I’m currently working on a lovely little December wedding in London. The couple know they want a wedding cake but aren’t really sure what they want it to look like only that it should not be a traditional wedding cake. I’ve been researching ideas from non-traditional designs to tiered cake alternatives and thought I’d share some of my favourite alternative wedding cake ideas with you today.
Alternative ideas to white fondant cakes
Who says a wedding cake needs to be white? Modern cakes really can come in any colour you want from all over metallic gold to bright ombré purple to orange; when it comes to colour and cake the world really is your oyster.
Gold cake by The Sugared Saffron Cake Studio | Purple and Orange Ombre cake by Domino Purchas | Images by My Heart Skipped Photography
If you’re not that keen on fondant icing, then how about buttercream covered cakes? Buttercream tastes delicious and cake makers can still be quite creative with the finish. (It is worth noting I’d avoid going for a buttercream on a very hot day as they can melt in the heat.)
Buttercream wedding cake by The Cake Parlour, image by Marianne Taylor | Tropical peach buttercream cake by Little Bear Cakery, image by Francis Carlise
Naked cakes are a great option for relaxed affairs, with no fondant or buttercream layer you get to see all the beauty of the cake and it can still be dressed up with flowers or fruit. The Semi-naked cake with a light coating (sometimes called the crumb coating) of buttercream is another variation on the theme.
Naked cake by The Naked Food Company Image by Cecelina Photography
The beauty of fondant icing is the diversity of design and originality a cake maker can produce, in fact it was hard to narrow the examples here to just 2 images but these show just the tip of what can be done from creating lace textures, lifelike flowers to printing any image you want directly onto the icing.
Creative fondant icing wedding cakes by Olofson Design, images by Anushé Low
Don’t forget that your cake can also be any size and height of tier, from a simple single tier to oversized tier contrasting with smaller one, I do also love a hand sized mini 2-tiered cake perfect to give out at the end of evening too.
Single tiered cake by The Sugared Saffron Cake Studio, Image by Cecelina Photography | Wabi sabi inspired cake by Andi Freeman image by Siobhan H
If you want cake but something that your guests won’t forget in a hurry take a look at the amazing creations by Anges De Sucres who takes drippy iced cakes to whole new level with everything from macarons, doughnuts, chocolate bars and popcorn proudly adorning the cakes.
Alternative non-wedding cake ideas
Of course who says you need to have cake at all…there’s an array of other marvellous sweet treats that you can choose from doughnuts and brownies to macarons and meringue kisses….
Macaron tower by Anges de Sucre, image by Anneli Marinovich | Meringue kisses tower by Meringue Girls
Brownie tower via You + Your Wedding | Doughnut tower via The Knot, image by LisaAnne Photography
But of course if sweet isn’t your thing then there’s always cheese…. mmm….
Cheese tower by Jacaranda Catering, image by Marianne Taylor | Cheese tower The Cheese Shed, image by Kat Hill
So which one is your favourite alternative wedding cake idea?
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