I have searching like crazy all the new cake trends to make dummies for a bridal show AND please add any still popular trends or stuff that's just getting old....

I have found square cakes are still going strong, hexagons are becoming more popular, and different shaped tiers also.

black and white cakes are super popular and simple cakes with clean line deisgns.

Bold colors or just all white!

My favorite new trend and the DAMASK!!! I cannot wait to tackle that baby!


I think bows are still good except now I see them with BLING!

I think Loopy bows don't belong as cake toppers. That's just my taste loopy bows are for birthday cakes for children.


Exotic flavors are in and different tiers with a different flavors too!

As a wedding cake flavor an oldie but goodie I think Red Velvet is trying to make a comeback!

This is just what I have been able to find at wedding websites and magazines recently, add your opinions please and those who do 5 wedding cakes a weekend please do so but to all keep in mind we all live in different cities so trends can be different.


At my first bridal show I want to display cakes within my skills and bold modern cakes and some of the new cake trends since the places I searched is where our brides are looking for ideas.

My samples will be red velvet with cream cheese icing and white cake w/raspberry jam and vanilla bean buttercream.

Add what you think are new trends or over done old trends.

Patty

I always go to www.marthastewart.com to look at the wedding cakes she has posted for the newest ideas! She has tons of cakes on there!

Large Gumpaste flowers, Garden and woodsy themes and Damask all seem to be the most popular here in central California.

We are also having a huge Retro style design surge..(think 50's)
Tattoo inspired designs, vintage fabrics as inspiration.

Also a lot of requests for Asian inspired designs, even from people who aren't Asian.
ie: Koi fish , Lotus flowers, Kanji's, bamboo, cherry blossoms.

Another trend has been cake painting, watercolor style.

I love this thread! Thanks for starting it!

I'm doing a lot of Damask designs. However, there won't be any Red Velvet coming out of my kitchen. I hate the stuff. But since I design each cake for each bride, I don't have a lot of universal trends, other than pulling design motifs from the wedding gown.

I hate the word "trends". I don't ever think there is a "trend". I think a "trend" is promoted by the wedding supplier who is pushing a certain new product, the baker who is pushing a certain color or style, or the dressmaker who is pushing his latest design.

wilton comes out with a bright new color and oh look! Bright new color is the new "Trend"! Wilton came out with cupcake stands and oh look! cupcakes are the new trend! Saw an article where a guy tried to sell his latest idea of jello being the "new trend" for wedding cakes (that one didn't fly).

Square cakes are coming back? You mean they were out? I do more square cakes than round cakes and have done so for a LONG time!

Here's my blog on this very topic: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/trend

By the way, I predict it now. I see wilton has come out with some "new" tools just for brownies (you need a special spatula to get brownies out of the pan? You need special cutters that look just like my regular cookie cutters? oh brother!) Anyway .... I'm waiting to see how long it takes for the word to get out that "Brownies are the new wedding TREND!"

I absolutely ignore "trends", whatever the heck a "trend" is.

Great thread - thanks to the OP for starting! I don't do cakes but since I'm a baker (for fun), my friends are always asking me for wedding cake advice.

I just saw this on amazing cakes last night and thought what a great idea!

Indydebi - I think you are right about the brownie equipment. I saw brownie kits that appeared to just be decorating tips and "brownie" pans and "brownie cutters" at Michaels a few weeks ago. I was thinking this is obviously for someone who doesn't bake or decorate cakes, cookies, cupcakes because those are the SAME tips and cutters I already have.

I love these new trends. Keeps the designs fresh and exciting!

I also saw an article stating that brides now like a shorter cake, not more than two tiers. Then it's decorated simply and makes a bold statement. Not sure what part of the county that was in but the cake was beautiful. I'll try to attach a photo that I took from the article.

As an individual and a cake artist, I avoid trends like the plague. What's wrong with individuality?
I tend to make cakes according to what elements are present in the client's wedding or party, thereby creating something different every time. I must admit that I do have a weakness for Martha Stewart's cake ideas, she's totally an inspiration for me.

I just had to reply to this because of something Indy and I have in common. I have actually booked 2 up in the sky, over the fountain cakes with the bridges. Don't judge me people....I sure did not come up with the idea, the brides did. I made one of them this weekend. I know Deb says she still makes them occasionally. There is just no telling what people will want. I had to laugh when the second one asked for it because my husband and I were just talking about the huge plastic things we used to make in the past. Go figure.

I just had to reply to this because of something Indy and I have in common. I have actually booked 2 up in the sky, over the fountain cakes with the bridges. Don't judge me people....I sure did not come up with the idea, the brides did. I made one of them this weekend. I know Deb says she still makes them occasionally. There is just no telling what people will want. I had to laugh when the second one asked for it because my husband and I were just talking about the huge plastic things we used to make in the past. Go figure.

Oh my gosh, I swear the new Wilton's line for bronwie products is the STUPIDEST thing I've seen...but it is great con work. My niece wanted to get some of those things and I was like thats just a spatula and I have that cookie cutter at home. She was like "But these cutters are made for brownies", I was like "NO! Thats just a regualer jumbo size cookie cutter. It just has brownie on the packaging." I went and got her the exact same cutter, just in different packaging, to compare, she was like "Oh". Okay, sorry about getting off subject. Trends, hmmm, I don't think there really is a lot of new trends. Fondant is a VERY old method of cake decorating (in fact my 2nd specialty cake I ever made was covered in chocolate fondant & that was 17 years ago), but I remember when it became the new trend. I was like, "Really?". I've seen everything done over & over again, I have seen some styles go out (mostly from the '80's), I have seen a few new styles come in. But mostlly different variations of the same thing. What I have seen (AND LOVE!) are new techniques to decorating.

LaBellaFlor - I'd love to see pics of your cakes from years past especially the 80's. You have so much experience that the retro stuff might be inspiration to us newer decorators.

Motta, here are some of mine from the late 70's / early 80's. THe quality isn't great. photos's from the 80's just dont' scan well!

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=93766
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=155123 - outdoor wedding with a "slight" breeze that day .... I was a little nervous!
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=113333 - fountain between the cakes.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=155043 - my sister's cake --- took up an entire 8ft table

I have no pass pictures of cakes believe it or not. In fact I'm still pretty bad about taking pics. now. But trust me when I say, a lot of things done then, you see now, just like a lot of things back then, you rarely see, like the baroque style of cakes with the Greek columns as seperators, a lot of cakes used those pillars. You hardly ever saw cakes stacked one on the other, but now a days thats most cakes...and not to many Greek column seperators. What I absolutely DO LOVE, are the new techniques and equipment for making flowers. I'll never forget when I had to hand pipe out of royal icing oh about 300 apple blossom. I love the new modern color choices too. Back then pastel variations of pink, blue, yellow & green got real old...unless they got bold with what?!? PEACH WITH ACCENTS OF TEAL! But I hope nobody thinks I'm too old, cause I'm not I've been doing cakes since I was real young. Word of mouth has always gotten my business and looks of what?!?!? You do specialty cakes?!?!?

As much as I love the older designs, I gotta admit I can't imagine using those bells today.

And I sure love the push in pillars MUCH better than the plate-n-pillar system of yesteryear! Much sturdier!

But I love fountains. Got one coming up this next weekend.

I like the fountains too! They're kind of cheesy, but there's just something about them - I think it would be neat to come up with a modernized version of the fountain!

Tiers in different height seems to be popular nowadays.

Tiers in different height seems to be popular nowadays.

YES! I love to see tiers in different heights & shapes stacked. I think thats a big new thing, the different shapes. Square, petal, oval, and octogon are not new, but those pillows, thats definelty now. Or even the cakes that are like squat circles, love those!

Love those pics Indydebi. I swear I'm gonna make myself something like that for my next big anniversary...fountain and all.

I think cupcakes are becoming more "stylish"....not just for kids anymore.

I love the 4' tall cake! And the El Camino in the distance! I think that is the only way you can smack an age on it! Otherwise Ive seen cakes recently on here that look similiar. Old School!
When I first got into decorating was around the time my sister got married. She got a cake delivered from a local bakery and it was topsy turvey. Ofcourse it wasnt suppose to be!!! And that was in the early 80's. My mom had ordered a Wilton wedding cake set from someone who came door to door selling them. She wanted to make her cake but ended up buying it. Well last year she ends up giving it to me, saying it was collecting dust in her closet. What was so funny to see was the cover of the book, and they actually had fondant and mexican paste in there but it was listed under foreign methods. You had to sign up for a special class to be taught it and they had no picture examples!
But I didnt get into the whole piping thing. I didnt like it a whole lot so I didnt really get the bug until I started watching the OSSAS show on FN and seeing Here Comes the Cake and shows like that. I was just amazed at it all and how it was actually cake! So I took out my set of cutters I bought from Wilton one day at Michaels and tried my hand again at gumpaste flowers. Still wasnt too good at it but it was enough to get the bug in me. And then from there I just went crazy online looking at things. Its just amazing how they have integrated so many different crafting techniques into this one art form. I think that is why I love it so much. I dont get bored of it because there is something always new to make, never the same order. And making flowers out of gumpaste and seeing the reaction of people when they find out their sugar, that is just such an awarding feeling. I never got that kind of feeling from any of the jobs I ever had. Mostly clerical and computer. But still. Its like your creating life itself. Its just an amazing feeling. I dont think I would ever want to get out of this line of work now!!

Indydebi - thanks for showing the cakes done "old school" style! I noticed that the cakes themselves were much shorter than today. I also know now why you can make a 12 foot tall cake - it's probably easier than the fountains, columns, bridges, etc.!!!!! Those cakes were architecture, man.
Anyways, they were great. I didn't know you were in the business for that long.

Indydebi - thanks for showing the cakes done "old school" style! I noticed that the cakes themselves were much shorter than today. I also know now why you can make a 12 foot tall cake - it's probably easier than the fountains, columns, bridges, etc.!!!!! Those cakes were architecture, man.
Anyways, they were great.

**sorry,double post and last sentence was dropped????

Actually those cakes tend to be taller, cause of all the pillars. My aunt got married in "86 and her cake was 6' tall. I was really young then so of course I didn't make that cake, her friend did, but I did "help" decorate it & set up. It was white with a darkish type baby blue ruffles going all around with roses. I did make my Aunt's tiered baby shower cake 4 years later. Gosh, this topic is bringing back so memories ...