All You ‘Knead’ is Love and NC Wedding Cakes

Famous American cook Julia Child once said “A party without cake is just a meeting,” and when it comes to planning a wedding, we couldn’t agree more! Modern couples are taking that sentiment to the next level with alternative NC wedding cakes and desserts such as donut walls, macaron towers and dessert buffet bars (a trend even Julia would love). And as you can see from many of the photos on this blog, presentation is everything!

Whether you are a traditionalist or a trend-setter, we suggest booking your cake or desserts 3-6 months in advance to ensure that your choice baker is available. Once you have selected a local bakery, we encourage you to schedule a consultation and attend a tasting (this is one of the most fun parts of planning!).

Pastry Works

Since the onset of the pandemic, our recommended bakeries have implemented extra safety guidelines and new ways to serve clients such as take-home tastings and virtual consultations. Kelli Harrison, director of sales for Raleigh-based Pastry Works offers her advice.“For COVID-19 safety, make your cake a third course at dinner and have it plated,” Kelli says. “Or make [your wedding dessert] an action station.”

Led by executive pastry chef Anthony Calcagno and pastry sous chef Bri Boettinger, the Pastry Works team creates delicious cakes and confections. Their most popular cake flavor is a classic vanilla or chocolate cake with velvety Swiss meringue buttercream. Kelli explains why so many couples are opting for bite-size desserts instead of cake.

“It gives guests the opportunity to try a few different desserts instead of just one big piece of cake,” Kelli says. “This also lets brides easily choose for some of their desserts to be gluten-free, vegan or nut-free to accommodate a wide range of dietary restrictions some guests might have.”

Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Cafe

Mindy Davisson and Erin Seabolt, the sweet sister duo behind family-owned Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Café, have noticed a similar trend. Many of their couples order a diverse dessert selection along with a minimalist 2-3 tier wedding cake.

“Our most popular cake flavor would be the almond pound cake with an amaretto filling,” Erin says. “But some of the most popular dessert bar options have been mini pies, cheesecakes, parfaits and cupcakes, of course!”

The Edible Art Bakery team understands that wedding planning can be stressful and strives to provide a relaxing environment for couples during tastings and consultations. They will even experiment with new cupcake flavor combinations upon request.

NC Wedding Cakes by Sugar Euphoria

Randi Smith, owner of Sugar Euphoria dessert boutique sends each of her couples a questionnaire in order to better understand their unique style and taste. “This year, our couples are loving our floral notes flavor, which consists of lemon cake, hibiscus buttercream and raspberry mousse,” Randi says.

More of her favorite wedding cake trends include edible sequins and embroidery-like icing textures. Sugar Euphoria has a reputation for designing dessert displays that make wedding guests “ooh” and “ahh.”

In order to achieve that wow factor, “Pick desserts that you love as a couple and individually, along with items that you think your guests will enjoy,” Randi says. “Consider displaying your desserts on stands at varying heights to add some visual interest to the table.”