Perhaps the bride and groom’s favorite part of wedding planning is choosing their wedding cake. The flavors. The colors. The type of icing. The topper. While fun and delicious, the process can also turn into just another stress added to the mountain of tasks to complete before the big day. Many wedding-planning calendars and timelines differ on when you should begin looking for a baker and sampling cakes; some say as soon as nine months before the wedding, others say as late as two months before. But with so many options to choose from and choices to make, where do you start?

The easiest way to tackle this task, as with any task, is to start with what you know. When is the wedding? Answering that question and looking at wedding cake trends gives you a solid foundation upon which to build the cake of your dreams.

If your wedding is in the fall, you may want to consider choosing a seasonal cake flavor, such as pumpkin spice, carrot cake, caramel apple, or maple. Decorations for fall cakes are often subdued with little ornamentation and textured icing, and the cake designs lean toward minimalism. Cakes are smaller, and some couples even opt for the recent trend of naked or translucent cakes. Naked cakes have no icing on the outside, so the layers of cake and filing are visible. Translucent cakes have icing on the outside, but it’s spread unevenly so that some of the cake and filing peek out.

If you’re planning a winter wedding, decadent and rich holiday cake flavors, such as orange chocolate, red velvet, peppermint, or eggnog, are fitting. White is the color of winter, so keep the majority of the cake simple, allowing the flavor of the cake to shine, with a few metallic or colored decorations. White cakes with golden accents is a luxe trend we can all get behind!

If a spring wedding is to your liking, choose cake flavors that are light and unique, such as lemon raspberry, champagne, or flower-infused (think roses, lavender, or violets). Spring is the season of rebirth and romance, so go big or go home. Large cakes with multiple tiers, pastel colors, and lots of flowery details are the way to go. Try ruffled icing or lace fondant for a more refined and sophisticated looking cake.

If you’re like one of many couples before you who think summer is the perfect time to get married, then flamboyant and fun cake flavors are just what you’re looking for. Opt for something tropical, like key lime, coconut rum, or mango. Bold designs complement bold flavors, so look into cakes with brightly colored decorations; modern, geometric patterns; or eye-catching shapes (such as non-round or -square layers or asymmetrical tiers). Illustrated wedding cakes – cakes that are covered in fondant and can have pretty much anything painted on them, from works of art to song lyrics – are an easy way to make bold cakes personal.

If you’re like me and have a hard time choosing just one cake flavor, then choose several. You can make each tier a different flavor, or you can have a cake trio, quartet, or quintet, in which each of three, four, or five smaller cakes (respectively) is a different flavor.

Health Life | November 2016
For Every Cake There is a Season: Wedding Cake Flavor and Design Trends
Written by: Anna Limoges