Wedding cakes are always a timeless dessert option. After all, cutting the cake is a tradition as old as time! And with so many potential designs and flavors to choose from, wedding cakes can be as unique as the couples we work with at HauteFêtes!
But what if you hate the idea of cake? Do you really need to serve it at your wedding reception? The answer is, “no.”
Although tiered wedding cakes will never go out of style, there are plenty of other options for couples who don’t want to serve cake. We’ve compiled a list of 11 sweet wedding cake alternatives that will be just as unforgettable as your special day!
1. Melt Hearts With an Ice Cream Sundae Bar
Just about everyone loves ice cream, so go ahead and melt your guests’ hearts with a variety of flavors and toppings! We love a good wedding ice cream bar complete with candies, marshmallows, fresh fruit, hot fudge, and all the fixings! You can offer vegan and gluten-free options to ensure all of your guests can indulge in this wedding desser
Pro tip: Since this is an interactive station, you’ll want to involve a server from your wedding venue to prevent it from turning into a melty mess!
2. Sweeten Things Up With Churros
Whether you’re having a Mexican-inspired wedding or you have a sweet tooth, churros can be a great wedding cake alternative! This sweet treat will add a unique personal touch to your day!
Pro tip: Churros can be such a decadent wedding dessert — especially when you pair them with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or raspberry sauce!
3. Create a Donut Tower or Wall
Donuts are a sweet wedding cake alternative that’s made a comeback in the last few years! There are artisanal varieties to please even the most refined of palates.
There are a few ways to display your donuts for your wedding reception. You can offer them vertically on dowels as towers, pile them up on cake stands, or create a wall with pegs to hang donuts on.
Pro tip: You might choose frosted donuts that coordinate with your wedding theme or colors. You can add florals or decor to the donut tower or stand to create an appearance similar to a wedding cake!
Another idea is to get creative with donut flavors that relate to your wedding. For example, if you’re having a winter wedding, consider choosing hot cocoa, peppermint, and eggnog donuts. You might also choose donut flavors that relate to your wedding location (e.g. maple donuts for a Vermont destination wedding).
4. Mix It Up With Gourmet Cupcakes
Cupcakes will always remain a trendy alternative to traditional wedding cakes! The benefit is that you can offer a variety of flavors, so your guests aren’t stuck with only one cake flavor option. With so many gourmet flavor options, you can offer everything from carrot cake and red velvet to salted caramel and strawberry shortcake! The possibilities are endless.
Pro tip: You can “wow” your guests by displaying your wedding cupcakes with an ornate stand and including floral or other adornments related to your theme!
5. Get Creative With Custom Sugar Cookies
Custom-created sugar cookies featuring your wedding colors and theme (one of our couples loved squirrels) are all the rage! The only downside to this wedding cake alternative? Oftentimes, these works of art look almost too pretty to eat — almost!
Pro tip: Custom sugar cookies can be individually packaged (and branded with your wedding colors or theme, of course) for guests to take home as a wedding favor!
6. Serve up Italian Favorites
Are you having an Italian destination wedding or honoring your Italian heritage stateside? Italian desserts can be a great alternative to traditional wedding cake! Cheesecake, cannoli, biscotti, struffoli, panettone, sfogliatelle, tiramisu, and gelato are all great options!
Pro tip: Consider using a tiered cheesecake for the wedding cake-cutting ceremony!
7. Satisfy Sweet Cravings With a Candy Buffet
For couples with a sweet tooth, this may be the ultimate wedding dessert! The wedding candy buffet trend has been popular for quite some time now! You can include an assortment of your favorite candies! You might choose to include sweet, chocolatey treats or fruity, sour options — or both! (Personally, I’m a big fan of gummy bears!)
Pro tip: Customize your wedding candy buffet to match your wedding colors or wedding theme. You might include treats only in those colors. You can also provide customized containers for guests!
8. Serve Sorbet When Your Guests Arrive
I love sorbet for weddings — and it doesn’t always have to be for the reception! For one of our couple’s weddings, we tray-passed sorbet to guests when they arrived at their ceremony. This offers them a sweet treat as they wait to see you say your “I do’s.” We’ve also had a couple do this with gelato.
Pro Tip: When you opt for sorbet in lieu of a wedding cake, consider pairing it with fruit or cookies!
9. Offer a Chocolate Bar and Porter Pairings
Similar to a candy buffet, a chocolate bar allows your guests to grab a little something sweet without stopping the dance party and reception fun! Everyone loves a little chocolate, making it a great wedding cake alternative! Mix it up with a variety of flavors: milk, dark, and white! Be sure to include other fillings like nuts, pretzels, and raisins and offer up some delicious Porter pairings!
Pro tip: If you’re planning to have a chocolate bar in lieu of a wedding cake, be sure to label the chocolate carefully so anyone with allergies can see what they are eating. Be sure to offer gluten-free, dairy-free varieties so that your guests with food restrictions will be able to indulge.
10. Shake Things up With a Pie Table
Pie is a classic rival of the wedding cake! From lemon meringue and cherry pie to pecan pie and chocolate, there’s a pie to suit anyone’s palate! Pie tables can make a sweet addition to a summer outdoor wedding, although autumn is a great time to serve traditional fall favorites like apple and pumpkin pie.
Pro tip: Select full-size pies and have a server off your guests slices “à la mode”. Another option is to offer miniature, tart-sized pies. These can be easier to eat than pie slices, but it is all personal preference!
11. Have It All With a Wedding Dessert Bar!
If dessert is your thing, you don’t have to pick only one wedding dessert! A wedding dessert bar allows you to offer an array of sweet treats. You can include everything from wedding cake and cupcakes to brownies, pies, candies, and more.
The best part about a wedding dessert bar is that you can incorporate whatever desserts you wish! Whether you’re having a French destination wedding or you love French desserts like macarons, patisserie, and croquembouche, include them! Want to include a cheese wheel cake? Do it! Remember, it’s your special day!
Pro tip: We recommend decorating your dessert bar with different stands, plates, and containers to create both a tasty — and beautiful — addition to your wedding reception! You can create cohesion across your reception by choosing desserts featuring your wedding colors or theme.
What If You Want to Cut the Cake?
If a classic buttercream three-tier isn’t your thing but the customary cake-cutting photos are, then consider a ‘show’ cake with multiple faux tiers and a real bottom tier for cutting. If you plan to serve guests wedding cake, supplement the faux tiers with actual sheet cake (that catering can pre-cut) – perhaps in different flavors. Alternatively, a simple ‘cutting cake’ can do the trick. These petite cakes do a great job of providing you with a cake-cutting moment, while only offering 30-40 servings. This can be a great addition to whatever wedding cake alternatives you have in mind.
The Bottom Line
Although the traditional wedding cake is always going to be here to stay, there are plenty of other show-stopping dessert alternatives to offer on your special day! Whatever dessert you end up serving, do make sure it’s a true reflection of your personality and tastes. To explore the many ways you can add a little sweetness to your wedding dessert station, be sure to reach out to us at HauteFêtes.