There have been some pretty big shifts in cake design in the last few years and I have to say that I’m here for it! These are my predictions for what you’ll be seeing more of in 2024:

Large, Flat, Delicious Looking Cakes
Wild Floral
Bows
Vintage Piping
Mixed Media Floral

Large, Flat, Delicious Looking Cakes

Last summer, we got a very interesting request from Caro Diario in Paris. They were working on a wedding in Michigan and wanted to make an entire semi-circle table, covered in cake. Needless to say I was in! The cake has since been featured in Vogue Weddings and the New York Times as a nod to, dare I say, a sheet cake revival?

While a huge table of cake isn’t something that we’d be able to bust out every weekend, I do think that long flat cakes have their place in today’s weddings. There is something convivial about a long table of cake, and the bakers below sure know how to make them look delicious.

We’re even toying with the idea of making playfully designed sheet cakes available in our online shop. I never thought I would say that!

Wild Floral

The sheet cake trend can also take a little credit for bringing wild floral back into cake design. Bakers like From Lucie and Bayou Saint Cake have been taking floral in a playful direction and their influence is finding its way to wedding cakes. Whether the flowers are sugar or fresh, I’m loving the whimsical floral designs I’ve been seeing.

Bows

I know this one could be polarizing, but I’m nowhere near done with bows yet and I don’t think wedding couples are either. My favorite way that I’ve seen them worked into cake designs is tiny silk bows added to piped buttercream cakes. I love one big dramatic fabric bow on a tiered cake, too. One thing I don’t want to see return, however, is fondant bows. I’m hoping that I made my last one of those years ago!

Vintage Piping

I think this trend is just getting started. It fits with the retro flash photography styles I’ve been seeing lately and honestly it’s a lot of fun to play with piping tips and see what you can create! My current fave is the Ateco 050 that creates ruffles without even moving your wrist! It feels like magic!

Mixed Media Floral

It may be wishful thinking to say that this will be a 2024 trend, but I have been LOVING playing with mixed media floral lately. Between buttercream flowers, buttercream painting, piped embroidery, applique, fresh flowers, and sugar flowers, the possibilities are endless. You can bet you’ll be seeing more of this from us if not from others. 💛

As a whole, I’m seeing a shift towards imperfect and delicious, and after many years of meticulously placing sequins one by one I can definitely get behind some beautiful imperfection. These simple designs feel more inspired than the naked cakes of previous years and I love that they seem to be born from bakers and cake designers trying to have a little fun with seasonal ingredients.

Of course, there are lots of other styles that are here to stay, too. White on white piping, painted buttercream, and textile inspired designs remain staples here at Sweet Heather Anne. We love any chance to connect with a couple and use their wedding style as inspiration to get creative.

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