{1} Simma’s Bakery decorator Amy Siegel adds some formality to the great outdoors with a classic off-white, four-tiered round tower cake accented with white beading. Cinnamon sticks and ferns ground the cake in nature, and handmade mushrooms, flowers and acorns are painted with luster dust to add sheen, as is the whisper-thin fondant ribbon that circles the layers.
{2} Chocolate swirls inspired by willow branches climb from a bed of moss to a couple of fondant love birds, while off-kilter square tiers and dewdrop gems add flair. The glowing sunset icing cloaks layers of yellow cake with almond-French cream filling, chocolate with raspberry and marble with French cream. By Aggie’s Cakes and Pastries.
{3} The Cake Lady’s Karen Smith fulfills a modern bride’s wish for a classic leaf motif, while preserving a sense of elegance with this simple mint-green and ivory creation. Each tier is wrapped with ribbon, and the cake rests on a smooth wood plateau that lends a clean, earthy base. For fall and winter brides, Karen suggests a spice cake with Wisconsin maple buttercream, pumpkin buttercream or caramel buttercream.
{4} A stately circle of wintry white birch trees strikes just the right note of rustic elegance. Chocolate scrawl covers the base layer and nesting birds suggest romance at the peak. Beneath the vanilla buttercream frosting rests luscious dark chocolate cake and chocolate ganache filling. By Delicately Delicious.
{5} Rich, oaky red and burnt sienna hues bring vibrancy to this tree-inspired creation, accented by crimson berries and earthy pine cones, and hand-painted and airbrushed by Regina’s Bay Bakery’s Robin Krajcik to replicate wood knots and grain. When you slice into this stunner, instead of rings you’ll find spicy pear and cardamom-flavored cake.
{6} When Sweet Perfections’ decorator Ken Heil created this cake, he was inspired by the tone and texture of succulents. The result is a cake crisp and clean on one side, and draped by cascading damask on the other. Inside is delectable Raspberry Sunshine: four layers of rich white cake filled with lemon whipped-custard cream and natural raspberry purée, smothered with from-scratch buttercream frosting and finished with sage-toned fondant.
