One of the best parts of wedding planning is deciding on your wedding cake. With so many choices of cake shapes, flavours and designs to choose from, it can be difficult to find a starting point. Using years of expertise, we've put together an Essential Guide to Wedding Cakes, to help you select your ideal wedding cake maker, choose your flavours and design your perfect cake for the big day.
This article answers the following questions:
- How much does a wedding cake cost?
- How much cake do I need for my wedding guests?
- Can I make my own wedding cake?
- Different wedding cake shapes
- Stacked tiers or pillars
- Different wedding cake flavours
- Types of wedding cake finishing
- Types of wedding cake decorations
- What is a cake cutting fee?
- How far in advance should I order my wedding cake?
- What happens at a wedding cake tasting?
- Delivering and setting up the wedding cake
- How should I display my wedding cake?
- The history of wedding cakes
- Some of our favourite UK cake designers
- Alternatives to a wedding cake
How Much Does a Wedding Cake Cost?
Using a standard height 3 tier wedding cake as an example, the cost of ingredients and materials alone will be in the region of £40-90; something few amateur bakers take into consideration when they offer to make a cake (and a practice run or two) for a friend. However, most of the final cost is in the time and skill involved, and few cake designers charge enough to genuinely cover the time that goes into creating their more intricate cakes.
From the experts
Standard "high street" wedding cakes cost around £200-£350 and for this you will get peace of mind that you'll have a cake that is safe to serve your guests, but little more than that. For a little extra you can order a bespoke wedding cake from a professional cake designer. Expect to pay anywhere from £450 to £750 for a three tier cake that you'll love, and will feel proud of in the photographs. This price should increase to £1000-£2000 for larger cakes, or those cake designs that feature a lot of time consuming and skilled details, such as bespoke sugar flowers. Cakes from the top designers may cost even more.
Remember, your cake cutting is likely to be one of the moments that lots of guests photograph. Consider it a piece of art, not just something to serve your guests, and allocate your budget accordingly.
What affects the cost of a wedding cake?
There are a variety of factors that can affect how much a wedding cake costs and the vast majority of them depend on what you and your partner want for your cake. Factors include: the size of the cake, the ingredients needed, the location of the wedding, the skill level of your designer (the best and most experienced will charge more than an amateur), the features and detail of the design and how long it would take to make the cake.
How much Wedding Cake do I need for my Wedding Guests?
Generally, three tiers will serve 80 to 100 guests. However, there are several factors that might influence this decision. Take into account that not everyone may want cake, but you need to order more cake if you have multiple flavours for your guests to try.
Your wedding meal also affects the amount of cake as people are more likely to want cake after buffet-style food than a full 3-course meal. Also, if you have alternative sweet options, it is less likely your guests will eat the wedding cake.
Our top tip: Ask the caterers to put aside a few slices of cake for the two of you and any other family members that may have been so busy talking to guests that they miss out on cake at the reception.
Can I Make My Own Wedding Cake, or Ask a Friend?
Yes, but it really isn't recommended. If you are determined to give it a try, you'll need to practice several times beforehand and make sure you have the right equipment so it often costs more in wasted ingredients than employing a professional. You will be limited on the size as domestic ovens aren't designed to ensure an even bake for tiers over 10" across.
Couples who have asked a friend to make their wedding cake often realise their cake is not exactly what they had hoped for and wish they'd budgeted to have a professional instead.
Most venues ask for proof of liability insurance to ensure that cakes supplied have been professionally made to indemnify them from the risks involved in storing and serving a cake that hasn't been made under strict protocols. If you are considering supplying your own wedding cake, check with your venue if they need to see proof of insurance. If you do, save your baking skills for another day!
A professional cake designer will not only have the right tools to bake and decorate the cake, but also the technical knowledge of how to properly stack and dowel the layers to ensure they are stable. The last thing you want on your wedding day is a structurally-unsound cake toppling to one side, or sinking under the weight. Believe us when we say that cakes are heavy and need a lot of support!
Different Wedding Cake Shapes
Have you noticed that almost every wedding cake in the UK is round and stacked? However, it hasn't always been the case. Square wedding cakes are having a huge revival and we are seeing complex pillars and tier separators used for some contemporary wedding cakes. Shapes such as hexagonal, heart, oval and horse-shoe have been popular in recent years so some bakers will still have the cake tins if you'd like to buck the current trend!
Stacked Tiers or Pillars
The traditional wedding cake has three tiers, and while there are no rules as to how many tiers you can have, certain types of cake and icing will be unstable if built too high.
Tiers can be stacked, freestanding or with pillars between each layer to add extra height. Also, double-height tiers are becoming very popular, where two identical cakes are stacked on top of each other before being iced to look like a single layer. Some very tall tiered wedding cakes have a fake base tier to add impact and help support the weight of the rest of the cake. But don't forget that one tier, beautifully decorated, can be just as stunning as a ten tier cake.
Your cake designer will be the best to advise you on the ideal number of wedding cake tiers, once they have taken into consideration the effect you are trying the achieve, the number of guests, your budget and the type of cake and finish you'd prefer.
The wedding venue setting is an important consideration in choosing the number of tiers and the way they are stacked. For example, for a barn wedding venue or marquee with an uneven floor and an unstable table, it is better to have a lower stacked cake. For a more formal stately home wedding venue, a four tiered square cake, with cake pillars or separators to add extra height, can look incredible.
Different Wedding Cake Flavours
The traditional British wedding fruit cake is no longer even seen at royal weddings, with hundreds of different flavours you can choose from to ensure your cake is unique and personal to your tastes.
You may also want to be influenced by your wedding season when choosing your cake flavours. For example, light, dainty flavours for a spring or summer wedding and rich, heavier cakes for an autumn or winter wedding. If you are struggling to pick just one favourite flavour, why not have a different flavour for each tier? It is safest to choose a crowd-pleaser for the bottom tier, such as chocolate or vanilla, then something more unique for the other tiers.
However, if you offer guests too much choice, you may need to allow for extra potions for them to sample more than one!
We asked local cake designers to suggest some of their favourite wedding cake flavours:
- Classics: Vanilla, Chocolate, Fruitcake, Coffee, Red Velvet.
- Fruity: Lemon, Elderflower, Passion Fruit and Raspberry, Strawberry and Champagne, Carrot and Orange.
- Unusual: Spiced Ginger, Pistachio and Cardamom, Lavender, Earl Grey, Amaretto.
Types of Wedding Cake Finishes
As the final look of your wedding cake depends on the icing or finish, it is often the starting point in designing your wedding cake but can be the most important consideration in choosing your wedding cake designer.
Cake artist Alison Biddle, who ran Fancy That Wedding Cakes for over 20 years explains: "Every good cake baker should be able to produce high quality sponges or cakes and should have access to various decorations to complete the cake, however different cake artists specialise in different types of cake finishes. If you know the type of icing you'd like on your wedding cake, and it is something more specialist such as a buttercream or royal icing finish, my advice would be to choose a cake designer who is a specialist in this type of wedding cake."
Fondant, sugarpaste or royal icing
Fondant or sugar-paste icing is the most popular icing for wedding cakes because it is easy to apply, easy to cut and handle, and gives a contemporary look to the cake. The icing is made from sugar, corn syrup, gelatine and glycerine, but is available ready-made in a variety of colours. It is rolled out and then wrapped around each tier of the cake, leaving a smooth and clean finish to the cake. Sugar-paste can be mixed with gum tragacanth powder to strengthen it to be used for the delicate sugar flowers used on wedding cakes.
Royal icing is a thick paste made from egg whites and sifted icing sugar. It is soft when piped onto the cake and then it dries to a hard finish. This is the icing that is often used to create beading, latticework, flowers and other creations that need to stay firm. Royal icing is mostly used for piped beading, small decorations or to stick sugar-paste flowers to a wedding cake. Traditionally it was used to ice the entire wedding cake, with several thin layers spread over a layer of marzipan, however it is rare to see a fully royal iced wedding cake now and vary few wedding cake designers offer this option.
The extra height tiers shown in the wedding cakes below are particularly difficult to cover with icing and we would always recommend using a cake designer confident in the techniques involved in order to avoid tears or creases in the fondant.
Chocolate wedding cakes
Chocolate cake is a popular choice of wedding cake amongst guests and can be served as wedding cake or in the place of dessert. A chocolate sponge can be covered in white fondant for a dramatic effect when you cut the wedding cake, but it's more common to cover chocolate tiers with yet more chocolate for a fully chocolate wedding cake!
There are three main ways of finishing a chocolate wedding cake; a shiny glaze or ganache made from chocolate and cream poured over the tiers, as curls, scrolls or flakes of chocolate attached to the tiers, or as chocolate flavoured fondant icing, which is rolled out and wrapped around the wedding cake tiers in the same way as white fondant.
Buttercream wedding cakes
American buttercream has become a popular type of icing for wedding cakes in the UK as it is soft, easy to cut and tastes better than fondant or royal icing. In skilled hands, it is quick to apply and can be used for decorations such as a basket weave, swirls, fleur-de-lis, rosettes and swags, as well as giving your wedding cake a smooth clean surface for flowers.
A traditional English buttercream is made with real unsalted butter and sugar. The texture is smooth and creamy, but firm enough to handle and is not overly sweet. Italian and Swiss buttercream are sweeter than English buttercream, and made with an uncooked meringue base which is much softer to touch so is less popular for wedding cakes in the UK.
Naked Wedding Cakes
A naked or bare wedding cake finish looks simple, but is incredibly difficult to achieve and requires perfect evenly-baked and sliced tiers. The humble sponge cake is left bare of exterior icing to hide any little imperfections. A naked cake looks fabulous adorned with simple berries, flowers and a dusting icing sugar and is a great choice for weddings in a barn wedding venue where the rustic setting will complement the wedding cake style.
A semi-naked wedding cake is similar to a naked cake but has what bakers refer to as a crumb coating. These wedding cakes will have a very thin, translucent layer of (usually buttercream) frosting so that the sponges aren't completely bare, and are still visible. A semi-naked wedding cake will last slightly longer than a naked cake as the icing helps prevent the sponge cake tiers from drying out.
Types of Wedding Cake Decorations
The decor you choose for your cake will add that extra personal touch. Whether it's a simple ribbon trim, sugar flowers, or a hand-painted pattern, there are literally thousands of decor accents you can choose from. From simple and traditional to pop culture themed, you can make your wedding cake completely unique using many decoration techniques. Here are just a handful of wedding cake decoration options to inspire you:
- Flowers: These could be fresh, pressed, fondant or sugar flowers. However, be aware of the risk of transfer from chemicals on fresh flowers. We recommend speaking to your cake maker and florist before using fresh flowers in your decorations, especially if you are thinking about using potentially toxic foliage such as ivy.
- Ribbons and bows
- Hand piping, such as ruffles, swirls or small details
- Hand-painted and calligraphy designs
- Edible embellishments such as hard sweets or chocolate pieces
- Moulded chocolate
- Metallic finishes like gold leaf and rose gold designs
- Fresh fruit
- Cake effects such as marbling or ombre
What is a Cake Cutting Fee?
Most couples use a specialist company to supply their cake but if your venue usually includes the wedding cake as part of their package they may charge you a small cake cutting fee if you supply your own. This cost pays for the venue staff to cut up your cake, plate it and serve it to you and your guests. Sometimes, there might also be a small fee to hire the venue's cake stand and cake knife (if not using your own). It's worth checking with your venue to see if this is included in your wedding package.
How Far in Advance Should I Order My Wedding Cake?
Baking, filling, decorating and finishing a wedding cake takes several days and very little of the work can be done in advance. Depending on the complexity of the designs they specialise in, few wedding cake designers would accept more than two or three wedding cake commissions in a week so it is sensible to order your cake well before the wedding to secure the best wedding cake designer in your area.
Booking early will also ensure that the cake designer is available, if required, to deliver your wedding cake and set it up at the wedding venue.
What Happens at a Wedding Cake Tasting?
Wedding cake tastings are incredibly important when trying to find the right cake, and cake maker, for your wedding. At a wedding cake tasting, you are invited into the bakery to sample the quality of their cakes, ask questions and review portfolios. It's not practical for a baker to have all possible cake combinations available to sample. So, if you are wanting to taste a particular flavour let them know in advance. Our recommendation is to use the tasting to see the quality of the bake rather than taste a particular flavour.
Every wedding cake consultation is slightly different, but you can expect to cover a few key topics: the cake maker's experience and business, your wedding colours and theme(s), wedding cake designs, cake flavours, cake set up on the day (venue, stand, timing), costs and payment. As you're talking through designs and ideas, your cake maker may start making some rough sketches of ideas, or may even show you pictures of other wedding cake designs to help you visualise what you're all talking about.
This is an excellent opportunity to meet bakers, bond with them and fully understand the range of their abilities. Picking your baker is a big deal—you'll want to get to know their personality and make sure they're genuinely excited about your wedding day too.
Delivering and Setting up the Wedding Cake
For complete peace of mind, and so that they can ensure that the wedding cake is displayed in the best possible way, many cake designers will deliver and set up your wedding cake for you in your venue on the wedding day.
Make sure they are in touch with the venue coordinator or your wedding planner. Ideally the cake should be set up once the room is completely ready, which involves precise timing. If you are collecting the cake to set up yourself, you will be responsible for it from the moment you pick it up. Ask for it to be supplied in a robust box and keep it absolutely level at all times. This is usually only possible in a car with a boot that you can slide the box into; don't travel with it on a seat or your lap. It should be kept cool until ready to go on display.
How Should I Display My Wedding Cake?
Wedding cakes are pieces of art to be admired. Cake designers put a lot of time and effort into bringing a wedding cake to life. So, your cake will likely be on display for your guests to see before it's cut and consumed. Make sure there's a designated cake table that allows the most elegant presentation possible. A round table is perfect for round cakes, but a linear cake design may call for a rectangular table.
Have fun dressing up your cake table; drape the table with fabrics or have your florist help you with flowers to match the cake. Look out for unusual cake stands; if you can find a traditional silver stand, they add far more grandeur than the standard imitation silver stands. The cake stand should be at least 8cm larger than the bottom tier.
A pet hate for most of the wedding cake designers we spoke to? Table cloths on the wedding cake table that are either the wrong size or haven't been ironed, which can distract from the flawless wedding cake.
Be mindful of where you place your wedding cake. You don't want to block emergency exits, or risk anyone accidentally knocking it. If your wedding cake is iced with buttercream, it's also a good idea to keep your cake away from any heat sources or direct sunlight.
The History of Wedding Cakes
The original tradition of serving a wedding cake dates back to Ancient Rome. It was custom for the groom to break a savoury wheat or barley loaf over the bride's head, as a symbol of fertility and good luck for the marriage.
In medieval times, this translated into the stacking of slightly sweeter foods such as biscuits, scones and buns. In the 16th century, elaborate wedding pies filled with all kinds of expensive meats became popular.
It was the following century that first introduced fruit wedding cake. Whereas in the UK there has only ever been one wedding cake that the couple cut together, in America the groom would have a fruit wedding cake, with a separate white-iced pound cake for the bride; the white wedding cake icing symbolising purity and wealth. This tradition has since switched, with the groom choosing a separate groom's wedding cake - often chocolate cake - for the rehearsal dinner.
When refined sugar became more affordable, the wedding cakes we know and love today started to become commonplace. It wasn't until the 1980s that couples started to move away from square white royal-iced cakes on pillars, with soft fondant iced sponges, lemon, chocolate and carrot cakes becoming popular.
In the 1990s, the first chocolate-covered wedding cakes were seen, opening the way for the more creative styles we see today.
Ready to book your wedding cake designer? Find them on Guides for Brides.
Some of our favourite UK wedding cake designers:
The Kilted Cake Company
Alison from The Kilted Cake Company will work with you to create something that is designed specially for your day, so that you have your own cake design; not something someone else has had on display at their wedding. She works from home in her beautiful cake studio in North Lanarkshire, delivering and setting up your cake. In addition to wedding cakes, she can offer a wide range of edible favours that your guests will love. These include sugar cookies, cupcakes, macarons, Belgian chocolate mini cake lollies and geometric hearts. The hard bit will be to decide which one to choose for your guests!
The Kilted Cake Company covers a wide range of Scottish wedding venues including Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and the Lothians.
We found out why couples choose The Kilted Cake Company for their wedding cake: "Alison hasn't even made our wedding cake yet and I only have amazing things to say! We picked The Kilted Cake Company because of the perfect mix of tradition and modern trends. We have had an initial meeting where she outlined how the process will go and I am so excited to go on this journey with her! Alison doesn't start designing your cake till 6 months before (1.5 years still to go!). This is really great because trends are changing all the time! We ordered a Fathers Day Box from Alison after booking, and oh my gosh… we are so glad we booked with The Kilted Cake Company!!!"
Lisa Adams Cakes
With over 10 years of experience, awards, and many returning customers, you and your wedding cake are in safe hands with Lisa Adams Cakes. Skilled in traditional and modern techniques, they can create a huge range of stunning wedding cakes, no matter your style. Customer service is at the heart of Lisa's business, and so they guide you through the entire cake process, from design, flavour, stature and style. Every crumb and decorative element is designed and handcrafted just for you. They create cakes for occasions when taste and detail matter, to be remembered for years to come!
Lisa Adams Cakes can be delivered all across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, London and the Cotswolds.
This is what one of Lisa's brides said about her wedding cake: "Lisa made an absolutely wonderful cake for our wedding. We met with her to discuss the theme and she had some brilliant ideas about decoration that fitted in perfectly with our plans, creating a cake with a flower-meadow and bee motif. We went away from the first meeting feeling reassured that everything to do with the cake was sorted and that we wouldn't need to chase up and check anything (a very good feeling when you're planning a wedding!) Sure enough, Lisa sent us a photo of the cake just before our wedding, and it looked absolutely beautiful. The delivery went smoothly, with the cake arriving at the right time, and it looked fantastic amongst the rest of the decorations. It was also delicious! It still tastes as good as new a couple of days after the wedding. I can highly recommend Lisa's cakes to anyone planning a special event - she has fantastic ideas, and the cakes are brilliant. We'll certainly be using her again for any future big events!" – Ally, Feb 2020
Karen Liddle Cakes
With a wealth of experience in creating beautiful bespoke cakes, Karen also supplies delicious dessert tables, cupcake towers, mini and sphere cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and more! All of their cakes are baked fresh to order using only the finest quality ingredients. They offer a large selection of flavours including Madagascan vanilla, champagne and strawberry, salted caramel, elderflower and lemon and many, many more. Karen will work with you to create the the perfect design for you, to wow your guests and perfect match your wedding day theme and decor. Gluten and dairy free cake options are also available, so none of your guests have to miss out!
Karen offers you a personal and comprehensive service from the initial consultation, tasting, design to the delivery and setup at the venue of your choice. If preferred, you can have virtual sessions to discuss your wedding cake requirements, and cake tasting samples which can be posted out to you.Karen Liddle Cakes can be delivered all across Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire.
Lola's Cupcakes
Lola's Cupcakes offer fresh, handcrafted and simply delicious wedding cupcakes and cakes. Their stunning new range of ready-made wedding cakes are available for delivery throughout London, Birmingham, Stevenage and more. With a range of beautiful colours to choose from and both single and double tiers, you'll find they have the perfect wedding cake for you! Handcrafted every day in their North London Bakery, all you need to do is choose the delivery date and time, and your wedding cake will be delivered straight to your chosen location.
For Heaven's Cakes
For Heaven's Cakes are based in West London and have been creating bespoke cakes for every special occasion since 2006! Their bespoke service means your wedding cake can truly compliment the theme of your special day: any flavour, any size, any style you like! They can also cater for a variety of dietary requirements for you and your guests, including nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. For Heaven's Cakes can also provide cupcakes, cake pops, macarons and biscuits, to make your wedding dessert table complete.
Sweet Chic
Sweet Chic creates luxury, artisan wedding cakes that are bespoke, hand-crafted and totally delicious. Whether you're looking for your dream wedding cake, cupcakes, elegant wedding favours or showstopper dessert bars, they can do it all! Sweet Chic pride themselves on providing a personalised and friendly service to all their customers throughout Yorkshire, the North West of England and beyond. With over 15 years of experience, everything they make is designed and lovingly handmade to order.
Centrepiece Cakes by Kerry
Working from a professional kitchen in Enfield, Middlesex, Centrepiece Cakes by Kerry cover Central and other London regions. Their stunning wedding cakes are designed according to your individual tastes and they always aim to exceed your expectations. Kerry will ensure that your cake will truly reflect your special day and your personality, whether you're looking for delicate icing flowers, cupcake bouquets or edible bride or groom cake toppers.
Wedding Cakes By Lisa Broughton
With over 20 years of experience, Wedding Cakes by Lisa Broughton creates stunning wedding, civil partnership and celebration cakes using only the finest ingredients. Based in Surrey, Lisa is also a recommended supplier for wedding cake design at many venues across the South East. As well as creating bespoke wedding cakes, she can also create delicious dessert tables complete with cupcakes, mini cakes, decorated biscuits, macaroons and cake pops!
The Little Sugar Box
The Little Sugar Box is a fabulous wedding cake company located in Kent. Their stunning wedding cakes are designed and handmade by the talented cake designer, Ali. You'll never believe their stunning sugar flowers aren't real! Whether you're looking for a large tiered cake, a simple single layer wedding cake, or even a dessert table full of beautiful cupcakes, The Little Sugar Box can do it all! Specialising in soft and delicate designs, you'll definitely have a real showstopper to enjoy with your guests!
Mrs Macs Cakes
Mrs Macs Cakes is based in Wickham, Kent, and supplies stunning wedding cakes across the surrounding areas. Their bespoke cakes are handmade with the finest ingredients and with the utmost care and attention to detail. Whatever design or flavour you are looking for on your special day, they can cater for all and will surely wow your guests! So, whether you're wanting traditional designs or the more unconventional, they will strive to provide the magical cake you desire.
Meg Rivers Artisan Bakery
Established more than 30 years ago, Meg Rivers Artisan Bakery is a modern, forward-thinking bakery and gift business based in the heart of the Cotswolds. Their delicious cakes can be delivered straight to your door, across the UK, by overnight courier. With over 30 years experience in mail order deliveries, you can be sure that your wedding cake will arrive in perfect condition. Meg Rivers' Two Tier Wedding Cake is baked to their award-winning Rich English Fruit Cake recipe. Every cake is hand-baked, using only the best ingredients.
Alternatives to a Wedding Cake
Maybe a traditional wedding cake just isn't your thing. So, what alternatives are there?
The traditional wedding cake in France is a croquembouche, made from choux pastry. Or why not consider a tower of doughnuts, cupcakes, macarons or brownies? Your wedding guests will love something different and it saves having to cut up a whole cake.
If you'd prefer something more savoury, why not have your wedding cake made of cheese?
Ready to book your wedding cake designer? Find them on Guides for Brides.