Life
14 Wedding Dessert Ideas That AREN'T A Traditional Cake
Once you've vowed to spend forever with your beloved, vow to spend the rest of the night celebrating by chowing down. Traditionally, a commitment to towering tiered wedding cake is made to the dessert table. However, there are plenty of alternatives to wedding cake, because not every couple is ~married~ to the idea of cake.
Slicing into the top tier of a wedding cake has become as essential to the wedding ceremony as the "I dos." It kicks off the start of a ~sweet~ life together. But forever doesn't have to taste like buttercream. It can also be something to chew on like a chocolate chip cookie. Forever can be as sweet as a sundae bar. And if a couple doesn't share a sweet tooth, you can get ~cheesy~ with it too. Forever might taste a whole lot like cheddar.
And breaking from the norm of our modern stack of cakes decorated delicately with fresh flowers is actually a nod to the original marital dessert. According to Loverly, "In medieval times, spiced buns were stacked as high as possible in a giant pile. If the newlyweds could kiss over the tower of pastries, they’d be in for a lifetime of prosperity." Wedding cakes have become feats of pastry. If you're not into all the swirls and twirls of frosting, there are other towers of dessert to build for your big day.
Donuts
There is the yeast donut and there is the cake donut, and there is never a wrong donut. Instead of cake, collect your favorite flavors of your favorite kind of donut and stack them high on a five tier pastry round for that ~wedding cake effect~. Of course, you might not cut a slice, but you can still partake in the tradition of feeding each other.
Cupcake Tower
Perhaps you do like cake but want to move away from the typical dessert centerpiece. Cupcakes are a delectable choice. The soft, plush bite is there and so is the buttercream, just not in an overwhelming fork to frosting ratio. Nobody is going to be upset to see a stack of cupcakes waiting to be wrecked by mouth after the speeches.
A Tiered Chocolate Fountain
If you want to distance yourself from the traditions of slicing a cake, keeping a tier for your one year anniversary and so on, just go with a chocolate fountain. Its ever flowing stream of chocolate is as much a spectacle as any wedding cake.
Pie
If you swear by an all-butter pie crust and are loyal to lattice, celebrate the sweetness of the day with pie. A lot of pie. All types of pie. Mini pies stacked high or fruit and custard pies sprawled across a long table.
Cookies
Whether you stack them high or lay them out in neat rows, nobody is going to be upset that a cake is absent. Instead of having to pick one cake flavor, cookies allow a couple to explore their options. From chocolate chip to oatmeal raisin, there's a cookie for every guest.
Sundae Bar
Why cake when you can sundae? If you can't rationalize investing hundreds of dollars into a cake and want to go the DIY route, stock up on ice cream and toppings for a build-it-yourself ice cream bar. Instead of slicing into a cake, build an ice cream sundae together — complete with a cherry on top, obviously — to commence dessert.
Croquembouche
Talk about a feat of pastry. The Croquembouche is how the French celebrate their newly acquired marital status. Is there a chicer way to celebrate a wedding than with a tower of choux pastry puffs, full of pastry cream and shelled in caramel? I think not. You wow'd them at the alter, wow them at the dessert table.
Pancake Stack
Do you like breakfast for dessert? I do! (Get it?) Instead of slicing into a cake, cut into a stack of pancakes. The fluffy sponges for maple syrup can be enjoyed by everyone, or just the two breakfast-loving love birds.
Macarons
If your wedding is going to be a full on dance party and you don't want to stop for any ritual revolving around cake, lay out macarons for guests to nibble on between the "Electric Slide" and "Shout"!
Tiered Cheese Wheels
Get cheesy with it. New York's Murray's Cheese builds cheese tiers so you don't have to. The Truffle Deluxe Tower will feed 25-30 guests and costs $165.
Babka
Babka is brioche-like loaf that's moist like a cake but involves layers of chocolate woven into the dough like ribbons. It is lick-your-fingers-and-lips-and-crumbs-off-the-plate good. If you're more into rich desserts, go with babka.
Cheesecake
Wedding cakes don't have to only be the traditional batter kind. Cheesecakes are the perfect alternative.
Crepe Cake
Paper thin crepes. Stacked. It's sort of part pancake stack, part cake slice, except entirely its own thing. If you're into dessert but want to detour from the traditional cakes, taste a crepe cake. Lady M Confections has an array of crepe cakes to choose from and has US shipping available.
Ice Cream Cake
The favorite part of your childhood birthday parties can now become a memorable piece of your wedding day. Layers of ice cream separated by cookie crumbs and enveloped in frosting is timeless, just like your love. Customize your ice cream cake at Baskin Robbins to make it especially fitted for your happy occasion.
