Forest themed cake with ribbon, crystals and handprinted winter landscape with glittering deer topper. Cake: Cake Opera; Photography: Five15fifteen Photo Co
Why are winter weddings the best? That may be up for debate between warm and cold weather lovers; but as the industry’s top cake artists have proven, winter weddings set the stage for some truly magical cake designs. December and January weddings may initially conjure up images of winter wedding cakes with snowflakes and sparkling accents, but there are countless possibilities when it comes to the rich color palettes and icy glamour of the holiday season.
Sweet and Petite Winter Wedding Cakes
Don’t be fooled by a smaller wedding cake – these sweet and petite creations have no shortage of artistic details, as demonstrated by The Cake Opera in Canada. Silvery blue fondant looks dreamy and ethereal against exquisitely painted birch tree panels with silver reindeer figures. If couples have their heart set on a holiday wedding date but don’t want to go with the traditional red and green color palette, icy shades and silver accents are an elegant alternative.
Left: Hexagonal cake with hand-painted chinoiserie reproductions. Perfect Endings, Napa CA; Photography: Michael Martin; Right: Red pagoda cake with gold scribing accents. Mandarin Oriental, Miami, Miami, FL; Photography: Ron Manville
Bold and Beautiful Winter Wedding Cakes
If deep crimson shades and golden finishes are on par with a couple’s winter wedding vision, then architectural cake designs are perfect for an aesthetic that is bold and dramatic without being too kitschy. A towering wedding cake by Perfect Endings makes for a spectacular focal point for a wedding reception, using hexagonal shapes and hand-painted chinoiserie inspired images.
Alternatively, a red pagoda cake with gold scribing accents is smaller in scale but just as impactful. It’s a fabulous option for winter weddings that take place in February, just in time for Lunar New Year.
Left: Croquembouche featuring hand painting inspired by vintage Audubon bird prints, sugar roses dipped in 24K gold and golden sugar leaves. Anna Elizabeth Cakes, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Photography: Colin Whelan; Right: LoLoLove is a rose wedding cake. Executive Pastry Chef Sherry Yard, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Los Angeles, CA; Location: Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, CA; Photography: Ron Manville
Non-traditional Winter Wedding Cakes
There’s something incredibly charming about a croquembouche. This croquembouche by Anna Elizabeth Cakes features hand-painted decals inspired by vintage Audubon bird prints and is finished with gold sugar leaves and sugar roses dipped in 24k gold.
Executive Pastry Chef for Wolfgang Puck’s Fine Dining Group, Sherry Yard, also created a stunning non-traditional winter wedding cake option with incredible sugar work, which pops against all-white tiers.
Left: As Seen in “Being in love never goes out of style”; Right: Hand-painted pomegranate flowers, gum paste pomegranates, coconut palm trees and fronds. Bonnie Gordon Cakes, Toronto, ON Canada; Photography: Michael Kohn Photography
Domed Winter Wedding Cakes
Adding a domed element to one’s wedding cake design adds a regal touch. A taupe buttercream wedding cake by Palmer Butterfield Cakes is topped with a sugar dome, wrapped in lace, and adorned with confectioned flowers and birds. Bonnie Gordon Cakes also created a geometric masterpiece with hand-painted pomegranate flowers, gum paste pomegranates, coconut palm trees, and fronds.
Left: Hand-cut logo and miniature sugar fashion collection on black fondant. Joshua John Russell, Atlanta, GA; Right: Detailed sugar blooms frame this sophisticated and simple silhouette. White Cakery Co.; Toronto, ON, Canada
Modern Winter Wedding Cakes
Sculptural elements and minimalistic aesthetics can both lend themselves to a modern winter wedding cake design. Joshua John Russel designed a gorgeous cake displaying a logo, and a miniature sugar fashion collection set against black fondant; and White Cakery Co. in Toronto designed a simple yet sophisticated wedding cake topped with sugar blossoms.