[Updated 22/11/2023]

What do you think of when you hear the words 'Wedding Cake'? We’re guessing it’s an ivory tiered fruit cake, but these days wedding cakes are breaking traditions and expectations. We checked the wedding cake expectations against reality, to see just how much the cake is evolving…

 

Tradition: Wedding Cakes have to be fruit cake

Reality: Your cake can be any flavour you wish!

 

Traditional wedding cakes were made from a heavy fruit cake, wrapped in marzipan and icing. Such was the nature of these cakes, that it was usual for the top tier of the wedding cake to be kept in the freezer to be brought out at future events, usually a christening.  

 

If fruit cake isn’t your bag, don’t worry - your wedding cake can be any flavour you wish! If you don’t opt for fruit cake, you can also move away from heavy marzipan and icing and instead opt for buttercream (or even Swiss meringue buttercream). Our incredible Rustic-Chic Macarons and Roses Vintage Wedding Cake can be made with Vanilla, Belgian Chocolate or even Red Velvet sponge, leaving you plenty of fruit cake free options.

Tradition: Wedding Cakes must be an ivory tower

Reality: Your cake can reflect your wedding

 

The traditional image of a wedding cake is undoubtedly the ivory tower tiered Wedding Cake, like our iconic Four-Tiered Buttercream Dream Wedding Cake. However, just as wedding themes have evolved, as has the wedding cake, meaning it can reflect the unique theme of your big day, or even the season you are getting married in. For summer weddings, we love the gorgeous Yellow Summer Love Wedding Cake, with its lemon sponge decorated with yellow ombre Swiss meringue buttercream swirls. For magical winter weddings, our Christmas Croquembouche Cake really is a spectacular centrepiece, complete with gingerbread men, baubles and wreath doughnuts.

 

Tradition: Wedding Cakes have to be serious

Reality: Wedding Cakes can be as fun as you like

 

Okay, so you now know that you don’t have to have fruit cake and that your wedding cake doesn’t have to be an ivory tiered number, but it still needs to be sensible right? Wrong! A wedding is your special day, so why not have some fun with the cake whilst reflecting the unique partnership that you’re celebrating? For example, perhaps you and your partner love sushi, or your first date was at a sushi restaurant? If so, our Sushi Wedding Cake is perfect! The incredible sushi decorations are so detailed, it’s hard to believe that they’re actually all made from delicious sweet treats such as chocolate, marshmallow fluff and matcha. The cakes don’t have to be food themed either, as it could reflect anything from your tastes in books (like this Alice In Wonderland Wedding Cake) or just your love of unicorns!

 

Tradition: Wedding Cakes should have a wedding topper showing a married couple

Reality: You can have love birds, or elephants!

 

The traditional wedding cake is topped with a depiction of the married couple, men in their black suit, women in their white dress. However, this isn’t always an accurate representation of the married couple or you may just want to have a bit more fun with it. One of our favourite depictions of the newly married couple has to be our Vegan Fat Unicorns, in what feels like an accurate depiction of the feeling after you’ve devoured too much of the Wedding Cake itself! For something a little more romantic, we love the hand modelled love birds on this Wedding Cake.

 

Tradition: Wedding Cakes have to be purely made of cake

Reality: How does a Croquembouche sound?

 

Any flavour cake, any decoration and any wedding topper sounds great, but what if you’re still looking for something a little different? A great alternative is a breath-taking Croquembouche. A Croquembouche cake features profiteroles and other sweet treats on a cone shaped cake. You could take the ‘something blue’ wedding tradition to a whole new level with the stunning Something Blue Croquembouche Wedding Cake, or have some fun with the fantastical Mermaid Croquembouche Wedding Cake. If you’re not ready to go the whole hog with a Croquembouche Cake, you could simply add some macarons to a more traditional cake. Macarons add an elegant feel to the Wedding Cake, and are great for guests to munch on! The Watercolour Macaron Cascade Wedding Cake features a stunning wave of multi-coloured macarons, whilst still maintaining a sponge cake beneath them.