Your Guide to Choosing the Best Wedding Cake Flavors

You've probably been scrolling through inspirational cake photos like crazy, dreaming up the ideal look for your wedding day. But don't forget about what's inside that gorgeous dessert too. Wedding cake flavors are just as important as the actual design of the cake, and you have more options than you might realize—which can be a blessing or a curse, but that's what we're here for. To help you make your picks, we spoke with professional bakers for their advice on choosing the best wedding cake flavors no matter the situation. (Don't have a cake baker yet? Find one that fits your budget and wedding vision on The Knot Vendor Marketplace.) Plus, our bakers are sharing creative wedding cake flavor ideas you'll totally want to try.

In this article:

• What Is a Wedding Cake Flavor?
• Best Wedding Cake Flavors
• How to Choose Wedding Cake Flavors and Fillings

What Is a Wedding Cake Flavor?

The wedding cake flavor is how the cake actually tastes. This includes the cake batter, fillings, frosting, icing or other toppings, which all ultimately affect the taste.

Wedding cakes often have more than one flavor, which makes it easier to incorporate both your and your partner's preferences. You can alternate between tiers of different flavors (such as vanilla and chocolate sponge cake), and customize the overall taste with fresh fruit, buttercreams, ganache, glazes and more.

Best Wedding Cake Flavors

Design by Tiana Crispino

The best wedding cake flavors are whichever ones you enjoy most. "It's your party, your day, your cake—go with your top favorites," says Emily Lael Aumiller, owner and chef of Lael Cakes in Brooklyn, New York. That being said, there are some tried-and-true wedding cake flavor ideas that most bakers offer, and they can be a great starting point. At your tasting, you'll want to sample several cake-and-filling combos that sound most appealing to you. The good news is that you won't have to do any mental math trying to figure out which pairings will work out together. Your baker will likely already have suggestions and options of which filling options complement each cake flavor, and all you'll need to do is choose from the menu of delicious pairings (a task easier said than done). "We pair our cakes with the fillings that we think go best," says Lara Halabi, owner of Fluffy Thoughts Cakes in McLean, VA.

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"Leave it up to the professional, and ask your baker what they recommend," echoes Lael. You and your future spouse should attend the tasting together, so you can find a cake and filling you agree on, or at least can compromise on, if you have different favorite flavors.

If you're a classic couple that wants to stick with tradition, you may want to choose a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. Some other tried-and-true options include lemon cake with raspberries and strawberry shortcake, says Halabi. "These are known to be liked by many and are a safe way to go if you have a less adventurous crowd," she says. Lael says you can experiment with other flavors that have personality while still creating a flavor profile that doesn't stray too much from tradition. "We offer light cakes but pair them with more bright unique fillings like our vanilla cake with caramelized peaches and vanilla bean icing or our lemon drop cake with lavender rosemary icing."

Need some ideas to hold you over until your cake tasting? Here are some of the most popular wedding cake flavors of all time.

Vanilla

Vanilla sometimes gets a bad rep for being, well, vanilla—but this classic flavor definitely doesn't have to be boring. It's a classic for a reason, and you can pair it with almost any cake filling or frosting depending on your preference. Some ideas we love are vanilla cake with passionfruit curd, vanilla cake with raspberry filling or a tasty strawberry shortcake with heavy vanilla cream.

Chocolate

If you're a chocolate lover, chances are you already know that you want it as your wedding cake flavor. And while we love plain chocolate cake as much as any chocoholic, you can add a twist with other unexpected flavors. Try hazelnut cake with chocolate buttercream, dark chocolate matcha with berries, mint chocolate cake or chocolate cake with coffee caramel.

Red velvet

Red velvet cake is a rich and decadent wedding cake flavor that doesn't need much else—it's delicious all on its own. Serve red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for a classic wedding cake flavor combo.

Almond

Almond is a great alternative if you're looking for a traditional wedding cake flavor other than super-sweet vanilla or chocolate. Try almond cake with cherry filling, or a similar nutty flavor, like pistachio cake with buttercream and caramelized pistachios.

Lemon

When the weather heats up, lemon cake is a popular wedding cake flavor, since it's sweet, light and refreshing. "Usually for the hot summer weddings you'll want something on the lighter citrus side," says Lael. Pair lemon cake with lemon curd and fresh strawberries for a tart summer dessert.

Confetti or Funfetti

It's hard to go wrong with a flavor that has the word 'fun' in the name. Funfetti cake is one of the best wedding cake flavors if you're looking for something a little less traditional (but this crowd-pleasing option will still be a hit among guests).

Spice

"Warm spices are great for fall, and decadent chocolate flavors are perfect for the winter months," says Lael. Get inspired by the season by serving spice cake with pumpkin cream cheese frosting, spiced pear cake with rum glaze or apple spice cake with salted caramel frosting.

Marble

If you can't choose between chocolate and vanilla, marble cake gives you the best of both classic wedding day flavors. Finish yours with a dusting of cinnamon or dulce de leche glaze.

Photo: MNC Photography

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Cake design: The Cakery Bakery

How to Choose Wedding Cake Flavors and Fillings

First things first, you'll want to work with a cake baker whose creations not only look good but taste good too. "Choose a baker you can really get behind—their ingredients and design aesthetics. It should be someone that you genuinely vibe with and trust," says Lael. "Remember that the yummy cake tucked away behind the pretty design is equally as important."

You may have to stop in a few bakeries to sample the goods before you find the right baker for you. (There are definitely worse things than that, right?) Once you've scheduled a cake tasting, you'll sample delicious cakes, meet the person behind the apron, flip through inspirational photos and dream up a beautifully decadent cake. When you're choosing your wedding cake flavors, there are a few things you'll want to consider, aside from taste alone.

Texture

Keep in mind that different wedding cake flavors will have different textures and densities. For example, a vanilla-based angel food cake is much fluffier and lighter than a rich, dark chocolate cake or a caramel-soaked almond cake.

"I've found that when alternative ingredients are handled and paired properly, it can elevate a dessert, creating a delicate texture and flavor profile that releases slowly as you eat it—nothing like you've ever tasted before," says Lael.

Smell

The delicious smell of cake is something that your guests will remember—perhaps even more than how the cake actually tastes. If you're combining cake flavors and a handful of fillings, think about how they'll create an enticing smell that people won't be able to resist. "Don't forget to consider the aromas of the pair. If they don't smell good together, odds are they won't taste good together," says Madison Lee of Madison Lee's Cakes in New York City.

Flavor Combinations

You might only have one wedding cake, but that doesn't mean that you have to just choose one cake flavor and one filling flavor. If your partner loves decadent dark chocolate cake with espresso filling and you're more into carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, leave it up to your baker to figure out how you can incorporate things that appeal to both of you.

"I always recommend offering a couple different flavors, so your guests will have options and you won't have to worry about pleasing everyone. Besides, it's too hard to narrow it down to just one flavor!" says Lael. Some couple's even choose to have a groom's cake with different flavors. For example, the wedding cake could be a traditional white cake, and the groom's cake could be a chocolate cake with a decadent chocolate ganache.

And while it's very considerate to consider guests who have food allergies, it's not necessary (or even realistic) to take every single person's taste preferences into account when choosing wedding cake flavors. "I would say, do not feel like you have to please everyone. It's your wedding day so choose what you like!" encourages Lee.

The Main Meal

Cake is usually served following the big meal, but it's still good to consider the other food options on your menu before finalizing your wedding cake flavors. For example, "a really heavy meal should probably end with a light fruity cake rather than a heavy chocolate cake," says Halabi. You'll also want to consider any other desserts your venue or caterer may be serving on the big day. "If your venue is serving a chocolate tart, then I would suggest not going chocolate with the cake," says Lee. "You have to keep in mind that the wedding cake is meant to be an extension of the entire meal served. So keep that in mind when making your final decision!"

Cultural Background

You may also want to choose cake flavors that are a nod to your family heritages—a great way to incorporate multicultural elements into the dessert menu. "We have a Middle Eastern flavor with pistachio, figs and sesame pieces," says Halabi. "A lot of Asian brides tend to pick almond cakes with salted caramel and vanilla Italian cream. A lot of our Indian brides love to choose our coconut cake with mango. It's nice to add a touch of your culture to the wedding."

Elena Donovan Mauer contributed to the reporting of this article.