A wedding staple, the wedding cake is often one of the largest parts of the whole wedding plan—and budget. From triple-tiered cakes that rival the Empire State Building to nude cakes that leave you wondering, the wedding cake is here to stay — hence why we are predicting the wedding cake trends be for 2022.
The first sweet wedding cake wasn’t featured with an “I do” until 1655. Before that, wedding cakes were actually fruity loaves of bread and pies, and these were served as part of the main course or dessert. The berries and fruits baked into these loaves were a clue to the real meaning behind wedding cakes: fertility and prosperity.
From humbled breads to pies and, finally, to the cakes of today, the most expensive wedding cake rang in at $30 million (decorated in the most expensive gems and diamonds, if you were wondering).
12 Best Wedding Cake Trends for 2022
Guiding your soon-to-be-married clients toward choosing the best wedding cake (within their budget) can be a challenge, but these 12 cake ideas will leave you swooning in delight.
1. Trending With the Color
Color predictions for 2022 include inspirational colors like pastels in blushing pink and powder blue shades, nature-inspired blues and greens, neutrals, and primary splashes of blue, red, and yellow.
Use colors, flowers, and startling opposites to create cake decorations that will be memorable and fashionable.
2. Make a Statement With a Sculptural Cake
Wedding cakes are a tribute to the couples they celebrate, so why not celebrate with a statement in art? A cake that also features as a sculpture in its own right is a brave and exciting way to go.
No, your vendor doesn’t have to bake a statue of David to be sliced appropriately.
A great sculptural statement that uses tiers, modern art, and freeform can also be a dramatic and creative way to engage with edible art.
3. Floral Fantasy Scapes
Wedding cakes are synonymous with sugar flowers. Usually, these flowers are not really edible and are removed before cutting. Change things up and make the flowers more than just decorations.
Consider adding edible flowers in layers on the cake. Add dried herb flowers like lavender and sage or layer these into the glazing of the icing, producing a much more fragrant cake.
Other floral decoration options include wafer paper flowers, fresh flowers, and floral paintings on the icing.
4. Acrylic Art
The traditional wedding cake is a rather static, three-layer cake in a pyramid shape. Why not liven things up with a great modern cake stand or tier that lifts sections of the cake?
This could include inscriptions or laser-cut decorations that can be further enhanced with uplighting. With acrylic layers, stands, and tiers, you can add height to the wedding cake at a fraction of the cost than a large cake or fake cake would.
Most weddings incorporate box cakes that are pre-sliced or pre-wrapped and are served after the cake cutting. This means you can really have fun with the size and dimensions of the wedding cake, without having to feed the “reception army” from your actual wedding cake.
5. Black Beauty-liciousness
White is no longer the only color for weddings, and a wedding cake doesn’t have to be the usual marzipan madness that covers a dreary fruitcake. Why not go with the opposite and make a real statement with a serious black cake?
Glossy black glazing can create a masterpiece, and a clever wedding planner can easily incorporate this in the overall decor scheme.
Further explore textures, marbleized fillings, and contrasting accents.
6. Wafer Paper Cakes
Accidentally touch a delicate wedding cake decoration that’s made from sugar and you know what happens: The decoration is no more. So say hello to wafer paper decorations for a subtle flavor addition while being a much more resilient choice.
Use wafer paper to wrap the cake for an artsy look, or use the paper to make flowers, ruffles, abstract designs, geometrical shapes, leaves, feathers, or whatever the soon-to-be bride and groom desire.
Wafer paper also allows for a range of options at half the cost of sugar decorations. Print designs on wafer paper or incorporate a photo of the happy couple as part of the cake.
7. Conceptualize the Cake
By being unique, you will help your future couple have the cake of their dreams. A cake can be anything you want. It could be a collection of edible sugar flowers that twist on chocolate rolls or a thin tier of cakes painted with silhouettes of the happy couple.
You can even design a cake that’s shaped like the happy couple’s first Volkswagen Beetle or like the yellow taxi that they argued about when they first met.
Creativity is the only thing holding you back from helping your couple find the wedding cake of their dreams.
8. Watercolor for Sweetness
While cakes can be extravagant with sugar flowers and ribbons, you can also opt for a painted masterpiece. Watercolor cakes feature a range of stunning colors and designs that will have wedding guests question whether what they are seeing is real or not.
The white icing base makes for an ideal surface to paint on, and using edible watercolor paint, the artist can create anything they can dream of at a fraction of the production cost. The watercolor cake is also much more resilient and can be transported over longer distances than a more fragile cake with delicate (and meltable) sugar details.
9. Renovate White
Many of your couples will want a traditional white cake. However, you can add elements to make the cake really extraordinary and not just another white cake that everyone has seen before.
Renovate the traditional with lace icing, textures, and graphic elements drawn from the bride’s dress. Tint a few cake toppers and add sugar pearls that won’t challenge the rest of the color scheme. Lace up the cakes, pin white flowers, and create delicate sugary filigree to glam up the otherwise dull white cake.
Use delicate lighting to highlight the full beauty of the white cake, and if your budget allows, you can even add tinted lights to accentuate the white cake’s artful lines, glowing up the design.
10. Going Nude: The Bare Minimum
No, this cake isn’t baked by Jamie Oliver. Unlike the Naked Chef, the naked cake is a cake that is left bare of icing. The outer layer of the traditional wedding cake is removed, leaving a tasty view of the layers of the naked cake.
A naked cake will have multiple layers, each with unique fillings and treatments that really steal the show. Minimal decorations can be added, such as spilling some fresh berries from one layer to the tier below.
The idea with a naked cake is to really dive into the rich texture of cakes, different fillings, treats, and toppings that exceed the traditional icing layer.
11. Metallica!
While you can invite the metal band to the wedding, the idea here is to have a metallic cake. Use bright foil decorations, glitter, and unique blingy elements to create a metallic cake that is to die for.
Focus on metallic decorations, floral accents done in edible gold foil, and ribbons that accentuate the metallic sheen of the glazed icing.
Balance a metallic wedding cake idea with soft muted accents on the tables and stunning high-quality tableware. Alternatively, go vintage with blacks, reds, and grays accentuated by the glam of the metallic.
12. Fancy Flavors
There are wedding cake flavors that are always winners. But these flavors need not always be traditional. Let’s consider the best flavors that we’ve distilled for wedding cake trends for 2022
- Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl
Loved by most people, the swirl cake is an easy and safe wedding cake idea. Most guests will enjoy it, even if they aren’t fans of chocolate and vanilla.
- Island-style Coconut and Guava
This fluffy wedding cake is a real reminder of tropical island fun. The coconut and guava create a tasty and light cake that complements the heavier buffet meal. Guests will really have a talking point with the funky flavor of guava and coconut melting in the cake filling.
- Caramel Apple Cake
If the wedding cake doubles as a dessert, then this is a great idea. Outdoor and barn weddings will really come into their own with this delicious cake that’s reminiscent of home-baked apple pie while being gorgeously decorated with great icing and cake art.
Wedding Cake Alternatives
Alternatives to wedding cake trends for 2022 include:
- Swapping savory for sweet in dessert options
Scoop chocolate cake into basil and chili bowls, or mix bacon with an apple filling for an alternative dessert pie.
- Donut Towers
These little ringers can easily be spiced or filled with a range of yummy fillings. Create a tiered display with mouth-watering donuts or spring for a Krispy Kreme tower.
- Pie Palace
Why not make a grand display of delicious mini pies in all the popular flavors to impress guests? Apple, pecan, cherry, pumpkin, blueberry, and chocolate creme pies are sure to be a great hit.
Final Thoughts on Wedding Cakes in 2022
Plan your couple’s wedding cake ideas for 2022 with inspiration, creativity, and a “don’t give a damn what your mother says” attitude. This is for your couple to celebrate, and a simple marzipan fruitcake won’t do.
Explore colors, try an all-black cake, and dash with metallics. Fancy up flavors, and try cake alternatives, ditching the cake entirely.
