From dummy and cream variants to elegant, gravity defying masterpieces, from classic, pristine white to edgy ink black, from vanilla and chocolate to salted caramel and pink champagne, wedding cakes have indeed come a long way. With marriage season at hand, we track and predict the most popular wedding cake trends that 2019 is bound to witness.
Joonie Tan, executive pastry artist at Lavonne, feels, “Weddings of 2019 will see lots of gold and white cakes, white on white texture cakes, cakes showcasing floral arrangements, ones with abstract colour, and we will see an increase in the usage of ferns on cakes.”
According to Sabeetha Shyam, proprietor of Chennai based Sabeetha’s Cakes, “The current trend that seems to have taken over are really tall cakes (or double barrel cakes). The height of the individual tier of cake creates a strong presence and gives the decorator a wide canvas to work with, whilst allowing room for negative space in the design. The cutting of these tall cakes also contributes to the dramatic effect.”
She adds, “I've also had a lot of requests for drip cakes and brushed or painted cakes with a water colour effect. Both these looks work best on tall cakes which allow the space for the design. The drip adds a deliciously fluid element, and the brushed effect gives the cake a very expressive, rustic look.”
“One of the trends I have come across this season has been botanical cakes,” says Ruchira Khemka, co-owner of Bonbonniere. “These cakes are either iced or semi naked, with fresh floral, foliage, berries, and gold leaf. Clients also like adding a personal touch to it with cake toppers that are customised to their liking. These cakes are rustic and beautiful.
“When weddings/engagements are intimate affairs, couples like to keep it simple and they want the cake to showcase that too. The trend in wedding flowers has moved away from tightly-domed buds to loosely tied bouquets of garden style flowers when couples want their cake to wear a more natural look.”
Fondant cakes seem to be more popular than butter-cream versions but those who’d rather go with the latter, are now opting for ‘letter cakes’ that might seem more personal and slightly less showy with just butter-cream, meringue, fresh fruit, or edible flowers adding to the aesthetics of it. Single tier cakes continue to be popular. Non-cake cakes are also having their moment in the sun. We’re not sure if cutting through a stack of pancakes at a wedding has happened yet but apparently waffles and doughnuts made to look like cake tiers have made it to the dessert table already.
When it comes to wedding cakes, new-age couples are more than willing to experiment. “I recently attended a wedding where the cake was inky black. It wasn’t just an unconventional choice of colour. The couple had chosen a combination of passion fruit and lime for the flavour,” says Mirin John, a home baker.
“One of my recent projects that was literally over the top was a six-tiered cake in ivory with gold embellishments with a different style for each tier. The cake featured tiers that were quilted, stencilled, brushed, and had swags, cut-out motifs, and other adornments unified by gold highlighter,” Sabeetha says.
Joonie says, “I got to work on two really quirky wedding cakes. One was for a Lord of The Rings themed wedding where we created the Minas Tirith from the movie. Another one was a fun cake which featured famous arcade game characters on the cake.”
Shape-wise, the round, square, or oval tiered wedding cakes have been taken over by edgier designs. “Trends in this industry always evolve from art. I find people are now more intrigued by abstract, artsy cakes. The more symmetrically aligned, identically worked tiers have given way to a combination of styles in each tier,” Sabeetha observes.
Mirin says preferred flavours include “cookies and cream, salted caramel, and hazelnut praline” while Sabeetha says, “The most requested flavour this season has been lemon with white chocolate. I suppose with the overindulgence of chocolate during the holiday season, and the coming of spring, the fresh and light flavour of lemon has been quite appealing.”
With so much creativity around, the future of wedding cakes looks hopeful. Going forward, apart from white and gold, Joonie predicts, “The pantone colour of 2019 - living coral, a beautiful peachy pink shade, will also make its way onto wedding cakes soon.”
Picking the perfect cake for your wedding might seem daunting but with the internet inundated with ideas as seen on Pinterest and Instagram, in particular, and given the growing number of professional pastry artists in the country, this is now a piece of cake.
