21 Beautiful Black Wedding Cakes for the Nontraditional Couple

By Shira Savada
September 11, 2018
KT Merry

Dark desserts can make a major statement. If you don't love the look of a traditional white cake, this new trend might be for you.

Start Slideshow

1 of 21

KT Merry

When most people hear the words "wedding cake" they probably think of a delicate, multi-tier, white confection. But now there's a new trend that's the total opposite: black wedding cakes.

Sure, they're dark and tend to be a little dramatic, but we love how they can add a bit of edge to the occasion while still maintaining a classic shape or design. Plus, they're just as much of a blank canvas as white or any other light color. Edible gold leaf, lifelike sugar flowers, and gum paste appliqués all can pop against the dark background. Consider a matte finish or textured exterior for an even bigger impact.

The flavors and colors inside can be anything you like, of course, but we love how an otherwise classic vanilla cake is transformed once enrobed in a moody layer of black fondant or buttercream. As these cakes will show, there's a style and technique for every celebration, whether you fully embrace the trend or prefer to stick to a simpler approach. And while black wedding cakes are a new option to consider, know that they can be just as timeless as colored cakes before them. Just take this Buttercream Bakeshop cake, for example. With a subtle floral motif painted on the middle tier and fresh blooms and vines adorning the entire three-tier confection, this treat proves that you can make a nontraditional black cake still look elegant and beautiful.

Loving this idea? Then click through to see more of our favorite black wedding cakes, and learn how to make a dark confection a bold addition to your reception.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 21

Sugar Flower Accents

Alicia Mink Photography
Wedding Cakes with Sugar Flowers That Look Incredibly Real

So often a cake gets covered in a traditional white fondant or buttercream, so it's refreshing to see a classic design done in black instead. Lifelike sugar flowers and petals adorned this cake by Intricakes.

3 of 21

Dark-Meets-Light

Rebecca Yale Photography

Though Superfine Bakery enrobed this towering confection in black, they lightened it up with whimsical paintings of flowers in a cascade down the front. A fresh peony and a few flower petals added dimension.

Advertisement

4 of 21

Small and Balanced

Kurt Boomer Photography

We like how this cake, by Sweet + Saucy, felt a little yin and a little yang. Clean, black layers were balanced by elegant white sugar flowers.

5 of 21

An Intergalactic Cake

The More We See
24 Celestial Wedding Ideas That'll Have You Starry-Eyed

This celestial-themed cake by Cake Life Bakeshop was made to mimic the look of a dark night sky and the Milky Way and featured tiny fairy lights meant to look like stars. Lights wouldn't pop on a white cake, so if you're lighting up your dessert, consider a black exterior.

6 of 21

A Naked Black Cake

Valorie Darling Photography
30 Naked Cakes for Your Wedding

We've seen naked cakes in classic flavors like red velvet or carrot cake, but we're loving the way this all-black spin looks. Sheila Mae used black gel food coloring to get the color right on this chocolate crunch confection.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 21

Marbled Style

Eileen Meny Photography
39 Elegant Marbled Wedding Ideas

Not ready to commit to an entirely black dessert? Mix in another color. Samantha Bakes Cakes marbled the black fondant that covered this petite wedding cake and added gold leaf and subtle specks for a metallic touch.

8 of 21

Dark and Moody

Jose Villa

A wedding cake is a great place to showcase your style. At this wedding, The Whole Cake made a floral-covered black cake befitting of the nontraditional couple (the bride wore a black-velvet dress and a groom who donned a floral-print dinner jacket!). Their dessert seamlessly brought both of their styles together.

9 of 21

Patterned Cakes

Jen Huang
25 Wedding Cake Design Ideas That'll Wow Your Guests

Make an impression with geometric appliques of hexagons or any shape you desire. Here, Nine Cakes went tone-on-tone with black patterns on parts of these two-tier wedding cakes.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 21

Tropical Twist

D'Arcy Benincosa
52 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence

Pippa Cakery frosted this small cake with black icing, then applied a tropical leaf to the bottom tier. Who said tropical style needs to be bright and colorful?

11 of 21

Subtle Black Flowers

Lynn Dunston Photography

Black cakes don't have to want for color. These carefully handcrafted peonies, hellebores, and roses by Fleur and Flour popped against the dessert's dark fondant, which was also decorated with simple floral appliqués.

12 of 21

Dark and Damask

Rebecca Yale Photography

Pattern can really pop when it's done in gold on black. Ibrido di Tea designed this decadent wedding cake, which featured a stenciled damask pattern on two of the four tiers. The subtle sheen of the satin ribbon on the base of each layer was a nice touch, too.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 21

Hollywood Glam

Anna Delores Photography
Modern Wedding Cakes

If your wedding has a theme or is influenced by a time period, carry that through to the end of the night and your wedding cake. MJB Cakes created this black cake, which was a modern take on the Hollywood Glam style.

14 of 21

A Boho Black Cake

The Silhouette Studio Photography
50 Beautiful Wedding Cakes That Are (Almost!) Too Pretty to Eat

Sure, a black cake can be dark, but the spirit of it can be relaxed and even a little bohemian. This Cakes by Gina stunner, which was designed with help from Thistle Wynd Productions, was just that. The matte black fondant got a bit of shimmer thanks to gold foil above and below the pink and burgundy sugar flowers.

15 of 21

A Gilded Cake

Tyler Branch Photo

Looking for an easy way to break up a solid black cake and add a bit of luxury at the same time? Consider something similar to this one by Frost It Cakery, which was finished off with an asymmetrical application of edible gold leaf.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 21

Mod and Metallic

Cari Courtright Photography

Mix your materials to make your cake extra interesting. Joey's Cake by Lindsay dreamed up this modern cake which was covered in edible copper leaf, fresh ferns, and a clear topper made by the groom.

17 of 21

Minimal Yet Charming

Sarah Ascanio Photography

Dress up your cake with ease with a few flowers. Sister Honey Floral Co. placed fresh white blooms on and around this single-tier cake by The Copper Hen & Kitchen.

18 of 21

A Modern Still Life

Ryanne Hollies Photography
20 Unique Wedding Cake Shapes Contemporary Couples Should Consider

June Bloom Events dreamt up a cake design that seamlessly blended Dutch botanicals and a historic setting—all in a moody color palette. This cake by Le Dolci was the midpoint between Old-World and bucking tradition.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 21

Light as Air

The Gathering Season

Even though the color of this cake was dark black, the design of this Bottega Louie treat felt somehow light and airy. 

20 of 21

Black and White Stripes

Caroline Lima Photography

White and gold accents made this otherwise black wedding cake by Sweet Fix feel a little precious and a little preppy.

21 of 21

An Artistic Cake

Ed & Aileen Photography
32 Amazing Wedding Cakes You Have to See to Believe

Sugar Fixé took inspiration from the floral paintings of Dutch Masters for this wedding cake. The design proved that you can be romantic and elegant while pushing the envelope.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Shira Savada