What can you use instead of a wedding cake? in [2019]

Traditionally, the wedding banquet ends with a tea party with a richly decorated cake, from which each guest is cut off a piece as a sign that the newlyweds share their love with all their loved ones. Over time, any custom undergoes changes, and now at some weddings the main dessert can be replaced by other dishes. Each couple who decides to get married can change the concept of tea drinking, making it more individual and unusual. Let's look at ideas for how to replace a wedding cake.

What is dessert for?

France, rich in romantic wedding traditions, did not ignore the tea party at the end of the banquet. Grandiose cakes for weddings began to be prepared in Paris, when one enterprising but unknown pastry chef decided to present his masterpiece to the court instead of the usual baked goods. His work was appreciated by the guests, and other culinary masters supported the tempting idea and began preparing richly decorated cakes for weddings, competing in dexterity and imagination.

For four centuries, this tradition remained unchanged, spreading to other countries. The scones, pies, breads and other baked goods served with tea at weddings were replaced by a large and beautifully decorated cake. At the end of the banquet, when all the guests have already congratulated the newlyweds and the table is fairly empty, a tea party is held. The bride and groom cut the cake to the accompaniment of solemn music and lay out a piece for each person present.

Wedding cake decoration

A wedding cake should not only be delicious, but also beautiful. In order for your expectations to be met, the design of the wedding cake should be trusted only to professional, high-quality confectioners, having previously discussed all the nuances.

Popular types of wedding cake decorations:

ombre - a color transition from light to darker shades, looks elegant and impressive;
watercolor painting effect;
ruffles – wedding cakes with cream ruffles look cute and romantic;
metallic - gold or silver will add nobility and showiness to the cake; you can also use metallic icing in emerald or bronze color;
ornament - a laconic and original solution for a wedding cake;
decoration with fresh flowers and fruits;
mastic decor - a true professional is able to create the most unusual cakes using sugar mastic;
chocolate decor – elegant desserts fully or partially covered with chocolate are gaining popularity;
velor is a special coating that hardens on the cake with small fibers, reminiscent of velvet fabric;
creating a chalkboard effect - bold and original cake design;
mirror glaze;
cake with imitation tree bark.

Recently, the trend has been open wedding cakes, the cake layers of which are not covered with anything - neither cream nor mastic. Fresh flowers, fruits, berries, and powdered sugar are often used to decorate them. A distinctive feature of this cake is its natural and laconic appearance.

Replacement

Sooner or later, any tradition begins to undergo changes. Most couples still serve cake to their wedding guests, but some wonder what to replace the wedding cake with.

With this move, the newlyweds can observe tradition, pamper their guests with sweets, and emphasize their own individuality. If the wedding is large, with many guests, the process of cutting the cake can take a long time.

Even well-chosen music for this moment will not be able to keep friends and relatives busy for long. In order not to tire the newlyweds even more, since they are the ones who have to cut the cake, you can replace one large dessert with many small ones. In this case, tea drinking will take less time, which is especially important if the congratulatory part of the banquet has been delayed.

Interesting! We have collected other ideas for replacing the classic dessert in this article. And here you will find an original brownie cake.

In other cases, you can emphasize the chosen style with the help of packaging of small desserts, which cannot be matched to cake slices.

If one of the guests wants to take their share of the dessert home, or the newlyweds decide to please those who could not come to the wedding, problems may arise with packaging the cake. If it is richly decorated, then it is unlikely that the piece will be transported without damage. With small desserts everything is simpler - they are already packaged and ready for the road.

How to submit?

According to wedding tradition, desserts are always turned to at the end of the celebration. Many guests even refuse it, because they have already tasted many high-calorie and filling dishes. But small desserts that can be easily packed will, of course, be an excellent way out of this situation. Although this is just one of the practical ways to serve dessert.

It is worth considering the following original and unusual options for serving this amazing delicacy.

You can place a cake on top, and cakes on the lower tiers. This solution looks like a pyramid.
If the number of cupcakes is limited, you can place them on several trays. In such cases, there is usually also cake as the main sweet treat.
A mini-cake can be placed on a plate for each guest, but this option does not look elegant.

Sometimes at a wedding there is a buffet table where you can also find cupcakes. In this case, each guest can enjoy dessert at any time. If sweets are served at the end of the celebration, then this moment can be decorated with fireworks or candles.

Alternative

All existing options for replacing a wedding dessert can be divided into two main groups - arranged in a single order or forming a pyramid or imitation of tiers of a cake.

In both cases, small portioned desserts are used, already laid out on plates, cups or packages. The bride and groom can only distribute sweets to all the guests. The second important difference between the cake substitutions is the taste.

The bride and groom should rely on personal preferences, but do not forget about friends and relatives. If there are a lot of guests at the wedding, then it is advisable to choose a universal dessert that most people like.

There are traditional options for replacing the wedding cake.

Portioned mini-cupcakes (cupcakes). This option is most often chosen instead of a wedding cake. Small cupcakes are packed in special paper in which they were baked, and the top part is decorated with a fancy pattern of cream, fruits, nuts, etc. You can place any fondant decorations on the cupcakes that suit your specific wedding style.
Sweet pies. The bride can bake them herself, if desired, asking her mother, grandmother or friends for help. For wedding tea parties, pies are most often made with berries, and the tops are decorated with powder. This dessert can be made not in a traditional form, but in a round shape with a patterned edge.
Macarons. These French sweets are often sold in confectionery departments, and many girls have learned to bake this dessert on their own. Macarons can be made in any color depending on the wedding decor. They can be folded either in portioned form or in the form of a cake.
Cookie. Most often, newlyweds choose a popular cookie, such as Oreo, and stack it in the shape of a pyramid. The result is an interesting design, shaped like a regular cake.
Donuts. Round-shaped baked goods covered with icing, chocolate, coconut and other sweets are becoming increasingly popular. To highlight the interesting color design of the wedding, donuts are chosen with a glaze of a bright shade. They can be arranged in portions or collected into one pyramid on a stand.
Pancake cake. This option is especially suitable for a Russian wedding, but for other styles you can call pancakes pancakes, and none of the guests will notice the difference. This unique cake can also be made multi-tiered, like a traditional one, and berries, jam and syrup are used for decoration.
Ice cream. At a summer wedding, guests will be more pleased with a refreshing dessert than a regular cake. Ice cream is placed into portioned bowls and decorated with berries, chocolate, nuts or other filling.
Mini desserts. Instead of one cake, you can organize a whole table with small sweets, arranged in portions or shared plates or packages. This could be marmalade, marshmallows, cookies, marshmallows, etc.
Candy cake . This dessert will be remembered by your guests for a long time!

If representatives of the older generation will be present at the celebration, it is better to do without exoticism, since they will not understand it.

In addition to popular options for replacing a wedding cake, which can already be called traditional, there are also original solutions.

Pies on a stick. Small pastries in the shape of a circle or heart on sticks look unusual and festive. Pies are most often mounted on a multi-tiered stand.
Multi-tiered cupcake. Using several baking pans of different sizes, you can create creative cupcake designs. They are placed on top of each other, like a cake, if desired, soaked in syrup and decorated with icing, chocolate or any confectionery topping.
Croquembouche. This is a traditional French dessert served at weddings. Croquembouche is a pyramid of profiteroles - small pastries with custard. They are held together by caramel or chocolate, resulting in a specific crunch.
Cake pops. These are small round sponge cakes on a stick. Their peculiarity is that the surface is decorated with icing and various bright sprinkles, as a result of which the plate with cake pops looks festive and cute.
Bowls with creme brulee. This is a custard dessert with a caramel crust. Cups of crème brûlée can be stacked on top of each other in a pyramid shape to resemble a multi-tiered cake.
Chocolate fountain. This unusual cascade of never-ending hot chocolate will surprise most wedding guests. Plates with fruits and berries are placed next to the fountain, which can be “bathed” in chocolate by attaching them to a wooden skewer.
Truffle Tower. These are round candies, from which you can make a whole pyramid using a stand or frame. You can use truffles of different flavors and colors to please every guest.
Jars of sweets. If the bride likes to prepare for the winter, she can please her guests with jam or preserves of her own making. Small, beautifully decorated jars are placed on a separate table in the form of a pyramid.
Cotton candy. Some adults would like to return to a carefree childhood, and cotton candy, distributed into portioned bags, will revive pleasant nostalgic memories.
Cheese tower. It's not exactly sweet, but it looks unusual and bright. The tower is made up of different types of round-shaped cheese, like a multi-tiered cake. This masterpiece is served with wine and fruit.

An alternative to a wedding cake is also selected for stylized celebrations, since other desserts are more suitable for some themes. For example, European wedding concepts often involve portioned meals for friends and relatives.

Croquembouche

This French dessert with a spectacular presentation will become the center of attraction for guests. A pyramid of profiteroles with custard, decorated with chocolate icing, caramel cobwebs or powdered sugar, is an original replacement for a cake. There is no need to cut the dessert, just carefully remove the top cake from the tower and a standard portion of dessert is ready. Croquembouche can be made from more than just pastries. If desired, replace them with handmade sweets, fruits or chocolate-covered berries.

Cheese

The cheese platter greatly diversifies the menu. By choosing several different types of cheese and fruit, you can enjoy a great snack with wine.

White wines go better with cheese than red wines. This is especially true for cheeses with a sharp, strongly pronounced taste, as they disrupt the taste of red wines and spoil their bouquet. Don't forget: cheeses don't like a strong woody taste, so it's best to avoid wines aged in wooden barrels for long periods of time.

Cakepops are a treat on a stick.

At first glance it looks like a lollipop, but in fact it is a sponge cake with chocolate glaze. This is a favorite treat for kids, so if you make a cake from cakepops, the kids will not remain indifferent. They come in different colors and depict different animals and cartoons. What to choose for the holiday is up to you.

How to choose the perfect dessert for a wedding?

While everything is usually clear when ordering a standard wedding cake, questions may arise when choosing an unusual dessert. Here are a couple of tips to help you:

Correctly calculate the weight of the treat. The weight of pie and pancake cake is usually calculated in a standard way: 150 grams per person. In the case of a cheese cake, this figure is slightly less - 100 grams. It’s even easier with portioned desserts - it’s better if there are 1.5-2 times more of them than there are guests.
The design of such treats should fit perfectly into the wedding style, for example, a croquembouche is perfect for a vintage wedding, a pancake or cheese cake for an eco-style celebration, and beautifully decorated cakes instead of a banal wedding cake for a Marie Antoinette style wedding.
Portioned desserts allow you to play with different flavors, because on each tier of the stand you can put treats with different flavors. For example, you can order a multi-tiered cake with cupcakes for your wedding, each tier with a different filling: chocolate, honey, berry. This way, each of your guests will find something to suit their taste!
You can serve unusual desserts in the form of a standard cake takeout, as well as in an organized candy bar, then each guest will be able to try the wedding treat at any time during the celebration.
When choosing the flavor “content” of a dessert, consider the time of year (as in the case of filling a wedding cake): in summer you can give preference to berries (strawberries, cherries, blueberries), in autumn - apples, pumpkin and persimmons, in winter - citrus fruits and persimmons, in spring - early strawberries This way you will not only save money, but also enjoy delicious berries and fruits that have grown without chemicals. And by the way, vegetables can also be used to create delicious desserts. Just look at carrot or pumpkin cupcakes, which can be ordered for a wedding instead of a banal cake.

Types of wedding cakes: cake layers and filling

Wedding cakes with sponge layers are especially popular. Biscuit dough is suitable for any time of year, it is not afraid of high temperatures and goes well with various fillings. You can also order a cake with honey, nut or marzipan layers. But it’s better to avoid puff pastry or shortcrust pastry.

Regarding how to choose a filling for a cake, the team of the portal svadbagolik.ru advises paying attention to light and not too high-calorie creams and fillings. After all, before serving the cake, guests will have time to eat a hearty meal and many will find it difficult to cope with the fatty “heavy” dessert

For a wedding cake use:

souffle;
curd masses;
chocolate and chocolate-nut spreads;
nuts, fruits and berries;
boiled condensed milk;
whipped cream;
sour cream;
custard;
curd and yoghurt cream;
protein cream;
butter cream.

When choosing a cake, it is better to rely on traditional flavor solutions.