When you go to a wedding, you probably have two questions in mind. One is, “Will this be open bar?” The second is, “Will there be cake?” Even though having a wedding cake is pretty standard, couples today are really changing things around by offering up other desserts. But, admittedly, it’s not the same.
As adults, there aren’t too many occasions where we feel justified in eating a giant slice of cake. A wedding is one of the few.
Even though cake itself has never gone out of fashion, different types of cakes have had their peaks of popularity. Ancient Egyptians are often credited for creating cake, and having pretty stellar baking skills all the way back in the 13th century. Back then, cakes themselves tasted a little different.
They reportedly had the consistency of bread, but were a little sweeter.
Modern cakes became more of a trend in the 17th century, but it wasn’t until the 19th century when things like buttercream became popular. Wedding trends changed a bunch as well. According to the Smithsonian, it used to be a tradition in Rome for the groom to smash a barley cake over his bride’s head. Glad that changed, right?
Here’s a look back at popular wedding cakes per decade. Some of these are just begging for a comeback.
1910s – White cakes
According to Delish, white cakes were popular for a very intriguing reason.
Since refined sugar was tough to come by, having a sugar-filled white cake was a huge status symbol. White cake is still incredibly popular today, but more or less because it’s seen as being traditional — not because it breaks the bank.
1920s – Art Deco cakes
It was the roaring ’20s, after all.
Supposedly in the 1920s, people gave their wedding cakes a little bit of personality. Cakes took geometric risks, and people often used ornaments and feathers to decorate their cake and set it apart from the rest. Cakes today that try to emulate the style often use pearls. These types of cakes are still at weddings that are themed after The Great Gatsby.
1930s – Lambeth Method cakes
[fm_youtube url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BssGwcol65D/"]Delish reports that this was the decade that introduced the world to the bride and groom cake cut, as well as the Lambeth method, which is a popular piping technique. According to Cake Geek Magazine, this style was created in 1934 by a man named Joseph Lambeth.
That means that cakes had more intricate details, and were basically intricate works of art you’d remember forever.
1940s – Homemade cakes
Even though cakes from a bakery had gone down in price, homemade cakes were all the rage because rations were short due to the war.
Delish reports that nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves were used quite often to help with flavor.
This was also the decade where cake toppers started making a more prominent appearance. Back then, they were often used just for decor.
Today, they often symbolize something the bride and groom have in common, like a sports team.
1950s – Fruit cakes
Yep, you heard that right. Fruit cakes with white royal icing were extremely popular in the 1950s. Icing in general was big and took the place of fondant.
And, as expected, cakes were overly detailed. But that was a trend that was actually on the way out, paving the way for simpler times.
1960s – Tall cakes
You heard that right.
The ’60s were all about seeing how tall your wedding cake could be. And since bakers went all-in on height, overall design was a little mellower than it had been in past decades.
As far as flavor went, vanilla was still one of the most popular go-tos. It’s hard to go wrong with a classic.
1970s – Gold decor
Vanilla was still popular in the 1970s, with yellow cake taking second place.
The big change of this decade was in the decor used on the cake. It was often gold or yellow in color and included flowers. After all, it’s your big day, so why not go all out with gold and yellow, a color that, according to Bourn Creative, symbolizes “freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy.”
1980s – Inspired by royalty
Pretty much all weddings in the 1980s were inspired by Princess Diana’s wedding to Charles.
The Knot reports that Diana had 27 cakes at the event. Excessive, sure— but the big one was actually a multi-tiered fruit cake. Non-edible decorations were also really popular in the ’80s, making people utter the question, “Wait, is that food?” up until this day. Sounds like a choking hazard waiting to happen, unfortunately.
1990s – Personalized cakes
Edible ink printing was developed around this time, making cakes more of a statement that symbolized the couples.
It was around the ’90s when cake toppers became less flowery and started being humorous or cheeky. Even though other flavors were never as popular as vanilla, yellow, or chocolate, which dominated the top three cake flavors, people began experimenting with other types of cake.
Like banana? Well, a banana cake would have felt right at home at a ’90s wedding.
2000s – Color coordination
In the 2000s, brides were more likely to hear the phrase, “What are your colors?”
When putting together a wedding, things had to match a theme. And yes, that included the cake, the most important part of the feast. Chocolate cakes were also becoming more common at weddings, and yellow cake decreased rapidly in popularity.
2010s – Naked cakes
Cupcakes were big, but only at the start of this decade. Instead, designs got pretty minimal.
Naked cakes made their debut, and cakes were often decorated with things you’d find in nature. If not naked, pastels were big as far as color goes. Vanilla is still the top flavor, but Food 52 states that a whopping 14% of people chose red velvet for their wedding cake flavor.
Late 2010s – Dark cakes
We recently discovered that dark cakes (cakes dyed black, dark gray, or dark plum) are really in vogue right now.
People love them because they stand out, they’re unexpected, and they’re truly gorgeous. Also, they definitely divert for the overly white, feminine cakes that we’ve seen in the past, paving the way for new wedding trends that people can pull inspiration from.
