Classic Confections
Country French fabrics prompted the patterns on this trio of cakes. From left: Red velvet cake filled with cream cheese, covered with fondant and decorated with chocolate paisley piping, serves 75, $900; vanilla-coconut sponge cake filled with lemon crème and raspberries, covered with fondant and decorated with chocolate polka dots and bow, serves 50, $600; devil’s food cake filled with chocolate truffle, covered with fondant and decorated with chocolate paisley piping, serves 75, $900, all by Buddy Valastro for Carlo’s Bakery, carlosbakery.com. Vintage cake stands. Chest, $1,299, from Maison by Ethan Allen, ethanallen.com.
High Art
Tall tiers in rich jewel tones evoke an East Indian motif. Chocolate blackout cake filled with chocolate toffee-crunch ganache, covered with sugar-paste and decorated with gold leaf and hand-painted flowers, serves 75, $2,200, by Margaret Braun, margaretbraun.com.
Dressed Up
An elegant Vera Wang gown and flower pins from Tiffany & Co. inspired this formal confection. The petals were imprinted with pieces of lace to create texture, and an edible mother-of-pearl finish achieves the shimmery duchesse-satin effect. Vanilla cake filled with candied-ginger buttercream and apricot preserves, covered with fondant and decorated with icing pleats and bejeweled sugar flowers, serves 200, $3,000, by Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, weddingcakes.com.
Budding Beauty
The intricate coils and leaf embellishments on this cake resemble fiddlehead ferns. Apricot pound cake filled with apricot preserves and dark-chocolate ganache, covered with rolled fondant and decorated with sugarpaste and chocolate marzipan, serves 50, $500, by Cheryl Kleinman Cakes, 718-237-2271. Vintage cake stand. Lilac dessert plates, $12 each, from Crate & Barrel, crateandbarrel.com. Round table, $429, from Maison by Ethan Allen, ethanallen.com.
Graphic Design
This sweet starburst pattern reflects a love of quilting. The collagelike layering of fondant and pearl accents makes the surface pop. Toasted-almond torte filled with blackberry preserves and white-chocolate crème, covered with fondant and decorated with sugar appliqués, serves 30, $350, by Collette Foley Specialty Baking, Bayside, collettefoley.com. Vintage cake stand.
Sugarcoated
Whimsical hollow flower outlines and curvy, iridescent icing create a stylized version of a ’50s-era wedding cake. Lemon cake filled with raspberry and passionfruit curds, covered with rolled fondant and decorated with royal-icing flowers, serves 75, $1,000, by Colette’s Cakes, collettescakes.com. Vintage cake stand. "Edge" champagne flutes, $10 each; "Spring Branch" cocktail napkins, $13 for a set of 4, both from Crate & Barrel, crateandbarrel.com. Demilune console, $269, from Maison by Ethan Allen, ethanallen.com.
