As we move into June soon, we will see a huge trend of wedding cakes come alive. So far within the year, we have seen a surge in treat boxes consisting of cakesicles, brownies, cookies, and chocolate.
Although this year's Pantone colour Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (bright yellow) are centred around optimism, we can also look at the palettes of colour predicted to be popular, for spring/summer. According to Pantone’s Colour Trend Highlights, there will be three shades of palette often referred to:
Summer bouquet - fresh summer colours like nature, pale petals, combined with exotic pinks, and herbal greens.
Intoxicating - vibrant shades of yellow and aqua against lavenders, pinks, and greens.
Power surge - empowering, rich, and vibrant colours including glamour and contrast.
What should we look out for:
Dried flowers - green succulents were all over the gram in 2019 and 2020, this year is about the addition of dried flowers in a simple arrangement. The cake is often plain, neutral colours with a burst of strong pastel colours, or golds and bronze sprayed dried flowers. These dried flowers are predominantly made up of eucalyptus, pampas grass and single palm leaves – amongst others.
Lockdown favourite; treat boxes: Cakesicles and geometric hearts were it – the other little items could fill the space around them to coordinate with the theme. These treat boxes are now showing their staying power as not just a lockdown fad, but a wonderful gift to share.
Buttercream painting: made an appearance during 2020, the highly Instagrammable trend of painting buttercream with a palette knife is not going anywhere. It’s even bigger this year. Painting in a variety of styles, from flowers to marble effects, is a skill to master.
Isomalt: It’s not just flowers that can appear on top of a cake… isomalt cake toppers are making a big statement in 2021. Always impressive with the instant ‘wow factor, they are certain to create a talking point!
Mixed tiers: Can't decide between a cake or mixing it up with macarons? Well, you don't have to, you can have one tier of cake and the next tier can be a macaron tier or a meringue tier, whatever you like really!
Single tier cakes: 2020 has been all about micro weddings and chances will continue till the end of this year. A beautifully decorated single tier cake is the perfect option for a group of 15.
Buttercream transfers: This has been a trend before, but we have seen it crop up on Instagram since last year and we have a feeling it's here to stay. The reason these transfers work so well is that they’re made by tracing an image with buttercream frosting. The designs are made on acetate, frozen, then placed on your cake or treat. It’s essentially as easy as colouring. You can make practically anything. All you need to do is crumb coat the cake, then pipe your buttercream design on acetate, freeze it, then wrap it around your cake. Watch @sweetjosiebakes videos on instagram to learn how to do this technique properly.
Dot art: If you have time for it, give it a go, but it does require some mega patience. It's essentially outlining a shape and filling it with dots for a design that almost resembles beadwork.
New Lambeth: Named after Joseph Lambeth, who popularised this ornate style of cake decorating in the 1930s, the Lambeth technique takes time to master, but the results are truly amazing. Lambeth piping consists mainly of “over piping”, or creating rows of overlapping scrolls, details, and garlands. Often used for special occasions, such as weddings and christenings, this cake decorating technique fell out of fashion in recent years but is now back and ready to impress yet again!
