The wedding cakes of 2014 were truly works of art. Multi-tiered cakes have always been a facet of weddings, adding luxury and a crazy amount of fuel for aspirational eaters. In 2014, the tiered cakes were everywhere, sometimes defying gravity.
After all this Gatsby-esque grandeur, 2015 will be the year of turning splendor on its head. We’ll see new textures, cultures, pastries, colors, materials, and probably even less of the skyscraper cakes. That’s right, all the towering columns of frosting and flowers will come crumbling down into humbler tortes.
1. Ruffles and Texture
{Open Peony Ruffed Wedding Cake by Sugar Ruffles}
This year we saw flouncy ruffles grace every catwalk in India and the pages of designer bridal magazines. Everyone is doing it. And like all trends, the trickle down is inevitable.
Ruffled cakes have been around for a few years but only for intrepid brides and wedding planners. Next year, as brides discover all the clever ways they can incorporate pretty feminine elements into their wedding, we’ll be seeing even more beautifully textured cakes with ruffled flowers and swirls. Pretty soon, the cake will be the flounciest, laciest thing in the room.
2. Suspended Cakes
{Suspended Cake Photographed by Joshua Aaron Photography}
No joke, these cakes are actually hanging. Beautiful chandeliers, cascading down like flowers from a pot, wedding cakes are taking on new dimensions and daring couples can order suspended cakes.
Imagine wheeling one of these babies out – I’m sure at least 4 aunties will faint on sight. Suspended cakes are interesting and gorgeous. You can bet your guests will be leaving with at least 80 pictures of your wedding cake if not your dress.
3. Chalkboard Cake
{Chalkboard Cake from Artisan Cake Company}
Couples are always looking for new and exciting ways of stamping their personality on their wedding day. But between choosing out the perfect napkin color or filling yet another favor bag with customized skittles, sometimes a couple gets lost in the mundane bits. Enter the chalkboard cake: a truly unique wedding cake that is completely up to the couple to create.
And if one of you is a teacher (or a child at heart), this cake is perfect!
4. Less Fondant
{Naked Cake Photographed by Cassidy Tuttle}
The puffy fondant frosting layers are a thing of the past. Though they let bakers to amazing things with themes and construction, couples of 2015 will be going for much sleeker-looking traditional cakes.
That means more buttercream frosting, no frosting, or even deconstructed naked cakes! Personally, I’m not a fan of fondant – it’s too sweet and chewy. I’m all about this resurgence in traditional quaint cakes.
5. Real Life Flowers
{Floral Cake by the Red Ivory Lodge}
Frosting flowers are ok, but real flowers are where it’s at. They let couples add bursts of color, softness, and personality to their cakes.
I love the mixing of mediums – the delicate flowers against the delicate frosting makes these cakes almost too beautiful to eat (though that hasn’t stopped me yet). The flowers make the cake look fresher and they are a great way to tie in the season of the wedding or its color palette.
6. Flavorful and Infused Cakes
{Chocolate Champagne Gateau Photography by Tyme Photography}
Typically wedding cakes are just meant to be looked at. That’s right, some couples spend hundreds of dollars on works of art that taste like sugary cardboard. Or maybe the cake doesn’t get eaten at all (I really don’t understand this).
2015’s couples are tired of just looking at the pretty cakes, they wanna make sure their cakes are as delicious as they are decadent. Be on the look out for interesting flavors (like the chocolate-champagne infusion above), rich creamy centers, and unexpected fruity surprises.
7. Offbeat Cakes
{Cheese Wedding Cake by Farmgate Cheese}
When I say ‘offbeat’ I mean like really offbeat like way off the beaten path like in the middle of the wedding cake forest with no discernible way back to civilization. These are the cakes of a mother-in-law’s nightmares and the absolute delight of Instagram. I’m talking about stuff like a wedding cake made entirely of cheese wheels. For the anti-sweet tooth, I guess.
Shriya and I actually stumbled on one of these in the wild in London. You can actually order cheese-makers to craft you a tower of cheese for your wedding. No joke.
I wonder if they come in vegan too?
2015 is bound to be an exciting year for wedding cakes and I am so ready for all the new textures, colors, flavors, and designs. Bring on the naked cakes and macaron towers, I’m saving space.