Cheese wheels, croquembouche towers and pork pie tiers: how custom wedding cakes got personal

The joint slicing of a wedding cake is a moment of celebration which makes for many a joyful photograph.  Traditionally a rich fruit cake, the top layer of a classic white-iced wedding cake would historically be saved for the christening of a couple's first child.  

But of course, fruit cake isn't for everyone. Couples have long been breaking with tradition in favour of a rebellious chocolate filling or a mildly off-the-wall Victoria sponge –  and increasingly, they're going a step further. 

These days the wedding cake is a vehicle for couples to reflect their identities and personalities, to wow and surprise guests, or simply to celebrate their favourite flavour pairings and foods. 

This week, Kensington Palace revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding cake will be lemon and elderflower, made by Californian pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of the London-based Violet Bakery.

Kensington Palace said the couple asked Ms Ptak to create a cake incorporating "the bright flavours of spring" for their May wedding. It will be covered with buttercream, and decorated with fresh flowers.

The main cake served at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 was a tiered fruit cake covered in cream and white icing, created by baker Fiona Cairns. However, for a more personal touch, guests were also served Prince William's favourite: a chocolate biscuit cake.

Just as the format of weddings constantly evolves and adapts to modern tastes, newlyweds want to serve celebration cakes and centrepieces to suit their own preferences, and to fit around the schedule of their day. Who's to say they can't serve a number of different cakes? Nothing is off limits: cheese wedding cakes decorated with figs and grapes are now incredibly popular. You can even get a pork pie wedding cake and serve it with chutney and pickle, if you so like. 

“We host two or three couples every week for a cheese wedding cake tasting, where they can put together a collection of the cheeses that they really love,” says Dan Bliss, the retail manager at Britain's oldest cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield (which holds a Royal Warrant). “The most popular choice for weddings is the Cornish yarg, which is a real crowd-pleaser.”

Not necessarily intended to replace a traditional wedding cake, a cheese wedding cake or similar can serve as a fun extra in addition to the classic, perhaps as part of the evening buffet. Not everyone has a sweet tooth, so presenting guests a savoury alternative is a wise move.

“The visual impact is important: with cheese, there are so many different colours, textures and sizes. People are creative with decorations; it’s not just flowers and fruit,” Bliss continues. “They work perfectly at rustic country weddings. Even 'naked' cheese towers, with minimal decoration, look beautiful.

"For real curd nerds who absolutely love their cheese, putting their own twist on their wedding selection is an experience they really enjoy. Both brides and grooms relish it. We had one couple who just wanted a blue cheese wedding cake.

"People like to choose cheeses that reflect who they are and where they’re from: British cheeses are popular, but so are Irish and continental cheeses.”

However you'd personally prefer to celebrate, here's some of the most unusual, ornate wedding cake ideas for 2018 – including pâtisserie by some of the most talented bakers and sugar crafters in the UK.

1. Crocquembouche wedding cake

A croquembouche or croque-en-bouche is a spectacular French dessert consisting of choux pastry balls piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel, often served at weddings in Italy and France. This example by Julien Drapeau of French Wedding Cakes in Ireland features croquembouche with vanilla crème pâtissière, accompanied by salted caramel and pistachio macarons. 

2. Geode wedding cake

Sugar-craft wedding cakes inspired by geodes, featuring hollow cavities lined with crystals, are a proliferating trend. We adore this emerald creation by Jen Rojas of Cupcakes and Counting. 

3. Naked cake

Naked wedding cakes aren't as naughty as they sound, and simply refer to wedding cakes which aren't covered with a thick white icing, or which are simply lightly dusted with icing sugar. Whether chocolate, sponge or fruit, they're often a pleasingly simple, rustic take on the classic tiered wedding cake. This example by Melissa Rayner of the Fairy Dust Bakery in Canterbury is embellished with fresh fruit including blackberries, strawberries and figs.

4. Macaron wedding cake

Everyone loves dainty meringue macarons, and this chic mauve wedding tower from London bakers Ginger and Cacao features bitesize elderflower, lychee, champagne and salted caramel ones. Swoon. 

5. Fairytale sculpture cake

Choccywoccydoodah in Covent Garden creates striking wedding sculptures, like this Alice In Wonderland-inspired white rabbit cake, as well as striking, Gothic floral designs. 

6. Drip effect meringue wedding cake

The Meringue Girls made meringue cool again, bringing their crispy-on-the-outside, mallowy-in-the-middle meringue kisses to parties and events. This chocolate drip cake is a result of a collaboration with East London cake creative Carla Fox of Fondant Fox, and we can't get enough of it. 

7. Woodland wedding cake

How to make a timelessly romantic gesture without causing lasting damage to nature? Carve your and your beloved's initials into the 'bark' of a tree-trunk cake. Often decorated with pine cones and sugar-crafted woodland animals, they're perfect for country-themed weddings. Go the whole hog and source a tree-trunk cake stand, too. 

8. Pork pie cake

Pork pie fans will delight in the idea of a savoury pork pie cake. We adore this love heart design decorated with foliage, but pork pie wedding cakes are so mainstream now that you can even order a pork pie celebration cake from Marks & Spencer (£99, marksandspencer.com). 

9. Ombré wedding cake

A dip-dye-style ombré wedding cake, where the shades of a chosen colour graduate from light to dark, is a popular take on tradition. This example by Rosalind Miller cakes (available in Harrods) features ombré roses and hand-piped 'embroidery'. 

10. Marble wedding cake

A luxurious marbled effect will guarantee a showstopping effect. This creative tiered design by Sugared Saffron is a case in point.

11. Mermaid tail wedding cake

The London-based patisserie Anges de Sucre are famed for colour-popping, Instagram-friendly designs, and are stocked in Selfridges. Mermaids, donuts and unicorns: their explosive, cascading designs are a fantasy come true. 

12. Wall of doughnuts

Krispy Kreme offer an eight-tier doughnut tower in place of a traditional wedding cake – but we prefer the rather novel idea of a doughnut wall. 

13. Cheese wedding cake

It's not just Paxton & Whitfield who offer cheese wedding cakes: create your own, or check out Neal's Yard Dairy (which created the fine example above) The Fine Cheese Co., The Cheese Shed or even Waitrose for inspiration. 

14. Stained-glass wedding cake

We couldn't help but include this glorious stained glass wedding cake created by Kentucky-based Michief Cake Makers. Although they're based in America, the high-detail designs of Alex and Lisa Narramore are well worth a look for inspiration.

15. Chandelier wedding cake

The unlikely burgeoning of the upside-down chandelier wedding cake continues. While some are in danger of looking a bit naff, there are some wonderful suspended cakes to be found. 

16. Lace wedding cake

The addition of ornate lace sugar art and lace embellishment is only a slight variation on the classic white iced cake, but it's an opportunity to add your own stamp nonetheless.