Wedding cakes have had a revolution over the last couple of years and 2017/2018 looks as though it will be an awesome year for the cutting edge!
There are some worldwide trends that look set to stay so we can’t not mention the infamous naked cakes – which still seem to be growing in popularity – but that’s all we’ll say on the subject as this is about our favourite wedding cake trends.
There is so much inspiration to be found online that brides are making sure 2017 is full of promise for fresh trends. The digital age means today’s brides are avid Pinterest and Instagrammers and are way more savvy and aware of what they should expect from their wedding cake designer i.e. amazing flavours, creative input and of course a design completely unique to them.
We’re already seeing that 2017 wedding cakes mean complete personalisation to the bride and groom…so long traditional fruit cake with ‘break your teeth royal icing. Wedding cakes have never been more exciting to create.
Our top eight wedding cake trends include…
Geode – Cutting edge with a bite!
You don’t need to be a geologist to appreciate these cakes. The rocky creations will blow your mind as brides say farewell to buttercream and embrace colourful crystals. It’s unique, it’s definitely a statement cake and is all totally edible.
Not being geologists, after a quick trawl of the web, we found that geode is a sphere-shaped rock containing a hollow cavity lined with crystals and occurs through a process (look away now if science is not your thing!) involving carbon dioxide, water and cooling molten lava.
Fortunately, that’s not how we make them!
Geode cakes are so new, they didn’t hit the mainstream until early 2016 when Intricate Icings’ amethyst-inspired cake, created by Rachel Teufel, went viral. The cake took 16 hands-on hours to create with several more hours of planning.
To create this stunning look, sections of each cake tier is carved off, then decorated with coloured and textured sugars…all of which are edible. The crystals can be made large or small, hand painted and, for extra effect, gold leaf added. These cakes are a labour of love but it’s sugar art at its most creative and offers an awesome visual experience and contemporary feel to a wedding cake.
They’re almost too beautiful to eat. We love these examples from Andi Freeman Cakes and Intricate Icings.
Marble – Isn’t that a rock too?
We may seem slightly obsessed with rocks but we couldn’t not include the marble cake. For a minimalist, modern wedding these cakes are the way to go. Grey tones to create a stone like finish are the most popular, but mixing them up with pretty pastels or bright bold foliage can create a stunning and dramatic wedding cake. Here are some beautiful designs by Cotton & Crumbs and The Sugared Saffron Cake Studio.
Textures – The key is contrast
This is a trend that’s been around a while but shows no sign of losing its popularity. What do we mean by textures? It’s the way the cake is decorated, it can have ruffles, lace or pleats but there are many different ways of texturing a cake. Ruffles can add elegance or you can replicate the delicate lace in your wedding dress. It can work brilliantly with buttercream wedding cakes too.
Buttercream – Could this be the new ‘naked’ cake?
These cakes are beginning to really make their presence felt, especially for those of us who don’t like the taste of fondant…ok, one half of Bluebell Kitchen’s secret is out! For a more ‘rustic’ look, textured, hand piped buttercream works with some of the cake peeking through. For a more sophisticated look you can opt for sleek, sharp edges or structured spun buttercream.
Botanicals and Foliage – Or beautiful blooms to you and me
Flowers both fresh and sugar are wedding favourites. Sugar flowers are our most favourite items to make and the bolder and brighter the better! Organic, food safe edible flowers are the fantastic alternative and are making a huge impact in the cake world and we’ve also seen beautiful examples of their use in cookies and even doughnuts. These beautiful examples are from Vicky’s Donuts and some of our favourite sugar flower cakes.
Dessert Tables – Cupcake towers out, dessert towers in!
What began as perhaps having a small sweetie cart has grown into full blown decadent desert table that incorporates every size, shape and design of macarons, cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts and mini jellies…yes, we repeat mini jellies, a personal fav! Dessert tables are perfect for the foodie couple wanting to move away from a traditional design.
Macaron Towers – The divas of the kitchen
Not every couple wants or, dare we say, likes cake. This is where macaron towers come into their own. Undoubtedly the divas of the kitchen, they are a beautiful alternative to cake and naturally gluten free. They work well on their own or compliment a more traditional cake.
Unusual requests are becoming more common and, as one of the few established macaron suppliers in Kent, we love a mac challenge. How ‘bout deep navy blue and ivory finished with a lego mini cake top tier! Our cake featured on ‘love my dress’ and was photographed by Livvy Hukins Photography.
Flavours – lemon beer cake anyone?!
Long gone are the days of three tiers of fruit cake or even more recently chocolate, lemon or vanilla sponge. Today’s brides want not only their favourite flavours, but something memorable that will be remembered (in a good way) for many a wedding to come…lemon beer cake anyone?! Bluebell Kitchen’s latest flavours for 2017 are Elderflower and Pink lemonade, Tutti Frutti and Peach Melba which we cannot wait to try out on our unsuspecting first tasters this Spring.
We’ll be blogging in more depth about the trends we’ve mentioned but that’s it for now, a brief snapshot of what we like.
A huge thank you to Andi Freeman Cakes, Intricate Icings, Cotton and Crumbs, The Sugared Saffron Cake Studio and Vicky’s Donuts for letting us share their beautiful photos.
Photo Credits: Bluebell Kitchen, Andi Freeman, Cotton and Crumbs, Vicky’s Donuts, Livvy Hukins Photography, Yvette Craig Photography, I Heart Pictures, Ali N Garret, The Sugared Saffron Cake Studio
“Cakes baked with Love“
