand dollars, starfish, and seahorses always tie in well with a shell and beach-inspired cake theme.

Sandcastles
If you've ever been to Virginia Beach during the sand castle building contest or to the malecon in Puerto Vallarta, you've seen some of the amazing sculptures that can be created using beach sand. You can have your baker create an elaborate sand castle cake just for you. They simply use brown sugar to create the "sand".

Tropical Flowers
You can always choose to keep your cake classic and simple by utilizing some tropical flowers such as hibiscus, bromeliads, birds of paradise, etc. around the base of your cake. You can also get your baker to create edible tropical flowers out of gum paste, marzipan, or icing for the top and sides of your cake.

If you are having difficulty choosing a cake design, I recommend looking around online for inspiration. Below I've put together a collage of some of my favorite beach cake designs....maybe one of them will be just what you want for your big day! Now, what on earth are you going to do for your wedding favors?

Photo Credit:
1. Seashell Wedding Cake, 2. "Coral and Shells" with ruffled cupcakes, 3. Seashells & Bows Wedding Cake, 4. Mindy's Beach Cake, 5. Beach Theme Bridal Shower Cake 2, 6. Chocolate Sea Themed Wedding Cake, 7. Beach themed Seashell cake, 8. Sandcastle Wedding Cake, 9. beach wedding cake

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Black, White, and Pink Wedding Cakes

DessertLover — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:04:22 +0000

Black, White & Pink....the perfect color scheme for the bride that loves pink, but doesn't want to overwhelm her groom and guests with too much of the "girly" color. The great thing about pink is the variety of shades available ranging from fuchsia to dainty light pink to a bright hot pink and best of all, they all go with black and white perfectly. Adding a splash of your favorite shade of pink to things like the floral bouquets, wedding favors, and of course, the wedding cake is the perfect way to incorporate pink into the color scheme without going over the top.

In search of the perfect wedding cake....a picture is worth a thousand words so I've put together a montage of photos of some of my favorite black, pink and white wedding cakes (and cupcakes too). As you can see in the collage below, the options for incorporating pink into the cake are limitless. Want some whimsy? Try a retro black polka dot on top a bright white or pink fondant or how about a topsy-turvy style cake that incorporates round, square and tilted cake layers. For a more traditional look, use pink roses, black and white damask, or classic scroll work with pink ribbons on your cake. My personal favorite is the square tiered cake that incorporates a monogram initial within a large hot pink circle on the top layer....unique and fun all at the same time!

Having a cherry blossom themed wedding? The black, white and pink color scheme may be the perfect choice for you. Be sure to also check out my cherry blossom themed cake ideas in a previous post, and be sure to browse some cherry blossom wedding favors. There a lot to choose from these days, and many of them are just too cute to miss!

Photo Credit: Black White and Pink Wedding Cakes

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Black, Yellow & White Wedding Cakes

DessertLover — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:42:41 +0000

Calling all modern brides! This fresh and cheerful color scheme should be right up your alley. The traditional black and white color scheme can be brought into the 21st century by pairing it with bright sunny yellow accents. I absolutely love this color scheme for spring and summer weddings!

If you've been a Here Comes The Blog follower, you know that I'm all about the dessert so I went on a quest to find my favorite black and white wedding cakes that featured bold yellow accents. What I found was a fantastic mix of both traditional and modern wedding cakes that I wanted to share with you. Check out the collection of cake ideas below. Notice how black and white is used as the primary color scheme, but all of the cakes utilize bright yellow dots, colorful daisies, yellow roses, or yellow icing patterns to create this amazing array of images. I believe that sunflowers with a dark black center would also be a fantastic accent flower choice for this color scheme. If you love any of these cake designs, be sure to print out the photo and take it along to your wedding cake designer so they can get a feel for your style and color preferences.

Finally, check out the amazing black, white and yellow wedding inspiration boards at Wedding Fanatic. They have ideas for all aspects of wedding planning.

Photo Credit:
1. black scroll wedding cake, 2. Yellow Invitation Suite, Menu, Program and Matching Cake, 3. yellow and black, 4. Big yellow daisey cake, 5. Simpson wedding cake, 6. Black and Yellow Cake, 7. Silhouette, 8. Sandy_wedding cake, 9. yellow flowers wedding cupcake stand

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Black, White & Green Wedding Cakes

DessertLover — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:21:47 +0000

Black and white is truly a classic wedding color scheme that has been used again and again by brides over the years. That said, a recent trend amongst brides is to add a great accent color such as green or yellow to the mix. And why not? A timeless classic spiced up with a punch of color is a great way to modernize a wedding.

Planning a Spring Wedding? Nothing symbolizes spring more than the emergence of green foliage so why not tie a fresh Springtime green into your wedding color scheme! One of my favorite things about green is the wide range of hues to choose from....lime, a yellow-green chartreuse, or a bright grass green are my favorite shades to pair with black and white.

If you are looking for some inspiration, check out the collage of wedding cake photos below. I've pulled together some of my favorite black and white cakes that feature green accents. Whether you are going for a fun whimsical look or an elegant more traditional look, you can utilize green to achieve amazing results. Patterns such as polka dots, stripes or tilted layers can be used to create more laid-back cake designs while patterns such as damask, quilting, and flourish can be used for traditional cakes. Accenting with green bows or flowers such as calla lilies or orchids can also add a bit of pop to a beautiful wedding cake.

For more great green, white and black wedding ideas, check out this post on the What Junebug Loves Blog. You'll find all kinds of amazing photos to help plan your big day! You can also find a wide range of black and white wedding favors at Wedding Favors Unlimited.

Photo Credit: Black and White Wedding Cake Ideas

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Indian Themed Wedding Cakes

DessertLover — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:24:55 +0000

Although wedding cakes are not considered a traditional part of an Asian or Eastern Indian wedding ceremony, they are becoming increasingly popular as western traditions are infused into the traditional Indian celebrations. Typically, Indian wedding cakes incorporate elaborate designs and intricate details with Henna patterns. As you can see in the montage of photos below, the Indian wedding cakes that I found online not only incorporate traditional patterns and designs, but also vivid colors that are associated with traditional Indian weddings such as red, purple, bright pink, and orange.

Image Resources:
1. the henna wedding cake., 2. mehndi inspired cake for traditional indian themed wedding. The top layer is gluten free, 3. "Roshini" in purple and gold, 4. india wedding, 5. Henna Cake, 6. "Jani Paisley" - May 2, 2009, 7. Indian wedding cake, 8. mehendi passion (7), 9. cake at the wedding venue

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