15 Red Velvet Wedding Cakes & Confections

August 09, 2012

What's more romantic than the color red?

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Not only does red velvet cake taste great, but what's more romantic than the color red? A mix of red food coloring and cocoa (or Coca-Cola) added to cake batter creates a rich red hue that pops against white frosting when sliced. Think: a richer, moister, bolder version of chocolate wedding cake. The flavor has Southern origins—some bakers link its current popularity back to the armadillo groom's cake in the 1989 movie Steel Magnolias—but it's a red-hot way to add a splash of color wherever you wed.

You can use any flavor of frosting (or leave it unfrosted for the oh-so-trendy naked cake), but our personal favorite is the classic cream cheese icing. Serve it pre-sliced to reveal a glimpse at the pretty hue inside, or keep it covered and let the saturated shade be a surprise for wedding guests watching the cake-cutting. And your red velvet wedding dessert needn't be cake! We've seen red velvet cupcakes, red velvet whoopie pies, red velvet donuts—you get the idea. Whatever way you choose, we guarantee your guests will want second helpings. See some of our favorite red velvet desserts from real weddings and more.

Ombré Red Velvet Wedding Cake

To break with tradition, Francina Stewart of One Girl Cookies in Brooklyn, New York, created ombré layers of cake and then covered them with beads of cream cheese buttercream. The end result is charmingly retro, with a homemade quality that makes you want to sneak a swipe of frosting.

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Red Velvet Fig Cake

Credit: Jose Villa

Fresh figs pop against a sheet of snowy fondant on this red velvet cake, which Sweet & Saucy Shop layered with cream cheese filling.

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Floral Accents

Credit: Johnny Miller

For this wedding, Black Dog Bakery accented a pair of smaller cakes, this one red velvet, with flowers to create an ethereal display.

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Coconut Red Velvet Cake

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Guests at this New York City wedding were served a coconut-flecked red velvet cake with sweet buttercream frosting that matched the wedding's principal hues: red and white.

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Whimsical Wedding Cake

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The skilled bakers at Doughboys Los Angeles provided a whimsical take on classic red velvet cake.

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Montclair Martha Red Velvet Cake

Credit: Dana Gallagher

Make This Montclair Martha Red Velvet Cake

This southern rendition of the classic red velvet cake comes from another Martha from Montclair, New Jersey and features two layers of cake with cream cheese frosting.

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Geometric Four-Tier Cake

Credit: Olivia Leigh Photographie

Decorated with brightly colored hexagons and criss-crossed lines, this four-tier cake by Amy Beck Cake Design boasts four different flavors: red velvet, passion fruit with passion fruit filling, chocolate ganache with strawberry and vanilla filling, and lemon cake with raspberry filling.

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Floral Frosted Cake

Credit: Nathan Westerfield

This couple served a frosted red velvet cake as one of their four diverse cakes at the reception. Each cake from Dessert Designs was displayed on its own tray with a sign to mark the flavor. The red velvet was front and center with a gorgeous floral piped frosting.

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Natural Red Velvet Cake

Credit: Kate Headley

One tier of this wedding cake by Cakes by Liz contained red velvet with cream cheese frosting, and the other was a simple vanilla with buttercream. The cake was imperfectly iced and garnished with red and white flowers for a natural feel.

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Red Velvet and Vanilla Tiered Cake

Credit: Millie Holloman

Pam Goddard, of A Piece of Cake, made the four-tier confection featuring red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and vanilla cake with raspberry cream filling and cream cheese frosting. A garnish of white garden roses provided a lovely finishing touch.

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Naked Red Velvet

Credit: Liz Banfield

This impressive dessert spread included mini eclairs, fruit tarts, a croquembouche and a four-tier naked red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, all from Irene's Cakes by Design.

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Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Credit: Jodi & Kurt Photography

This couple ditched the traditional cake and served red velvet whoopie pies for dessert.

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Red Velvet Magnolia Cake

Credit: Dana Gallagher

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Hidden beneath the swooping white frosting of this tiered dessert are stunning scarlet layers infused with buttermilk and cocoa. For added flavor, we've substituted a tangy cream-cheese frosting for the standard flour-based icing, spreading it between each layer and outside, and adorning it with gum-paste magnolias.

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Ikat and French Silk Ribbon Cake

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Inside of this ikat and French silk ribbon cake, alternating layers of red velvet cake and white buttercream echo the ribbon's stripes (we stacked two of these five-layer tiers).

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Traditional Red Velvet Cake

Credit: Emily Kate Roemer

This red velvet cake, made by Baked in Brooklyn, gets its crimson hue from the traditional mix of food coloring and cocoa (other recipes rely on Coca-Cola). Display them sliced for a splashy glimpse at the red-hot interior.

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15 Red Velvet Wedding Cakes & Confections

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Ombré Red Velvet Wedding Cake

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Red Velvet Fig Cake

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Floral Accents

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Coconut Red Velvet Cake

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Whimsical Wedding Cake

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Montclair Martha Red Velvet Cake

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Geometric Four-Tier Cake

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Floral Frosted Cake

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Natural Red Velvet Cake

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Red Velvet and Vanilla Tiered Cake

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Naked Red Velvet

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Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

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Red Velvet Magnolia Cake

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Ikat and French Silk Ribbon Cake

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Traditional Red Velvet Cake

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