As magical as they can be, weddings worldwide are very versatile. Often, as an occasion, weddings include numerous different elements that combine into a bigger picture. One such element is a wedding cake. 

The cake is an irreplaceable aspect of a wedding. Accordingly, to make their wedding special, people tend to create various types of cakes. They differ in style, shape, decoration, and many other aspects. Hence, there’s always room for experimentation and exploration. 

In this article, we will zoom in on the magical wedding world. We will explore different types of wedding cakes, including various styles and shapes. Let’s get started. 

Types by style

Needless to say, weddings vary a lot. As the cake is the main attribute of the celebration, it can be very flexible and must meet the wedding style. So, let’s review the most popular options you can choose from.

1. Traditional cake

Traditional weddings strike a chord with their elegance. Normally, they have an accent on white colours, posh and luxurious decorations, and style. 

Cakes, in this regard, supplement the overall mood of the celebration. Hence, traditional wedding cakes are usually round in shape, have multiple tiers, intricate decorations, and come in a whiteish colour palette. 

Speaking of the decorations, traditional cakes are a little limited in choice, but still, cake makers can implement intricate piping, lace patterns, sugar flowers, edible pearls, and delicate embellishments. 

2. Modern cake

In complete opposition to traditional cakes, modern-style wedding cakes are a common go-to choice to make your celebration stand out. Modern cakes are usually more compact and focus less on rich decorations. Instead, they are often enriched with fresh fruits and/or flowers. However, they are much easier to decorate as they are open to intricate designs and various colour palettes.

Unlike traditional cakes, modern-style ones have more choice in terms of shape and size. For instance, you can give it a sharp shape, like hexagonal, rectangular, etc. 

3. Black cake

Continuing the topic of modern and unconventional styles, a black cake is an absolutely unique solution. As with classic white, the black style brings a lot of elegance and leaves a lasting impression. 

Regardless of the decoration you choose, a noticeable outer colour alone makes this cake special. Additionally, black cake can provide an opportunity to create an unforgettable wedding style. For instance, a black gothic wedding cake can surprise guests, complement the overall style, or express an unconventional approach to the wedding decoration. Moreover, the filling of the cake can surprise guests with absolutely different flavours. 

4. Floral cake

To make the cake a focal point throughout the event, you can make it floral. Such cakes use real or fake flowers as the main decoration element. Thus, with the variety of flowers in nature, the final look of the cake can vary a lot. 

Regardless of the shape, you can decorate a floral wedding cake to complement any wedding, depending on the flowers you select. Moreover, you can choose specific flowers that generally fit the style of the celebration. 

5. Textured cake

Among other types of cakes for wedding, textured cakes are quite interesting. Essentially, textured cakes are a bit more difficult compared to others. Apart from the shape, they emphasise textural decorations like lace, ruffles, or decorative waves that alter the cake’s texture. 

Instead of having a perfectly polished surface, textured cakes incorporate various design elements and techniques that add depth, dimension, and visual interest to the cake's exterior. These cakes often feature tactile patterns and unique textures ranging from rustic and natural to modern and artistic. To provide more context, here are several popular patterns.

• Rustic. With a rough buttercream application, the cake’s texture feels uneven and has a rustic appearance. This style makes the cake feel more organic and natural. Thus, it is suitable for outdoor wedding celebrations.
• Ruffled. In cakes, ruffles are usually made from fondant or buttercream. They add a soft and elegant look that resembles fabric draping. This texture does a great job of adding more romance and fancifulness to the cake.
• Geometric. With geometrical patterns, cakes look more minimalistic and modern. Such textures normally use chevron, triangle, or hexagon shapes. They are created using fondant, frosting, or edible paper.
• Embossed. To achieve this effect, you can use embossing mats or moulds to press intricate patterns into the fondant. This detailed texture can mimic different styles like lace, damask, and others.
• Brushstrokes. To create a visually appealing and unique texture, you can use brushes. Simply use buttercream or ganache to apply brushstrokes.
• Marble. This style mimics the texture of marble stone by adding swirls and veins. To create it, you can blend fondant or coloured buttercream.
• Concrete. Offers an industrial and modern look, resembling the rough texture of concrete surfaces, using edible ingredients like fondant or grey-tinted buttercream.
• Watercolor. This style represents a dreamy and artistic vibe. It is created by blending soft colours and shades with edible paints or food-safe colouring.

6. Glamorous cake

In simpler terms, they are luxurious wedding cakes. They tend to be the most expensive because of the artistry involved and the use of not only high-quality but premium ingredients. Such cakes never neglect opulent decorations, edible gold, lush flowers, etc. Glamorous cakes aim to greatly reflect the wedding style and display elegance, sophistication, and a sense of grandeur. 

However, they are challenging to get started with as they are often seen as very complex. Here are a few integral elements of a glamorous cake.

• Intricate details. Glamorous cakes are characterised by intricate and ornate decorations. This can include elaborate piping, intricate sugar flowers, lace patterns, and delicate embellishments.
• Metallic accents. Edible gold or silver leaf, metallic fondant, and metallic-coloured elements are frequently used to add a luxurious touch and a reflective quality to the cake.
• Jewel-toned colours. Deep, rich colours like emerald green, royal blue, and rich burgundy are trendy in glamorous cakes.
• Tiered complexity. Luxury cakes usually have multiple tiers and layers. Both tiers and layers can be challenging to create, yet they bring uniqueness and grandeur to the cake.

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7. Vintage cake

A vintage wedding cake is one that draws inspiration from significant past eras. They use different elements to evoke a specific period's aesthetic and design elements. These cakes often pay homage to the styles, colours, and motifs that were popular during a particular historical period. Thus, they add a touch of nostalgia and old-world charm to the wedding celebration. 

Speaking of design inspirations, in most cases, cakes are inspired by certain periods, such as the Victorian era, Baroque style, the 1950s, the Art Deco movement, or other distinctive decades. 

After all, wedding cakes in vintage style can be unique because of the rich historical legacy we have. In fact, they are an ideal choice for couples who are longing for bygone eras. It can transport guests to another time, remind them of periods of their youth, and more.

8. Alternative cake

A non-traditional wedding cake is another popular option among wedding cake ideas. They are suitable for couples who seek to bring something new to their celebration. Despite the fact that alternative cakes don’t have an established form or style, they can differ a lot. However, at the core of this idea lies a departure from the conventional multi-tiered, frosted wedding cake. 

Accordingly, alternative cakes represent a playground for couples to reflect their personalities, interests, or the theme of their wedding. These cakes offer a break from tradition, allowing couples to express their individuality and add a fun or quirky element to their wedding celebration. Here’s a short list of varying aspects that can be changed in such cakes.

• Diverse forms. Alternative wedding cakes come in various forms, such as cupcakes, doughnut towers, cake pops, macaron towers, pie displays, cheesecake bars, ice cream sundaes, or even towers of gourmet chocolates.
• Unconventional ingredients. Such cakes may feature unconventional ingredients, flavours, or intricate filling choices.
• Accent on personalisation. Due to the fact that they deviate from the established norm, alternative cakes are customisable and can be highly personalised. Thus, cakes can reflect interests, memories, hobbies, and many other aspects that unite a couple. 
• Thematic or seasonal choices. To add more intricacy to the cake, you can incorporate themes or seasonal elements. Among the choices, you can add seasonal fruits and flowers and match the cake’s style with upcoming or past holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, or Easter. 
• Budget-friendly. Prices for wedding cakes can skyrocket to unbelievable sums. In this regard, alternative wedding cakes are usually a more budget-friendly choice due to simpler design and fewer tiers and layers. 

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9. Boho style cake

Short for "bohemian" style, cakes in boho styles embody the free-spirited, natural, and organic elements often associated with bohemian or boho-chic weddings. Apparently, these cakes draw inspiration from the bohemian lifestyle, which values creativity, individuality, and a connection to nature. For greater understanding, boho wedding cakes have several distinctive characteristics. 

• Natural elements. Due to the concept, boho cakes often incorporate natural elements like fresh flowers, greenery, succulents, and edible herbs. These elements create a rustic and organic vibe.
• Focus on minimalist design. For canonical boho-style cakes, simplicity is a crucial aspect. These cakes do not emphasise grandeur or luxury feelings and may have a more understated appearance with rustic buttercream finishes or a naked cake style that exposes the layers.
• Earthy colour palette. Boho-styled cakes focus on earthy and muted colour palettes. Thus, cake makers use soft pastels, earth tones, or desert-inspired shades. 
• Texture and imperfections. Since the boho style focuses on natural decorations, it embraces imperfections and textured finishes. For example, you can often see rough icing, uneven layers, and hand-painted elements.

10. Mixed cake

Quite self-explanatory, wedding cakes with mixed styles represent a unique and innovative approach to wedding cake design. Today, cake makers easily combine different styles, flavours, or elements within a single cake presentation. This way, they can present the ideas and suggestions of a couple, showcasing a diverse range of tastes, themes, and preferences in a single dessert. Typically, in wedding cakes, you can mix: 

• Flavours. This is the most common way to create a mixed wedding cake. For example, you add different flavours to each tier of the cake. In this regard, a beautiful tiered cake can comprise chocolate, vanilla, and lemon flavours in its tiers to cater to various tastes.
• Designs. Mixed cakes may feature contrasting design styles on each tier. For instance, you could have a traditional and elegant tier, a rustic naked cake tier, and a modern geometrically patterned tier.
• Colours. In mixed cakes, you can also incorporate different colour palettes on each tier, allowing the cake to shift in colour as it ascends. 
• Desserts. Some mixed wedding cakes serve as the centrepiece of dessert bars that feature various desserts like cupcakes, cake pops, macarons, and cookies. This provides guests with a wide range of sweet options.

Types by shape

As mentioned at the very beginning, wedding cakes differ not only in style but in shape as well. In this regard, the shape can greatly affect the perception of the cake, as each of those shapes delivers a different mood. Let’s overview all of them and the specific ideas behind each.  

1. Round

Most likely, a round cake shape is considered a classical one, as it is the most common. Simply put, whenever you imagine a cake, this will most likely be the first shape you think of. 

Shapes usually have certain symbolic meanings. For example, a classical round shape can be considered a symbol of unity, as it can remind one of a wedding ring. Additionally, a circle usually symbolises endlessness in terms of love, intimacy, etc.

2. Oval 

These wedding cakes are elliptical-shaped, as the name implies. With their extended edges, they provide a totally different perception of the cake compared to traditional round-shaped cakes. A prolonged body of the cake provides more space for decoration. For instance, different flower compositions or piping designs are very suitable for such cakes. 

Additionally, the oval shape allows you to experiment with layers. You can stack them in the centre or make them off-centre. 

Lastly, oval cakes are also practical for serving. You can easily cut them into larger slices without compromising the overall look of the cake.

3. Square

Nowadays, people tend to shift from traditions to modern designs. Accordingly, square-shaped cakes started to dominate the small wedding cake ideas niche. The square shape completely alters the perception of the cake and the way it feels and looks. 

In terms of decorating square-shaped cakes, there are a myriad of possibilities. For example, you can opt for symmetrical designs that resonate with the angular shape, use fresh flowers, or any other visual additions to the cake.

4. Rectangular

A rectangular wedding cake, while longer than a square one, doesn't always have to be as large as a full-sheet cake. It offers an elegant choice, whether served as a single-tiered or multi-tiered delight. 

These layers can be positioned at the centre or off-centre when arranged in tiers, depending on the desired design. Some couples opt for several single-layered rectangular cakes to accommodate dietary preferences and offer a variety of flavours. Furthermore, rectangular wedding cakes offer more room for creative decoration compared to square-shaped cakes and can cater to a larger crowd. 

5. Sheet

Unlike square and rectangular, sheet-shaped cakes are made in a flat, rectangular pan. They tend to be the largest of all and are served as a single layer rather than multi-tiered. 

Considering that wedding celebrations are usually huge with many guests, one cake is not enough. Thus, couples choose several, where the main one may not be massive, but it is exemplary, suitable for photos, and creates a beautiful image. In addition to it, they serve sheet-shaped cakes, which are more cost-effective. 

6. Hexagon

As soon as square cakes emerged, people started to experiment even more. The hexagonal cake shape is one such experimental result. With its distinctive appearance, the cake doesn’t need many decorations, as the shape makes it stand out a lot. 

However, decoration-wise, you can work with angles and edges. You can outline them with cream, flowers, or minimalistic candies. Alternatively, you can make it almost free of decor and instead work on the decoration on top to attract attention.

7. Mixed shape

When it comes to creating decorative intricacies, wedding cakes are not limited in their shape choices. For this reason, cake makers came up with a mixed cake shape. 

Simply put, mixed shape wedding cakes typically have multiple layers of differently-shaped cakes. For instance, basic shapes can be put on top of each other. Alternatively, you can use more complex shapes like squares, hearts, stars, etc. Moreover, each layer may have a different shape and differ in style, colour, height, etc.

8. Staircase

Wedding cakes styled as staircases are another quite popular choice. In this cake, the cake makers use multiple stacked layers that look like an actual staircase when put together. Cake makers create such styles by stacking square or rectangular layers. Moreover, to complicate the design, some professionals can also add spiral staircases that go right to the top of the cake.

Bottom line

After all, the wedding cake is the centrepiece of the entire event's decoration. Depending on the style of the celebration, the cake reflects it, adding even more elegance. Moreover, it is more than a treat. In fact, it is a decoration, a focal point in photos, and simply a masterpiece that guests usually admire. 

In this piece, we explored fancy types of cakes for wedding, each with its own unique charm and idea. Whether you’re a cake maker looking for more knowledge or a couple seeking exciting ideas, we sincerely hope this overview has been helpful to you. Wedding cake choice, preparation, and decoration are known to be some of the most cumbersome and challenging tasks. However, with CakerHQ, you can significantly simplify both sides of this coin. 

On the one hand, you can become a cake maker and start delivering professional cakes of your own production. On the other hand, you can sign up as a customer to observe what professionals offer and find your ideal cake maker in no time. 

So, take your time, explore the options, and have fun in the process. After all, a wedding is a fantastic event, and the preparations should never overshadow the joy.