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Close-up of a small wedding cake topped with a charming bride and groom figurine, surrounded by delicate floral decorations.

36+ Small, but Mighty Cake Ideas for Your Wedding

Although many couples opt for over-the-top wedding cakes, there is nothing wrong with wanting a simple, small wedding cake for your big day. Small cakes are perfect for small wedding receptions.

If you are going to have a small intimate wedding, you’ll want to consider the following cake ideas for your micro wedding celebration. Let’s look at these small wedding cake ideas and designs that you’ll want to steal for your wedding festivities. 

A wonderful way to upgrade your small wedding cake is to embellish it with flowers, fruits, frosting, toppers, ribbons, signs, lights, and other decorative items. Also, adding some color can really enhance your cakes’ appearance. 

If you want you small wedding cake to look larger, consider a big cake topper, floral display, or other decorative items to enhance it’s height!

Single Tier Wedding Cake Designs

Minimalist single-tier wedding cake with smooth white frosting, elegantly decorated with greenery and delicate flowers.

Look at these one-tier wedding cake ideas to give you inspiration for your wedding desserts. Or feel free to recreate these creative small cake ideas. 

DIY/ Homemade Wedding Cake

A beautifully decorated homemade wedding cake with simple frosting and personalized details, showcasing creativity and charm.

Design and bake your own wedding cake. Making your own wedding cake saves you money, and it gives you the liberty to make the cake you’ve always envisioned.

You choose the flavor, design, theme, and decorations for your wedding cake. Also, it is a great way to impress your wedding guests. 

Single Tier Elegant White Cake

Elegant single-tier white wedding cake with smooth frosting, adorned with a few fresh blooms for a timeless look.

A single-tier elegant white cake is a great way to keep it simple. If you don’t want an over-the-top cake with too many decorations, then this elegant white cake is a perfect option for your wedding reception. 

Gold Leaf One-Tier Wedding Cake

A white one-tier cake with sparkles of gold is a great way of dressing up your cake. This beautiful gold-wrapped cake will make your simple cake shine without going overboard. 

Rustic Buttercream Cake with Ripples

Rustic one-tier buttercream wedding cake with textured ripples, enhanced with simple floral accents.

Adding ripples to your one-tier rustic buttercream cake adds texture and makes your cake stand out a little more without going over the top. You can add wedding cake toppers or other decorations if you wish to add more glam to your cake. 

Quote Cake

Minimalist single-tier wedding cake featuring a meaningful hand-lettered quote, adding a personal touch to the design.

If you want a simple one-tier cake with a unique twist, consider adding a meaningful quote that reflects your relationship with your beloved. Although the cake might seem plain, adding a meaningful quote will make a big impact on your guests. 

Themed Cake

A themed wedding cake designed to match the couple's chosen aesthetic, featuring intricate details and colors.

If your want a specific theme for your wedding cake, then go ahead and order a personalized cake with the theme that you and your partner desire. Perhaps you want fancy, modern, romantic, rustic, classic, or popular culture-themed cakes. There are so many themes to choose from!

Watercolor Wedding Cake

Hand-painted watercolor wedding cake with vibrant shades and floral patterns, creating a stunning artistic design.

Watercolor wedding cakes are stunning masterpieces that can include different shades of colors. These cakes incorporate a variety of hand-painted designs such as floral and marble designs. 

Basic Vanilla Naked Wedding Cake

Simple naked vanilla wedding cake with exposed layers and minimal frosting, topped with fresh berries for a rustic touch.

A basic naked wedding cake uses a decorating technique that leaves the cake layers exposed (naked). It might be slightly coated with some frosting.

This might be the plainest and simplest cake, but if you prefer flavor over appearance, then this might be a great cake to try out. You can also add some red and blue berries on top to make it look more appealing. Find more naked wedding cake inspiration here!

Pearl Covered Cake

Single-tier wedding cake completely covered with royal icing pearls, exuding elegance and sophistication.

A simple one-tier wedding cake covered with royal icing pearls is an elegant option for your wedding day dessert. 

One-Tier Round Cake with Berries

one-tier cake with blueberries

A simple tall and one-layered cake with blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries on top is another excellent choice to keep it simple for your wedding day.  

Two-Tier Micro Wedding Cakes

Chic two-tier wedding cake with minimal decorations, perfect for intimate micro wedding celebrations.

If you want a two-layered cake, consider the following two-tiered cakes for small weddings.

Minimalist Two-Tier Wedding Cake

Two-tier white wedding cake with simple greenery garlands, offering a clean and understated aesthetic.

You can have a plain two-tiered white cake with the flavor of your choice. You can fill it with frosting and cream of your choice and decorate it with some gorgeous greenery on the outside. A couple of Olive Leaves & Rosemary Garlands will do the trick!

Black and White Wedding Cake with Flowers 

Sophisticated two-tier black and white wedding cake adorned with fresh flowers for an elegant contrast.

You can have a two-tiered wedding cake with black and white stripes and some flowers on top. Or you can have one white layer and one black layer with a couple of flowers on each of the cake’s borders. 

2-Tier Black and Gold Cake

Bold two-tier wedding cake with black fondant and cascading golden floral accents, topped with pink flowers.

There are many ways to decorate this cake. You can have a black two-layered caked with flowers and golden painted orchid branches cascading down the cake. 

Vintage Cake

Classic vintage-style wedding cake with intricate lace-like designs and nostalgic decorations, evoking timeless beauty.

Do you want a wedding with vintage vibes? If yes, then you’ll want to recreate one for your wedding party. Let’s delve into the past with vintage wedding cakes!

Not only is a vintage cake gorgeous and elegant, but it will evoke nostalgic memories from your grandparent’s time, which will make your wedding all the more moving and special.

Wildflower Wedding Cake

Rustic wedding cake decorated with wildflowers, greenery, and natural elements, ideal for an outdoor wedding.

If you’re looking for a wedding cake idea that’ll match an outdoor or woodland wedding, consider wildflower wedding cakes. They can be decorated with berried vines, gum paste flowers, ferns, garden flowers, and other greenery that matches your forest-themed wedding. 

Glow-in-the-Dark or Light Up Wedding Cake

Unique glow-in-the-dark wedding cake illuminated with soft lights, creating a magical centerpiece for the reception.

A glow-in-the-dark wedding cake is another way to make your simple cake design stand out. Or you can add lights behind your wedding cake to make it shimmer and sparkle at your wedding reception. 

Vegan Wedding Cake

Two-tier vegan wedding cake with a smooth frosting finish, showcasing plant-based ingredients and elegant design.

Are you and your guests vegan? A two-tiered vegan cake is a perfect choice for your small wedding party. A vegan cake does not contain milk, eggs, butter, cream, and other animal-derived products, but there is a range of vegan-friendly flavors to choose from.

Some vegan cake flavors include vanilla, chocolate, lemon, coconut, carrot, and pumpkin spice. 

Non-Traditional Wedding Cake Ideas for Small Weddings

If you’re going to have a wedding reception with a small guest list, you might not want a traditional wedding cake. Since you have few guests, there is no need to spend money on a huge wedding cake because you’ll probably end up with a lot of leftover cake that’ll go to waste.

That’s why you should try these cake alternatives to classic wedding cakes instead!

Single-Serving Mini Wedding Cakes

Assortment of mini wedding cakes in various flavors, individually decorated for guests to enjoy.

Consider serving mini wedding cakes of different flavors that your guests can select. This way, you ensure that every guest gets to enjoy their own miniature wedding cake. 

Bundt Wedding Cake

Bundt wedding cake with a classic ring shape, glazed with icing and garnished with fresh fruit.

Bundt Cakes are perfect for almost any occasion, including your wedding reception. Popular bundt cake flavors include red velvet, chocolate chip, vanilla, carrot, lemon, marble, and white chocolate raspberry. 

Kransekake Wedding Cake

Traditional Scandinavian Kransekake wedding cake, shaped like a towering ring stack and decorated with icing.

Have you ever heard of a Kransekake? A Kransekake is a traditional Danish and Norwegian cake that is often served at many special celebratory events. This Scandinavian cake is stunning, unique, and is shaped like a tower.

Pancake Wedding Cakes

Stacked pancake wedding cake layered with whipped cream and berries, perfect for a brunch wedding celebration.

Consider making a stacked pancakes tower decorated with whipped cream and berries. This is a great option for a daytime brunch wedding!

Glazed Donut Tower

donuts on a round stand

Love donuts? A glazed donut tower is a unique wedding dessert that you’ll want to recreate for your micro wedding. It is also an inexpensive wedding dessert. 

Macaron Wedding Tower

Elegant macaron wedding tower in pastel colors, creating a charming and sophisticated dessert display.

Macaron wedding towers are cheap and include several tiers. They are also charming and sophisticated mini treats that will delight you and your guests.  

Cannoli Tower Cake

Delicious cannoli tower wedding cake, adorned with fresh berries for a festive and eye-catching presentation.

A popular wedding dessert idea is a cannoli tower. Display them on a round cupcake stand and consider adding some fresh berries to decorate it. 

Cupcakes

Wedding-themed cupcakes arranged on tiered stands, decorated with frosting and sprinkles for a festive touch.

Similar to the mini cake idea, wedding-themed cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles are tasty desserts that you and your guests will enjoy. 

Brownie Cake

Rich chocolate brownie wedding cake displayed on a cake stand, drizzled with chocolate syrup for added decadence.

Simple chocolate brownies beautifully displayed on a round cake stand are another great alternative to traditional wedding cakes. They also make great desserts for a simple wedding and will save you money.

Cheesecake

Classic cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries, offering a creamy and flavorful wedding dessert option.

Take your wedding cake to the next level by serving a cheesecake in place of a classic wedding cake. You can decorate it with strawberries on top. 

Cookie Cake

Stacked cookie cake featuring layers of Oreos and chocolate chip cookies with cream filling, ideal for casual weddings

Stacked Oreo cookies and chocolate chip cookies with cream are great options for an irresistible wedding dessert. 

Waffle Wedding Cake

Stacked waffle wedding cake garnished with whipped cream and fruit, offering a creative brunch wedding dessert option.

Similar to the pancake idea, a cake made of waffles is a sweet alternative to a traditional wedding cake. You can also decorate these with fruit and whip cream. If you love this idea but want something more traditional for your wedding, consider throwing a bridal shower brunch and serving a waffle cake!

Homemade Pie 

a slice of pie

Homemade pies are a great way to save money. Your family might even volunteer to help you make them. 

Fruit Tart 

Fresh fruit tart with a buttery crust and vibrant fruit topping, perfect for a summer wedding dessert.

Not only are fruit tarts delicious desserts, but they are also a refreshing option for a small summer wedding. 

Churros Wedding Cake 

Tower of churros arranged as a wedding cake, complemented by buttercream frosting and cinnamon sugar.

Consider a buttery cinnamon churros cake. Some churros cakes recipes include delicious buttercream frosting, heavy whipping cream, dulce de leche, and other tasty ingredients.

Ice Cream Cake

Mini ice cream wedding cakes with colorful layers, served chilled for a summer wedding celebration.

Who doesn’t love ice cream? An ice cream wedding cake is perfect for a summer wedding. If you opt for this choice, consider getting a cooler to make sure that the ice cream doesn’t melt during your wedding celebration.

 

Cake Pops

Chocolate-covered cake pops decorated with sprinkles, a kid-friendly and creative wedding dessert option.

Chocolate-covered cake pops are unique, tasty wedding desserts. If you are going to invite children to your wedding, keep in mind that these treats are also kid-friendly.  

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