Wedding Cake Designs, Flavors and Toppers Ideas

Discover the different types of wedding cakes, from classic styles to modern creations, and see which one is best for you! Just like your wedding dress, choosing the right cake will ensure everything is perfect. A wedding cake is more than a cake; it’s a statement!

Popular Types Wedding Cakes

Wedding Cakes come in all colors, shapes and sizes, especially today. In the old days, all wedding cakes kind of looked the same, a white cake with a thick frosting layer and porcelain husband and wife crowning the top.

Today, wedding cakes are incredibly creative, and that puts even more pressure on the newlyweds. People expect a flashy cake, and the couple wants theirs to be memorable, so how to choose?

Here are the most popular types of cake shapes, fillings, frosting and toppers. We hope this gives you an idea of what your perfect wedding cake looks like!

Wedding Cake Shapes

The first thing people notice in wedding cakes is their shape. Today, tiered cakes are the norm, as they’ve been for decades. Still, before getting obsessed with the number or tiers you want in the cake, instead, think of the number of guests you’re inviting to the wedding.

Small receptions call for smaller cakes, and larger cakes are suitable for larger events, of course, if you’re planning on serving the cake, which is not always the case.

Once you’ve decided the size of the cake, you can go for a classic round cake for a traditional feel or a more dramatic square cake. The cakes might taste all the same, but the shape of the different tiers makes all the difference.

Traditional scalloped cakes are experiencing a comeback, as they’re princess-like and classy, especially when the cake is not too big.

And then you have lesser-known cake shapes, from cakes shaped like pillows with rounded edges to heart-shaped cake layers. The topsy turvy, a dynamic asymmetrical shape, was popular in the eighties and might give your wedding a retro feel.

The size of the cake, the number of tiers, and the tiers’ shape ultimately define the cake’s overall look, but that’s just the beginning.

Wedding Cakes Fillings and Flavors

Photo By Canva

Wedding cakes might look gorgeous, but it’s the filling that matters most. The filling chosen should say something about the couple, and they can literally go vanilla with a traditional flavor or go crazy with fruit, chocolate or cheesecake fillings.

The most popular fillings are still the chiffon, which is fluffy and light, and the sponge cake, which is firm but moist. Still, fruitcake, lemon sorbet, strawberries & cream, Belgian chocolate and red velvet are quite popular fillings as well.

It goes without saying, the more contrast you achieve between the cake’s frosting and the filling, the more impact. A pearly white cake with a dark filling looks completely different from an all-white cake.

The best part of choosing a wedding cake is trying different fillings. Not all bakeries use the same recipes, and some specialize in a specific type of cake over others. Keep an open mind and let your chosen baker surprise you — you might end up selecting a filling you never thought of.

The cake’s filling is also a nice way to start a tradition for the new marriage. If you go for chocolate cake, you can always commemorate your anniversaries with a slice of chocolate cake at a nice restaurant; this is a bonding experience for couples to consider!

Wedding Cake Frostings

The frosting is more than a nice decorative layer; it contributes to the cake’s flavor as well. This might be the hardest thing to choose when wedding cake shopping since options are limitless.

First, decide if you’re going with a traditional all-white cake or are willing to try something more innovative. A white buttercream fluff frosting is as classic as they get, but a chocolate ganache frosting is equally delicious but not traditional— it will change your cake’s color.

Buttercream is the base for some of the most decadent frostings. Vanilla buttercream, mocha buttercream or lemon buttercream, the sky’s the limit here, and you always get a creamy and fatty frosting. You can flavor it with everything, from orange zest to lavender.

Fondant is hard to beat presentation-wise, it’s silky, smooth texture is fantastic, and the nutty paste has a lovely bite. Fondant allows you to be more playful with the decoration, but you compromise creaminess.

The frosting might not matter as much if you’re planning to use a lot of garnishes and toppings, but it still contributes to the flavor and mouthfeel, so don’t overlook it. Your best bet is choosing the topping and decorations first and then seeing what frosting works best for the type of garnish chosen.

Wedding Cake Toppers

When it comes to cake decoration, there’s more than the classic husband and wife figures. Anything from edible pearls and ribbons to flowers gives a wedding cake its personality.

For this, we recommend spending a few hours browsing on Pinterest or wedding cake sites, just for inspiration. Then choose your own design. Some wedding cakes are luxuriously designed with gems, shimmer, icing and piping, while others are planer but equally beautiful.

You can even commission a cake artist to draw on the cake itself, especially if you go for a fondant frosting. Just keep in mind sometimes less is more, but we all have our preferences.

Before choosing your cake topper and decorations, consider the overall decor, and that means the chairs, tablecloths and even your wedding dress. The best strategy is to make sure everything is aligned with the same concept.

If your dress is plain, go for a more discrete cake, but if you went all out with embroidery and gems, then choose an equally flashy cake. Consistency is the name of the game and will make your wedding look more organized and better planned.

Choose a wedding cake that looks good in the setting where it will be presented, and it should look good when you’re standing beside it as well.

You only get one wedding cake, so choose wisely!

Large and small, tiered or single layer, shimmering white or chocolaty, it doesn’t matter. Sure, you should look for the perfect wedding cake, but don’t stress too much about it.

Chances are you’ll be so nervous or busy talking to your guests that you won’t give your cake a second thought during the wedding. On the same line, the wedding cake shouldn’t represent a meaningful investment either — of course, they’re expensive, but they shouldn’t be on top of your expense list. The bottom line? Just buy a cake you’ll enjoy eating with your friends and family! That’s it!

Here are some Homemade Cake Recipes: