In a time and age when weddings have become unwieldy and complex, it is but natural to suppose the spotlight is on the garb of the couple or perhaps their choice of location. However, with cake boutiques burgeoning around the country, the cake has become the focal point at weddings.
Gone are the days when cakes had to be round, square or oval. And in the wedding circuit, there is no room for dummy cakes anymore. Wedding cakes have metamorphosed from cream-smattered blobs to 3D works of art.
With the shaadi season here already, we track and predict the most popular wedding cake trends. According to Chef Joonie Tan of Lavonne, “Modern minimalist designs are in and quite a few brides like sugar craft flowers on their wedding cake.
Edible lace cakes have also made a big impression. I’ve personally done ruffled icing cakes and also a few hand painted cakes, one of which was centred on an Oriental theme. But the most fun order I’ve taken up was a three tier cake with a fondant topper of the couple (bride holding a key and a sad looking groom whose leg is cuffed) and eight figurines of the bridesmaids and groomsmen surrounding the cake. It was quite a feat putting it together.”
Destination matters
Smriti Kumar, a wedding planner finds: “Destination cakes are huge especially with more people opting for beach weddings. A whimsical or topsy-turvy three-tiered cake is perfect for a bride and groom who are very different from each other yet always manage to balance out their differences with the love they share. Interesting cake toppers propped on lollipop sticks such as a moustache representing the groom and bright red cardboard lips symbolising the bride, are also among the newest trends in the world of wedding cakes.”
Sabeetha Shyam who owns Sabeetha’s Cakes in Chennai, says: “I’ve always loved flowers and recreating them in sugar paste gives me joy. Cakes today, however, seem to exclude flowers and take a more contemporary approach. Brides seem to prefer filigree work and embroidery or lace decor and are trying to stay away from the conventional varieties. One of the interesting cakes I’ve worked on recently was a mehendi cake.”
Anuj Desai, a software engineer says: “My wife loves flowers but didn’t want the ones made of sugar so our wedding cake was adorned with fresh flowers that matched the colour theme of our wedding. She had other options too — Swiss dots and a candy embellished cake.”
Metallic wedding cakes have been popping up at funky dos. From gold and silver to even bronze iced cakes, everything about a wedding like this is dazzling. Geometrical patterns aren’t limited to just clothes or accessories anymore. Elegant chevron detailed cakes are perfect for those planning a contemporary wedding. And if you thought confetti was meant only for throwing, you’d be surprised to know that on foreign shores, these colourful little balls of thermocol have made their way onto wedding cakes too.
Since the end of last year, ombre has been a huge trend. “I had an ombre cake in pastel shades of pink and purple for my wedding. It looked fairytale like and romantic,” says Marisha Patel, a homemaker. While a tower of themed cupcakes would make a pretty picture, wedding cake pops (colour coded) and vibrant French macaroon adorned cakes are gaining popularity.
Another trend catching up is having a cake that matches the bride’s (and sometimes, if he’s lucky, the groom’s) outfit. Massive, elaborate and expensive, there are still takers. Nitin and Ruchika Khurana who own The Sweet Boutique in Delhi offer 4D cakes with light, sound and action.
Choosing the perfect wedding cake can be an ordeal. Joonie says: “Most of us wedding cake specialists try matching the cake to the theme of the wedding broadly at first (classic or modern, Indian/Oriental/Western) by looking at the invitation card and venue decoration.
“Sometimes going by the bride’s gown/sari is the most common approach.”
