A Trend We're Loving: Textured Wedding Cakes
Emboss your confection with a subtle pattern.
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Photography: Sophie Epton Photography1 of 21
Making a statement with your wedding cake doesn't always mean choosing a confection decorated with ultra-bright colors or voluminous floral toppers. This is especially true for brides who prefer the more understated things in life, and for those who are currently in the midst of planning minimalist events with refined details. If you fall into this camp but still want to find a way to help your confection stand out, consider adding texture to your dessert. Don't confuse this decorative style with patterns or fondant overlays, however. This specific trend involves carving patterns into icing (like embossments!) or using the physical icing to create shapes. In a lot of ways, your baker assumes the role of sculptor to make these unique textures happen.
To illustrate just how beautiful the subtle style can be, we've rounded up our favorite textured wedding cakes. The following examples range from barely-there to clearly-cut and come in all different types, which virtually ensures that you'll discover one you'll love. We're particularly fond of the lace-inspired surfaces (so dainty!) and the geometric iterations (they're perfect for modern couples). You'll find, though, that a lot of texture results from natural icing methods—think thick swatches of buttercream or smoother frosting stripes. As for the more man-made options? Most of these patterns are super simple—take this aqua confection by Polkadots Bakery for example, complete with etched triangles—and easy to reproduce.
Ready to see all of the ways you can make this cake decorating technique your own? Click through to discover which type of textured confections is right for your wedding reception.
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Photography: Luna de Mare2 of 21
Lace
The bride's lace wedding dress inspired the pattern on this Frost It Cakery confection.
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Photography: Jen Huang3 of 21
Diamonds
This Nine Cakes beauty proved that on your wedding day, diamonds don't just belong on your finger.
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Photography: Greer Gattuso4 of 21
Blue Dots
The pencil point-sized dots on this Melissa's Fine Pastries wedding cake proved that texture doesn't need to be dramatic or exaggerated to make a statement.
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Photography: Abby Jiu Photography5 of 21
Grid
The crisscross pattern on this T Bakes four-tiered cake wasn't its only moment of intersection. The confection featured not one, but three flavor layers, which included double chocolate, lime-scented chiffon, and lemon-scented chiffon with Madagascar-vanilla cream.
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Photography: Pura Soul Photography6 of 21
Bas Relief
Jasmine Rae Cakes designed a confection that looked as if it were cut from stone. Raised fondant edges acted as a frame to a central leaf pattern, which was shaped in bas relief.
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Photography: Callie Manion Photography7 of 21
Overlapping Circles
A White Cake added the subtlest geometric accents (circles and diamonds!) to the base layer of this petite dessert.
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Photography: Jesse Leake8 of 21
Buttercream
Thick layers of buttercream served as this Crisp Bakeshop dessert's main accent.
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Photography: Carrie J. Photographer9 of 21
Diagonal Stripes
The heart-shaped cactus topper may have brought color to this Le Dolci confection, but its diagonally-striped fondant gave it texture.
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Photography: Cavin Elizabeth10 of 21
Sliver
Hey There, Cupcake! gave new meaning to a "sliver of cake" with the grainy surface of this treat's pale pink triangle, which was also its focal point.
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Photography: Kristen Beinke11 of 21
Embossed Floral
To help a barely-there embossed tier (we love the unique floral pattern!) stand out, Frost It Cakery paired it with a clean, bright-white top layer.
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Photography: Kathryn Frugé Photography12 of 21
Vertical Icing
The Cookie Social iced this buttercream two tier vertically, as evidenced by its upward ridges.
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Photography: Kallima Photography13 of 21
Tree Bark
The fine lines used throughout an Olympia Catering wedding cake created the illusion of tree bark.
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Photography: Maria Lamb Photography14 of 21
Texture Ombré
This Windflower Cakes creation featured a textured ombré—the horizontal ridges on the top tier faded to a less concentrated version on the bottom.
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Photography: Sophie Epton Photography15 of 21
Pink and Burgundy
Dark red roses helped enhance the pale pink designs on the bottom tier of this confection, by Frisoni Alessandra Studio Cake.
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Photography: Charla Storey Photography16 of 21
Blue Leather
Layered Bake Shop finished this tall treat with a blue-gray fondant that had a unique leathered texture.
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Photography: Jess Barfield Creative17 of 21
Swirled
To achieve this clean, swirled pattern, Sugar Bee Sweets carved loops into a fresh white base.
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Photography: Kristine Herman Photography18 of 21
Royal Plus Signs
Batter Up Cakery softened these small, plus sign shapes by rounding the edges. The final result? A pattern that subtly referenced a fleur-de-lis.
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Photography: Katie Lopez Photography19 of 21
Pastel
Earth + Sugar coated this pastel blue confection organically, leaving all of the resultant natural ridges.
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Photography: Becca Lea Photography20 of 21
Roses
For a feminine garden party, The Cake Guys added piped roses—and brought romantic texture—to an otherwise neutral dessert.
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Photography: Kristin La Voie Photography21 of 21
Grooves
The deep grooves on this tiny Urban Icing wedding cake were just as noteworthy as its metallic gold hue.
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