Alternative wedding cakes

Brides to be are increasingly turning their backs on the traditional wedding cake and looking at the alternatives. In part this is because of the large costs involved in having a traditional cake made by professionals and in part because having something different is becoming ever more acceptable.

Traditionally a wedding cake consists of multiple layers or tiers of cake, such as a fruit cake or chocolate cake, covered with a heavy dose of icing. The average price of a wedding cake in the US, according to the Bridal Association of America, is $543 (price quoted for weddings in July 2006). In the UK the average cost of a wedding cake is around £350 according to website Confetti.

In an effort to cut costs and make the wedding more personal, couples are choosing to replace cakes with things they love. “Over the last few years chocolate fountains, cup cakes and ice sculptures have been used as an alternative to the traditional wedding cake. Even though still popular today, a few new ideas are beginning to emerge. Real fruit towers – cake stands decorated with real fruit, which keep with the organic theme this year; iced cookies are a nice alternative to cup cakes; an elegant meringue cake, or try tiered puddings and mousses,” says Mark Norton-Noon at Lancashire Wedding Planners.

Norton-Noon adds: “Of course you cannot literally “cut” some of these ideas; however you can put a spin on them. Try sharing the first bite of the fruit or use a spoon to take the first serving of meringue or mousse.”

To get some further ideas on alternatives to wedding cakes, Weddings From Scratch has compiled a list of the things that have recently caught our attention:

Cupcakes:
Cupcake-a-licious provided a tailor made cupcake tower for Jade Goody and Jack Tweed’s wedding at Down Hall, Hertfordshire in February 2009. They also created children’s versions for her boys Freddy and Bobby. “The last thing I wanted was a traditional boring wedding cake, ones that you see at every wedding. I love cupcakes, and so do my family and I wanted something the boys would like too,” says Goody.
It costs £2.00 per cupcake, and they are all made to order and delivered to your door.

Macaroon Tower:
Sketch, a restaurant in Mayfair in London, can make couples a tower of macaroons. For more information, contact Sketch – see details below.

A genuine cheese cake:
For cheese lovers, the Priory Farm Shop at South Nutfield near Redhill, Surrey can create "cheese wedding cakes". Couples can select whole cheeses from their favourite regions, which can be assembled in the form of a wedding cake. "It makes a change from the traditional rich fruit cake," comments Gerry McElhatton, farm shop manager at Priory Farm. "We're finding they're increasingly popular and have the added benefit of doubling up as a cheese course. Perfect in a credit crunch!"