Local Bakers Create Delicious Wedding Cakes in Raleigh and Durham, NC

No great meal is quite complete without a sweet treat to top it off. Give your wedding guests something to dance about – dessert! Welcome to the world of wedding cakes in Raleigh and Durham, NC. Meet some of the top local bakers who are sure to bring your wedding cake or dessert dreams alive.

Before you choose your baker, create a vision board of inspiration imagery. You should book your wedding cake or dessert bakery six months to one year in advance. Attend a wedding showcase with your partner (make it a date night!) and sample treats from local bakers. Or, order an at-home tasting box, which many Durham, NC and Raleigh bakers offer. Then, you’ll be ready to schedule a consultation with your bakery of choice. Schedule a consultation with your top bakery pick to talk over your flavor, design and color preferences.

Remember that you should expect to pay $6 to $8 per slice. For dessert items other than cake, cost varies. Two individual desserts will cost $5 to $9 per person. Be sure to consider guests with special allergies along with gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan options. Keep your guests entertained with a dessert bar, beautiful displays or interactive stations! And, don’t forget to factor rental stands or displays into your budget, too. Consider adding a cutting cake if you opt for a nontraditional dessert but still want to keep the ceremonial element.

These wedding cake bakers are artists and visionaries. Using natural ingredients to create handmade masterpieces is what they do best. Work with any of these bakers, and we promise you’re in for a treat.

Wedding Cakes in Raleigh, NC: Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Cafe

If you’re looking for a wedding cake bakery in Raleigh, this family owned cafe and bakery has created exquisite wedding cakes and desserts for its customers since 1982. Schedule an in-person, phone or Zoom consultation to discuss your inspirations or sketch a vision with Mindy Glatfelter and Pastry Chef Erin Seabolt, the sweet sister duo who now lead Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Cafe.

Schedule a tasting to sample a slice of Edible Art’s famous traditional almond pound cake with amaretto filling. Our top tip? Go for a second tasting if you need a flavor reminder before your big day.

Edible Art’s popular gourmet cake flavors include lemon with raspberry mousse, chocolate chip cake with cookie dough mousse, Champagne cake and pumpkin- or cinnamon-swirl cake with vanilla buttercream. Choose from miniature dessert options, too. These include individual piekins, macarons, cookies and parfaits that can be combined to build a custom dessert buffet.

Whether you want a no-fuss pound cake or a strawberry margarita-flavored cupcake tower, Edible Art can deliver. Erin, Mindy and their team will happily incorporate your wedding colors, theme or significant details into your wedding cake design. Their attention to detailed icing art and unique dessert garnishes will wow your wedding guests. Bring your imagination to their North Hills, Raleigh, storefront and dream away!

Wedding Cake Q&A with Edible Art Bakery & Cafe

What tips do you have for couples on how to “wow” guests with their cake/dessert display?
“We recommend that you incorporate height into your wedding dessert displays. This gives nice depth to the display. Some examples would be tiered platters, wooden crates and risers. We actually have a few dessert displays that can be rented out as well.”

What’s your favorite part of a wedding?
“The actual wedding day when we get to work with all the vendors to make the couple’s day extra special. We love when photographers share photos so we can see how all the details and services were put together in the end. Especially when we are fortunate enough to see the ceremonial cutting of the cake between the newlyweds.”

S. Richardson Cakes: Wedding Desserts in Durham, NC

Stephanie Richardson’s art education has served her well as a one-woman baker. She first stumbled upon her passion for cake decorating while working at a bakery after college. Today she bakes and decorates every single confection ordered from S. Richardson Cakes.

Her eye-catching cakes turn heads with colorful tones and please guests with flavorful combinations like orange cardamom, spiced Mexican hot chocolate and
summer berry. Or, you can choose to mix and match a variety of desserts and create a bar covered in cupcakes, cookies and parfaits. “Personally, I would love to see a mini dessert buffet at a wedding since cake is my least favorite dessert,” Stephanie confesses. Decide for yourself with a take-home tasting box.

Do you have any wedding dessert display tips for couples?
“I think going with a dessert buffet and small personalized boxes or bags is a great idea for guests who don’t want to leave the dance floor. They can pick up something sweet on their way out the door.”

Stephanie created the mauve cake with abstract art-deco detailing that’s pictured above to showcase one of her “all-time favorite” pink shades, and it includes flowers, one of her go-to ways to elevate a wedding cake design. Many of S. Richardson Cake’s elegant designs incorporate fresh flowers for an extra-special finish.

Mad Hatter’s Café & Bakeshop: Wedding Desserts in Durham, NC

If you’ve driven down Durham’s Main Street, you’ve spotted the unique 1950s building that’s housed The Mad Hatter’s Café & Bakeshop since 2001. And, if you’ve stopped in for an espresso or a lunchtime sandwich, you’ve certainly gazed across dessert cases filled with exquisitely decorated cakes and desserts. Mad Hatter’s is known for classic flavors like after- dinner mint, German chocolate, Black Forest and chocolate strawberry shortcake. The bakery offers a range of cake designs to choose from including fun groom’s cakes, plus decorated cookies and dessert bar displays.

Wedding Cakes in Raleigh: Bestow Baked Goods 

Heather Sutton takes pride in offering a long list of flavors for couples to choose from, including Bestow Baked Goods most popular combination: a sweet potato cake with cream cheese frosting, inspired by Heather’s grandmother’s recipe for sweet potato pie. Couples fill out online questionnaires and can order a cake tasting box of seasonally rotating flavors, followed by a virtual consultation to discuss color palette, floral and decor details of the wedding, and the vibe or design they’d like to reflect in their cake. If cake isn’t your cup of tea, Bestow also offers cupcakes, cookies and more desserts.

Wedding Cake Q&A with Heather Sutton of Bestow Baked Goods

What advice would you give to couples trying to please their guests?
“I obviously want the cake to be beautiful, but it seems that the thing most guests will remember is how the cake tasted, so I’ve put a lot of effort into offering a range of cake flavors – all of which couples can be proud to share with their loved ones. When it comes to selecting which ones they want in their wedding cake,
my suggestion is to choose the one that they’ll be most excited to bite into during their cake cutting ceremony. This is their special moment – and it should be one that they will savor!”