Get inspired by these creative confections.

by Marra Ciuffetelli

Whether your wedding leans toward a classic fairytale or a Halloween masquerade, you will want your cake to look and taste phenomenal. But if you’re having trouble deciding if want your cake to be traditional, tropical or trendy, get inspired by some popular cake flavors and style trends from bakeries near Delaware and the Main Line.

Desserts by Dana

Winner of the hit TLC show, “The Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker,” Chef Dana Herbert has shops in Newark, Del., and Philadelphia. “We concentrate on creating an experience and tapping into the memories we all grew up on and loved,” says Herbert.

His most popular wedding cake flavors reflect those cherished memories with creamsicle, cookies and cream, apple spice, amaretto, and chocolate chip. He says buttercream lends itself more towards rustic or romantic themed-cakes, with flowers or an ombré effect. Cakes dressed in beading, pearls and ruffles are perfect for brides who prefer the look of fondant.

1212 Capitol Trail, Newark, 721-5798
1116 Pine St., Philadelphia
www.dessertsbydana.com

Patty Cakes

Patty Cakes’ customers who go in looking for their dream wedding cake will not be disappointed. “Our brides are not concerned with trends, they are more interested in the cake of their dreams” says owner Tricia Vicks. Cake designs range from the traditional three-tiered wedding cake with sugar flowers cascading down the sides to the very non-traditional, like a hybrid Star Wars and Labyrinth cake featuring a white and gold Death Star.

Vicks says their most popular flavors for their impressive creations are red velvet cake with cream cheese buttercream, chocolate cake with amaretto mocha buttercream and coconut cake with lime curd filling.

22 S. Walnut St., Milford, 526-8918
www.pattycakery.com

Carolina Sugar Fairy Custom Cakes and Sweets

Jen Rineer, owner of Carolina Sugar Fairy, decorates all of the cakes herself, with help from a small staff operating out of Lewes. “Being at the beach we of course do a lot of nautical cakes, but we do a lot of cakes that show off our clients personality, too,” says Rineer. This includes a Halloween-themed cake and romantic cakes covered in flowers. “Most everything we do is made from edible medium. The flowers are all handmade from sugar.”

Their key lime cake is a top-seller, as well as their tipsy fairy (a bourbon chocolate cake with Dulce de leche filling), s’mores cake (a graham cracker cake with chocolate ganache and homemade marshmallow cream), and their red velvet cake.

Lewes, 858-7084
www.carolinasugarfairy.com

The Master’s Baker

Baker and artist Melissa Unangst at The Master’s Baker says their most popular flavors are their lemon raspberry cake with lemon zest buttercream filling or their classic vanilla cake with a raspberry jam filling. Their “naked” or “barely naked” cakes—cakes with little to no icing on them—have been extremely popular. “A lot of couples like the rustic look and not the standard iced wedding cake. We decorate these cakes with our sculpted fondant flowers or do a mix of berries,” says Unangst. The style has become so popular that The Master’s Baker typically designs three or four “naked” cakes every week.

319 W. Gay St., West Chester, Pa., (610) 436-9888
www.themastersbaker.com