Delicious and Fun Nontraditional Wedding Dessert Ideas
There’s no two ways around it – cake is the dessert people expect to eat at a wedding. Although there’s no shortage of flavor combinations and fresh designs to pick from, there’s no reason you have to stick to a traditional wedding cake. More couples are choosing alternatives to wedding cakes including dessert buffets, mini desserts and other plated desserts. These creative nontraditional wedding dessert ideas can be more cost effective than a traditional cake and will surprise your guests with an unexpected treat!
Randi Smith is the owner and creative mastermind behind local favorite cake bakery Sugar Euphoria. But, Randi is beloved by the wedding vendor community and local couples for more than her beautifully decorated cakes. Randi also offers unconventional wedding desserts including colorful macarons and creative displays.
We love that Sugar Euphoria keeps on top of dessert trends, like dried florals and detailed fondant designs. Randi has picked up on the growing popularity of nontraditional wedding desserts and loves to create a visually appealing display filled with delicious dessert bites.
Alternative Wedding Dessert Ideas
1: Consider a macaron tower. Randi is a master at creating colorful, flavorful macarons and they make a bold visual when arranged on a tiered stand!
2: Turn your dessert bar into a fun focal point. Randi advises couples to pick a dessert table with displays at various heights. This adds more interest to the spread.
3: Croquembouche! This French dessert is often served at weddings. Cream puffs are built into a stunning tower held together with caramelized sugar. This classy dessert is sure to wow your guests, and, of course, couldn’t be more delicious. Randi offers croquembouche as part of her alternative dessert options.
The culinary team at Pastry Works (sister company of floral design branch Bloom Works and Catering Works) excel at creating fun, unconventional wedding desserts. While Pastry Works offers traditional wedding cakes that look and taste amazing, the other desserts they offer are just as refined and tasty.
4: Give your guests variety with multiple bite-sized treats. Rather than one cake flavor, this accommodates a wider variety of palates. It’s also a great option if you and your future spouse can’t agree on just one flavor! Opting for several bite-sized dessert options is a great solution if some of your guests have dietary restrictions. Offer a gluten-free, vegan or nut-free choice and your guests with special diets won’t have to skip dessert.
5: Mesh a traditional wedding cake with the mini dessert trend. Tiny personal cakes are a decadent option sure to make each of your guests feel extra-special.
Stephanie Richardson’s cakes are second to none when it comes to dramatic elegance and delicate details. Stephanie honed her skills while she worked in a bakery before opening her own wedding cake business, S. Richardson Cakes. Stephanie confesses that wedding cakes are actually her least favorite dessert – so she is totally on board with the alternative dessert trend!
6: Have your cake and eat it, too! Stephanie’s cakes are too pretty to pass up – so don’t! Incorporate a traditional wedding cake with a single tier or in a smaller size with other dessert options for more variety without tossing the cake altogether. This allows you and your new partner to do a traditional cake cutting, too.
7: Mix and match seasonally appropriate treats and flavors. Stephanie offers options like mini parfaits and cookies, plus favorites like hot chocolate or summer citrus-flavored cakes. Go all out with a holiday-inspired or themed spread.
Mindy Glatfelter and Pastry Chef Erin Seabolt are the sweet sister duo leading Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Cafe in Raleigh. The bakery has been serving up sweet treats since 1982. Edible Art offers popular flavors like chocolate chop cake with cookie dough mousse, and delivers unique garnishes and detailed artful icing sure to wow your guests.
8: Cupcakes make for a fun twist on a traditional wedding cake while keeping the same flavor profile. Arranged in a cupcake tower, the effect is similar to a cake. Whether you want pumpkin swirl cake with vanilla buttercream or a strawberry margarita-flavored cake, Edible Art won’t disappoint!
