Summer wedding cake flavors are light, airy, fruity, and decadent. It’s best to try to pick a type of wedding cake that will fit the theme of your wedding.
If you’re going for more of a rustic theme to your wedding, a black forest cake or carrot cake will be the perfect cake flavor for your wedding.
If you’re going for more of a modern, princess theme for your wedding cake, a classic vanilla buttercream cake, or red velvet cake would go well for your wedding cake flavor.
How to choose a wedding cake flavor
Wedding cake bakers will have you taste test your cake beforehand for a small fee. It’s worth the extra bit of money to try out your cake before you commit to it.
Since a wedding cake can only be one flavor, the other option is to select 1-2 flavors for wedding cupcakes instead. If you’re having trouble picking a single flavor, opting for the cupcakes with multiple flavors will be a better option for you.
One thing to remember about selecting your wedding cake, is that not everyone will love it. That’s ok!
Also, many people may be full from dinner, and can’t possibly eat another bite.
Make sure to bring a large airtight container for your extra cake to bring home. You can place it in the freezer and eat it when you like.
Lemon raspberry cake
Lemon raspberry cake is made by infusing lemon juice and lemon zest into a cake recipe, and then adding a few frozen raspberries.
The cake has the raspberries throughout, giving it a beautiful look of yellow and red.
The colors are vibrant when you cut the cake.
Lemon raspberry cake is coated in lemon infused cream cheese icing. Lemon raspberry cake is satisfying and light.
Cookies and cream cake
Cookies and cream cake is made by adding cocoa powder and coffee to cake.
The cake is made with buttermilk, making it extra creamy.
The cookies and cream cake is iced with a cookie Italian buttercream frosting.
Caramel chocolate cake
Caramel chocolate cake is made by creating a chocolate cake using cocoa powder.
The caramel chocolate cake is iced using a salted caramel infused icing with a touch of chocolate using cocoa powder.
The layers are assembled by adding salted caramel sauce, and salted caramel chocolate icing in between the chocolate cake.
Black forest cake
Black forest cake is made by baking a cake with cocoa powder and coffee infused into it.
The cake layers are then soaked in a cherry syrup.
In between the cherry soaked chocolate layers of cake, are whipped cream and cherries.
The cake is covered in whipped cream on its exterior, and chocolate shavings are added to the sides of the cake.
Vanilla buttercream cake
Vanilla buttercream cake is made by baking a vanilla cake with buttermilk.
In between the layers are vanilla buttercream icing.
Alternatively, you could ice the cake with vanilla buttercream, and in between the layers you could make vanilla custard.
White chocolate raspberry cake
White chocolate raspberry cake is made by adding chopped white chocolate to a vanilla based cake.
In between the layers is a thin smear of raspberry jam and white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.
Chocolate cake
Chocolate cake is made with cocoa powder and espresso powder.
The cake is iced using chocolate buttercream which is made with cocoa powder and espresso powder infused into it.
Chocolate cake is a very rich and heavy dessert.
Hazelnut chocolate cake
Hazelnut chocolate cake is made with cocoa powder and it uses hazelnut flour at its base.
In between the layers of cake is hazelnut spread and cocoa powder infused icing.
The hazelnut buttercream icing is coated around the cake, with the option of adding hazelnut meringues to the top as well.
Lemon poppy seed cake
Lemon poppy seed cake is made by lemon juice, lemon zest, and poppy seeds to a vanilla cake base.
The cake is iced with a lemon cream cheese frosting.
Lemon and elderflower cake
Lemon and elderflower cake is made by adding lemon juice and elderflower cordial to a vanilla cake base.
The cake is filled with lemon curd in between the layers. The cake is iced topped to bottom with elderflower buttercream frosting.
Orange and cream cake
Orange and cream cake is made by adding orange zest to a buttermilk cake base.
The cake is filled with cream cheese and whipped cream filling, infused with orange juice and orange zest.
The cake is covered with orange zest flavored whipped cream.
Lavender lemon cake with white chocolate buttercream
Lavender cake is made by adding culinary lavender to a vanilla buttermilk cake base.
Lemon curd fills the layers of the cake. The white chocolate buttercream is made by adding melted vanilla chocolate to a buttercream base.
This frosting covers the lavender lemon cake, making it very flavorful and light.
Coffee cake
Coffee cake is made by adding instant coffee to a buttermilk cake base. In between the layers of cake is apricot jam.
The coffee layer cake is covered in coffee buttercream icing, which is made by adding instant coffee to buttercream icing.
Carrot cake with cream cheese icing
Carrot cake is made by adding shavings of carrots, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon to a vanilla cake base.
Carrot cake is also made with applesauce and brown sugar, giving it a caramelized carrot flavor.
Carrot cake is covered in cream cheese icing from top to bottom.
Chocolate mousse cake
Chocolate cake is made by adding instant coffee and cocoa powder to a buttermilk cake base.
The next layer is the chocolate mousse, which is made by adding gelatin to warm heavy cream and chocolate.
The gelatin helps to stabilize the chocolate mousse for using it in a cake. The chocolate mousse cake is topped with chocolate ganache to give it a rich chocolatey flavor.
Red velvet cake
Red velvet cake is made by adding cocoa powder and red food coloring to a vanilla cake base.
The cake is covered in cream cheese icing for a fluffy and rich cake flavoring.
White chocolate raspberry cake
White chocolate raspberry cake is made by baking a vanilla cake base.
The cake is filled with raspberry and lemon sugar sauce. The cake is covered in white chocolate buttercream which is made by adding melted white chocolate to buttercream icing.
Lemon velvet cake
Lemon velvet cake is made by adding lemon zest and lemon extract to a buttermilk vanilla cake base.
Lemon velvet cake is iced using lemon extract and lemon zest infused buttercream icing.
Chantilly cake
Chantilly cake is made by first baking a vanilla cake base.
A Chantilly cake has a unique frosting that is made by combining whipped cream, mascarpone cheese and cream cheese together to a buttercream frosting base.
The layers of cake are made by creating a berry syrup, such as raspberry syrup, and then placing the unique cream frosting on top of the syrup.
Fresh berries are place into the cream frosting, making this beautiful and colorful layered cake. Some of the berries that are too large, like strawberries, are cut in half to have an even layered cake.
When the Chantilly cake is sliced, you can see the colorful red and blue berries throughout the layered cake.
The Chantilly cake is covered in the cream frosting all over the sides and top of the cake. Chantilly cake is usually topped with a few fresh berries, giving it an eye catching look to it.
Irish cream cake
Irish cream cake is made by adding Irish cream and cocoa powder to a buttermilk vanilla cake base.
In between the layers of cake is Irish cream infused whipped cream.
The cake is covered in Irish cream flavored buttercream icing.
Using the drip method, chocolate ganache is dripped from the top of the cake down the sides of the Irish cream cake.
Mocha cake with toffee bits
Mocha cake is made by adding coffee and cocoa powder to a vanilla cake base.
Toasted pecans and toffee bits are added to the cake to be baked into the cake only on the top of the batter.
The cake is covered in mocha buttercream icing, which is made by adding coffee and cocoa powder to a vanilla buttercream icing.
The cake is topped with a few more toasted pecans and toffee bits for added decoration and flavor.
Ombre cake
An ombre cake can be a combination of icing colors or cake colored layers going from dark to light.
An ombre cake is eye catching and unique.
The colors are made by adding more or less food coloring to change the colors of the cake or icing.
Dulce de leche cake
Dulce de leche cake is made by adding caramel sauce to a vanilla cake base.
The cake slices are soaked with a combination of condensed milk and whipping cream, making the cake extra sweet.
The layers of the cake are filled with caramel flavored whipped cream.
Toasted hazelnuts are added on top of the whip cream layers to give the cake an added crunch.
The cake is covered in dulce de leche whipped cream.
Champagne cake with strawberry buttercream
Champagne cake is made by adding champagne, strawberry extract, and chopped strawberries to a vanilla cake base.
The cake layers have a thin layer of champagne infused syrup.
The cake has small holes poked in it to have the champagne syrup seep into the cake, making it a little sweeter with more champagne flavor.
The cake is filled with layers of cream cheese icing, made with whipped cream, strawberry extract and strawberry purée.
The cake is covered top to bottom in champagne buttercream frosting, with added strawberry extract and strawberry purée.
The cake has a light pink color to the frosting from the strawberries.
When the cake is cut, it has the chopped strawberries popping with color throughout the layered pink cake.
Banana cream cake
Banana cream cake is made by adding bananas to a vanilla cake base.
Banana cream cake is filled with vanilla pastry cream.
Banana cream cake is frosted with banana buttercream icing.
Banana buttercream icing is made with banana extract to buttercream frosting.
You could add food coloring to the icing if you wanted it to have a hint of yellow in it.
The sides of the cake have crushed graham crackers, and the top of the cake has banana chips for added decoration.
Strawberry shortcake
Strawberry shortcake is made by baking biscuits or vanilla cake.
In between the layers of cake or biscuits are vanilla bean and sugar coated strawberries and whipped cream.
The whipped cream helps hold the strawberries in place, and acts as an filler instead of icing or custard.
Pick your favorite type of wedding cake for your big day by taste testing a couple of cakes from your wedding cake baker.
They will be more than happy to you sample the cakes and fillings they have available!
