Your wedding cake is the focal point to your reception, it ties together your colour scheme and styling for the day. It is an offering to your guests that not only has to look amazing but also taste delicious.
One of the first decisions in planning a wedding cake is to have either an iced or buttercream finish. Both are equally beautiful but ultimately offer a different tone to the day. With over 14 years experience in creating wedding cakes I can offer a wealth of knowledge and advice to guide you through that decision making process.
The guide below offers a small window into the endless possibilities for creating the perfect design that reflects your wants and needs for your 2024 wedding.
Semi naked designs - Relaxed approach
There will never be a time when Semi naked designs aren't popular!
This style is here to stay! it allows guests to eat with their eyes as well as offering a blank canvas for personalisation and creativity.
You can't go wrong using flowers; dried, pressed or fresh, they always look stunning against the almost ivory back drop of the cake and fit perfectly with any Barn, Mill or tipi styled weddings.
In 2024 the semi naked trend will offer an even more relaxed feel to the proceedings. Moving away from sleek flawless finishes the Swiss meringue buttercream coating can offer texture and depth with raised edges. Less focused flower arrangements and a greater emphasis on nature with more free flowing floral decorations.
The scope for personalisation is set to continue through the growing inclusion of pets and unique toppers, keeping each cake beautifully bespoke.
Full Buttercream designs - Texture & Contrast
Texture will be top of the list for buttercream finishes in 2024. From tone on tone stencil designs, palette knife effects and imaginative finishes, each cake will result in a completely unique and personalised finish every time.
Combine texture with big, bold colours and you'll be right on trend! Vibrant colours are predicted to make a huge impact on 2024 weddings. Alongside the venue styling the wedding cake is an an easy way to incorporate a splash of colour. Add your chosen hue to the buttercream finish and choose fresh flowers of a contrasting colour for that truly bold and modern look.
In 2023 we saw the trend of pressed flowers on buttercream cakes continue to grow. This approach can be taken further in 2024 by adding additional fresh, vibrant blooms to celebrate the beauty of florals on cakes and put further emphasis on that colour statement!
Iced wedding cakes - White
White wedding cakes were made popular in the times of Queen Victoria. They represented purity and were a status symbol for wealthy families who could afford pure white sugar.
White cakes continue their popularity but will forever evolve with details of ruffles, torn edges, flowers, wafer paper creations, silk ribbons, pearls, sails...... the possibilities are endless. They will never go out of style and always be a popular choice for couples.
When deciding if you prefer an iced v's buttercream finished cake there is more to consider than style and which delicious flavours to choose.
Not only does the crisp, smooth beauty of an iced cake provide that glamour and formal elegance to a wedding cake, it can also offer stability. The Belgian chocolate ganache covering not only keeps the cake moist but also provides a stable surface for creating crisp edges and tall, flawless sides.
With the key wedding months falling between April to September, bright warm days are often hoped for. Therefore on planning your wedding cake design, it would be wise to consider the time of year along side your choice of cake. Given the layer of Belgian chocolate ganache and sugar fondant finish an iced design provides a little more protection from any distortion due to warm summer days and humid room settings.
Although forever popular semi naked and buttercream finished designs are more vulnerable at higher temperatures therefore making them a potentially unreliable choice for summer weddings. Measures can be put in place to aid the situation of a warm day but there is always the risk of bulging fillings and melting buttercream over time. It would be best to speak with your venue in advance to discuss procedures to dispel any disappointment.
Choosing your wedding cake is an exciting part of your wedding planning journey, where taster boxes are enjoyed and the details of your day can be enhanced through the beauty of your cake design. Enjoy the process and there's always advice on hand when you need it.
Happy Planning!
Lisa X
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