Ah, Christmas. The hall pass to stuff your face until you’re spread out on your parents couch in a food coma. It just so happens that it correlates with our annual Best Of’s lists, so with food already on our minds, what better way to kick it off than taking the opportunity to reminisce about cake?
Anybody who works in the wedding industry will tell you that one of the many, many perks is cake. Lots of mouthwatering cake. We see a helluva lot of cake, and there is simply no such thing as a bad one – each and every one is glorious. So as you can imagine, this definitely wasn’t an easy list for us to decide on, but hey, somebody’s gotta do it and we’re always keen to volunteer where dessert is involved.
Not much of a cake person? No worries! We’ve got you sorted with our 10 Unique Alternatives To Wedding Cake. If you’re still keen for more foodspo once you’re done, be sure to check out our Top 15 Caterers and Food Trucks 2022 as well.
LA PETITE TARTEWe immediately clocked this pink frosted number at the Sydney One Fine Day Wedding Fair, and can vouch that it tasted just as delish as it looked. Of course the brains (and hands) behind it was the clever ladies from La Petite Tarte, who are absolute powerhouses when it comes to all things sweet. Always pushing the boundaries by combining traditional cakes with a contemporary flair, these are the peeps to call if you have a wild edible idea that needs bringing to life. Want to see more fabulousness from them? Pop on over here.
LADYBIRD CAKES
You would be correct in thinking that you’ve heard the name Ladybird Cakes before – not only do their scrummy cakes make our list every year, but Gina and her team are kinda a Melbourne institution (they happen to do an amazing vegan range, FYI). They’ve once again landed themselves a top spot with this fresh floral confection matching the springtime blooms from Einnie and Tom’s epic Melbourne wedding. If you can’t get enough of the tastiness from the Ladybird crew then be sure to check out our 2020 and 2021 round ups as well, and head over here to enquire about ordering one of your own.
BELLE BAKES
This floral beauty was one of Jes and Charlie’s fave details from their Sydney nuptials, not only because it looked incredible, but had a super unique flavour as well. “The cake by Belle Bakes looked beautiful and was so delicious,” they told us. “Earl Grey seemed an unusual flavour but we taste tested and it really suited the afternoon tea mood.” It brings a whole new meaning to ‘tea cake’, and we absolutely love it. If you want to sample Shelley of Belle Bakes‘ galore of flavours (both the Spiced and Salted Caramel deserve an honourable mention), then reach out to her here.
STACY BREWER CAKES
Sydney’s sensational Stacy Brewer may be renowned for her retro style cakes, but her sweet raspberry numbers deserve all the hype as well! We had to save this meringue cream-filled cutie the second we saw it in our ‘gram feed, and raced to her site for order details quicker than our computer mouse could keep up. If you want to get your hands on one too, then jump over here to drop Stacy a line. Be sure to ask her about her insta famous Marie Antoinette cakes while you’re at it!
MAD ABOUT CAKES
We don’t make it much of a secret that we love all things sweet here at Hello May, so when each tier of a cake has a different flavour for us to sample? We will take a slice of each, please. Zoe and JP’s softly textured pastel creation was an absolute winner for us, not just because of the deliciousness inside (though that certainly did help) but the gorgeous dried floral styling as well. Vibing it as much as we are? Check out the rest of their Melbourne wedding shot by lens legend I Got You Babe, and get in touch with the talented Mad About Cakes too.
BUTTER
The second we saw this beauty uploaded to our directory we immediately set about filing it away for our ‘Best Of list’ for 2022. We just adore Newcastle-based Celeste from Butter’s modern take on a traditional floral cake and the all-white palette ensures that this work of art would suit any style of wedding. After something brighter? Celeste ain’t no one trick pony. We’re loving on this peachy pink deliciousness that saw her included in our Top 15 Cake Makers to Follow On Instagram post too. If you’re after a cake maker who always brings the wow factor, fill out this handy dandy form to contact her right here.
MR GOATY GELATO
Now you might be wondering why we have gelato in this list, folks, and to that we say that gelato is becoming the new cake when planning a Summer soiree. It’s not unusual for us at Hello May HQ to fall down a rabbit hole perusing the foodie side of Instagram, and whenever we come across a scoop of Mr Goaty‘s preservative-free, gluten-free gelato, it’s love at first sight/bite. Their extensive flavour list includes a mix of fresh garden grown ingredients with some decadence thrown in (hello, Burnt Butter Popcorn) and is served up from their elegant bikes or retro ice cream truck. Fun photo ops and tasty gelato… It’s a win-win for us.
BREEARN MURRAY CAKES
Our jaws dropped when we saw this one. Are you kidding us?! Those ruffles, that styling, the handmade florals… you’ve earned yourself a chef’s kiss, Breearn Murray. This clever cookie happens to be somewhat of a maestro when it comes to adding artful texture to her cakes, and her creative process (you’ve gotta see her reels!) is out of this world. If you’re dreaming of an edible masterpiece at your big love day, then you know who to message.
THE CAKE & I
You should have known that we couldn’t write this list without including Alex and Kieran’s Perth love-fest from Issue 34 (now sold out but you can grab our latest issue here). When Alex asked Jo from The Cake & I to make a ‘crazy retro wedding cake,’ nobody could have predicted how incredible it would turn out. “Jo really ran with the ‘maximalist’ brief – columns, glitter cherries, pink with red piping and cherubs in the middle!” That she certainly did! You’ve gotta check out more of their epic day, complete with colourful florals and matching dog outfits, here.
PETAL & PEACH
Bec from Petal & Peach blew us away so many times this year that it was near impossible having to choose just one of her cakes to make our top 10. This heavenly floral one snapped by the talented Taylor Kezia at Emily & Tony’s dream day was right up our alley, but we simply cannot leave out Bec’s stunning numbers from Phoebe & Gaby’s stylish wedding and Duncan & Kyle’s Brissie nuptials! Can she do no wrong?
CREDITS Photos (from top to bottom) Taylor Kezia Photography (Petal & Peach), Kristie Carrick Photography, It’s Beautiful Here, Jason Corroto Photo, Muse Photography, I Got You Babe Weddings, Supplied, Jackielyn Powell, Ada + Ivy Photography, Sammy & Tom, Taylor Kezia Photography