Buttercream Wedding Cake Designs

Buttercream wedding cake design has come a long way, and I’m ecstatic about it. Not too long ago, buttercream wedding cake designs were for rustic weddings. Think semi-naked cakes with fresh flowers on a wooden log cake stand in a barn. Whilst these kind of wedding cakes have their place, buttercream was just waiting for us to find out all the wonderful things it can do.

A sleek buttercream wedding cake, with sharp clean lines? I never thought I’d see the day, but here we are, and what an exciting time it is!

Over the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of designing buttercream wedding cakes that thrill me as a wedding cake designer. Buttercream wedding cake design no longer equals “simple cake”. We can exercise true artistry by employing a number of techniques that result in a beautiful, bespoke, unique wedding cake. Yay!

Here, I’m going to highlight the most popular buttercream wedding cake designs I’ve had the opportunity to create and why they make for stunning wedding cake designs.

Painted Buttercream Cakes

Painted buttercream has to be one of my favourite ways to style a buttercream wedding cake. This design is also one of the most requested by brides in my inbox. It’s easy to see why. Pretty swathes of buttercream flowers are either brushed, piped or carved onto a buttercream surface to create a 3D, or textured effect. Monochromatic versions resemble considered plaster art, whilst more colourful expressions are bursting with depth and character.

Because each petal, flower and stroke are placed by hand, this is a sure way to have a completely unique wedding cake. The organic placement of petals, your particular colour scheme, give each cake an artisan aesthetic. I personally favour some structure when it comes to these cakes. The starting canvas is almost always tall elegant tiers. I think the beauty of this cake lies in the marriage of a sleek base with flowers, petals and other decorative elements that look like they have been placed “just so”.
Speaking of other decorative elements, painted buttercream goes beautifully with fresh flowers, precious metals and tiny edible pearls.

Buttercream Cakes with Sugar Flowers

As I mentioned before, buttercream cakes have historically gone very well with fresh flowers. This rusticity is a well known combination, and for many, the natural pairing.
But what happens if your wedding is in the middle of January and you’ve been dreaming of peonies and anemones on your wedding cake? The fresh varieties aren’t available, but that shouldn’t mean you have to sacrifice your wedding cake vision! Crafting blooms of out of sugar allow us to choose the colour, size, number and variety that we use.

Aesthetically, sugar flowers are a great complement to the soft, silky structure of buttercream cakes. The textural juxtaposition between smooth buttercream and the structured flowers make for great photographs. Close up, they look incredible. My particular choice of medium for making sugar flower is actually wafer paper. Flowers made from wafer paper are lightweight, and play beautifully with light. Unlike fresh flowers, they won’t wilt and you can keep them long after your wedding is over. They make incredible keepsakes.

Textured Buttercream Wedding Cakes

One of the most popular ways to add some personality to your cake is through the use of texture. Texture catches the light and creates shadows, giving the cake an almost sculptural quality. Combed lines work brilliantly for this, whilst still maintaining the elegance of your cake design.

Even a monochrome cake can look interesting with a little bit of texture. Natural imperfections in buttercream are charming and can be left with intention so as not to convey over perfection.

Textured buttercream is extremely versatile, and suits all kinds of weddings. Boho weddings, contemporary romantic weddings, texture can be made soft and muted, or bold and daring. Texture can also differ per tier on a single cake to produce a highly artistic cake. The possibilities are endless.

Buttercream Wedding Cake Design Considerations

There are a few things you should think about when it comes to picking your wedding cake design. Factors to consider include:

• Wedding cake size. Some designs shine on smaller cakes, other designs look incredible on something more grand. You can find starting prices for bespoke wedding cakes here.
• The shape of your wedding cake. Would you like a square, round or heart shaped cake? Different shapes complement different decor elements. Speak with your cake designer to get their advice on what would really bring your cake to life.

Buttercream Wedding Cake in Hot Weather?

Couples who are planning a summer wedding may wonder whether they should be considering a buttercream wedding cake design with the potential for hot weather. With the right contingencies in place, buttercream is a perfectly safe option for a summer wedding. To mitigate every couple’s nightmare, there are a few things that I employ to ensure your cake not so much as flinches!

• Later deliveries: Rather than tempting fate and leaving your cake to stand for hours on a scorching hot day, it’s best to plan for a later delivery. Most venues are weather ready, and I’ve delivered to plenty of air conditioned rooms where you’d have no idea it was as hot as Dubai outside! Some rooms don’t have air conditioning, and a later delivery is perfect in those circumstances.
• No matter what time of year it is, all my buttercream cakes have a layer of ganache underneath for structural integrity. White chocolate ganache is the standard, but on a sweltering day, I will add a further layer of insurance by adding a layer of dark chocolate, which has a very high melting point.

Buttercream wedding cakes offer endless possibilities. Do you like the idea of painted blooms? Gorgeous. How about a soft buttercream canvas with a cascade of sugar or fresh flowers? Perfect! A textured wedding cake for your London city wedding? Absolutely! Each cake can be tailored to your wedding style, colour palette, and personal story, making it a true centrepiece for your day. Whether you’re drawn to timeless elegance or modern romance, a bespoke buttercream cake ensures your wedding table will be memorable for you and your guests.

Bespoke wedding cake design is the order of the day over here. If you are dreaming of a one off buttercream wedding cake design, I’d love to invite you to have a no obligation consultation. Just fill out this form, and I can schedule a chat about the vision for your wedding cake.