“Let them eat cake,” Marie Antoinette allegedly once said. “A party without cake is just a meeting,” Julia Child famously once claimed. And so, when it comes to your wedding day, you’d be remiss not to follow tout suite. Of course, with wedding planning being all go, between the venue, outfits, floral arrangements, the list goes on, it can be easy to leave your wedding cake to the last minute. Ask any wedding photographer, however, and they’ll tell you that the cutting of the cake is a big moment — so best not forget about it. Not sure where to buy a wedding in London? Turn to one of the capital’s best bakeries for your big day centrepiece, whether you’re looking for something traditional or modern, simple or all-out. We’ve curated an edit to point you in the right, delicious direction.

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium

One of the finest cakemakers in London and beyond, Elizabeth Solaru, author of Opulenica and The Luxpreneur, founded her bakery emporium nearly 20 years ago, delivering wonderful handcrafted creations for your big day. Her signature style is grand, opulent party cakes that taste as good as they look, using top-notch ingredients and finessed with intricate details. You won’t find a team more dedicated and devoted to their craft – it can take hours to complete each design.

Choose between delicious flavours and fillings, from zesty lemon, vanilla with gooey caramel and triple chocolate to pink Champagne and strawberries, all decorated with sugar flowers, pearls, edible jewellery and hand-painted artwork. Enticed? There’s no surprise that her business has gained a cult following with celebrity fans and toyalty, and supplies luxury venues and hotels around the world, from Vienna’s Palais Liechtenstein to Blenheim Palace, The Dorchester and Claridges. And she’ll treat you just the same for your special day. 

Visit elizabethscakeemporium.com

Belle Epoque

If French patisserie takes your fancy, look to Belle Epoque for your wedding day spread. Founded by couple Hulya and Eric Rousseau in 2000, the independent business, which serves exclusive customers like Selfridges, specialises in Parisian-style baked goods, pastries and special occasion cakes that are decadent, rich and melt-in-the-mouth good. 

The real showstopper is its flamboyant croquembouche, known as Piece Montée. A traditional tiered cake, the ‘croque en bouche’ (meaning ‘crisp in the mouth’), comprises of choux buns filled with crème patissière stacked into a dramatic pyramid and coated in dripping caramel. Pick from sumptuous vanilla, chocolate, praline and salted butter caramel creams and top with nougatine spikes, sugar-coated almond dragees and sugar flowers. A stylish alternative to the customary wedding cake, impress guests with a statement Belle Epoque sweet treat tower.

Visit belleepoque.co.uk

Luminary Bakery 

What sets Luminary Bakery apart from the rest? As well as creating the most exquisite personalised wedding cakes, it’s on a mission to empower women who have faced social and economic disadvantages, using baking as a tool towards brighter, more hopeful futures. The social enterprise creates one-of-a-kind baked goods and provides in-person consultations to discuss flavours, sizes and portions to create your dream cake for your wedding day. 

Whether you’re a fan of the classics, like Victoria sponge, carrot, and chocolate, or are after a unique pairing of spiced apple and cinnamon, lemon and blueberry or sticky toffee, Luminary handcrafts every cake with the utmost attention to detail to deliver showstopping creations. Plant-based and gluten-free options are available and decorations, including fresh fruit and flowers, add the pizzazz you’re looking for.

Visit luminarybakery.com 

The Hazlebury Kitchen 

Founded by Suffolk-based nature lover Poppy Sayers, The Hazlebury Kitchen brings scrumptious bespoke celebration cakes to the baked goods scene. Inspired by her countryside surroundings, Poppy’s wedding cake business uses seasonal, home-grown ingredients to produce beautiful creations that are stunning in both substance and style.

Combining organic flour, free-range eggs and British butter with homemade jams and cordials, fresh berries and fruits, Sayers assembles layers of light fluffy sponge with delicious buttercreams and fillings for striking results. Favourite flavours include elderflower, salted caramel and cherry bakewell as well as classics like Victoria sponge and lemon and poppyseed. Available from two to four tiers, styles including semi-naked, drip or crumb coatings with finishing touches like pretty pressed flowers for the ultimate wedding cake display. 

Visit thehazleburykitchen.com

April’s Baker

Le Cordon Bleu trained Roxy Mankoo launched April’s Baker in 2019 and her sister Corinne soon joined, bringing her event and business management skills to the joint venture. Together the family duo create charming wedding cakes that are colourful and playful, vibrant and bold, and undeniably scrumptious. Order for your big day and indulge all your senses.

Available in single, two or three-tier designs, the eye-catching cakes will stand as a striking centrepiece at your wedding reception. Flavour choices are unlimited, from traditional vanilla, chocolate and Sicilian lemon to special curations like lemon earl grey, matcha raspberry and almond sour cherry, to deluxe flavourings including boozy chocolate and cherry, and strawberry champagne. Elegant to flamboyant, fresh and intricately decorated with colour, frilly piping, vintage glacier cherries and so much more, you had us at champagne. 

Visit aprilsbaker.com

Cutter & Squidge

Another family-run business, founded by sisters Annabel and Emily Lui, Cutter & Squidge debuted its creations at Chelsea Flower Market in 2013. Continuing to flourish over a decade later, look to its wedding cake selection for a quality, baked-to-perfection, delicious and aesthetically stunning centrepiece to show off (and devour) on your special day.

Handcrafted from the freshest ingredients, its bespoke designs are available in one, two, three and four-tier options and finished in ruffled, naked or smooth buttercream icings. Choose from an array of exciting flavours – Eton mess, hazelnut and chocolate, raspberry and lemon – minimalist or OTT styles, and add the pièce de résistance with decorations such as fresh fruit, flowers and pretty petals.

Visit cutterandsquidge.com

Lily Vanilli

From self-taught baker to critically acclaimed gateau queen, it’s hard to beat a wedding cake from Lily Vanilli. Stepping onto the sweet toothed scene back in 2008, Vanilli’s East London bolthole soon became one of Britain’s best-loved artisan bakeries and she hasn’t stopped since. From her much-loved Columbia Road café she whips up the most decadent, delicious baked goods and when it comes to wedding cakes, her designs are something else – think elaborate, colourful, Marie Antoinette eat-your-heart-out, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party vibes.

Tell her your vision and she’ll deliver, using only the best ingredients, including unrefined sugars, organic flour, artisanal chocolate and cocoa, French unsalted butter, free-range eggs, seasonal fruit and flowers from local florists – you get the jist. Her bespoke cakes will be the crème de la crème of your wedding day banquet, showstoppers on your top table that will be the talk of the town for years to come. No wonder she’s a favourite among celebrities including Elton John, King Charles, Kate Moss, Jamie Oliver and Nigel Slater – if it’s good enough for them, you know what to do.

Visit lilyvanilli.com

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