Rustic Wedding Cakes - 40 Different Designs to Fit in With Your Theme

What makes a wedding cake fall into the rustic wedding cakes category I hear you cry?! Well, it's a really good question; one there isn't actually a definitive answer to. We've come to the conclusion it's a cake that fits perfectly into your rustic wedding theme, be that a naked cake, an iced wedding cake or a tower of cheese! One common denominator we have noticed is whatever your chosen cake design (your day your way), 9/10 couples choose to have it resting on a tree stump cake stand or surrounded by foliage and flowers. Shall we take a look at some of our favourites from the archives? We hope you've had breakfast/lunch/dinner (insert as appropriate) as we can pretty much guarantee some serious drooling going on! Enjoy.

Wedding cakes without icing, frosting or buttercream are known in the wedding world as naked cakes! Whether they are decorated with fruit, flowers or foliage, made of victoria sponge or chocolate they will look perfect against your rustic backdrop and will not only taste delicious but be a wonderful decoration and focal point at your wedding too.

Semi-naked wedding cakes are very similar to naked cakes, but the thin layer of buttercream and semi-exposed sponge layers give it its title. The addition of the buttercream can add a whole other dimension to the flavour as well as help with the cake decoration. Lucy and Jack added some gold leaf to one of the layers on their semi-naked cake, and it fits in beautifully with their rustic lux theme at their September country house wedding.

Drip wedding cakes are the newest way to decorate naked and semi-naked wedding cake designs. Adding a layer of caramel drizzle, chocolate or ganache to the top layer and letting it drip down the sides to form an intricate design as well as a flavoursome topping. I'm certain there isn't a person who isn't licking their lips right now and imagining mopping up those drips! Yum.

We've recently shared some amazing flower pressed edible flower cake designs on our Instagram feed and you guys have gone crazy for every single one of them! There is definitely something very rustic and organic about using edible flowers as decoration for cakes. The flowers are easily pressed into the soft buttercream of your wedding cake and can match your chosen colour scheme. The pressed flowers can be placed in multiple designs too, meaning every cake will be truly unique.

Ok, technically a cheese tower isn't a cake, but we think it falls into the rustic wedding cakes category perfectly. I mean what could be more perfect than layers of your favourite cheddar. Choose cheeses with interesting rinds to make sure your tower looks extra beautiful and decorate with figs, grapes, or foliage on a wooden platter. Read our top tips for building your own perfect wedding cheese tower.

One of the pros of a buttercream wedding cake is its lightweight texture which allows it to be slathered or piped into any design on your chosen cake. Techniques with buttercream have advanced so much that many pro decorators will be able to achieve your design finish usually only achievable using fondant icing. Plus, flavourings and colours can be added to your buttercream to enhance the cake design and taste. Sounds good eh?!

Traditionally when you think of an iced wedding cake, you think of a fruit cake covered in royal icing. But these wonderful cake designs are proof there's a place for a fondant wedding cake at a rustic wedding too. The gold leaf design, coloured icing and stag motifs in the gallery below are genius ways to incorporate your rustic theme. And, just as we mention in the introduction, the use of a wooden tree slice, barrel and crate for cake stands add to the rustic decor, not to mention the foliage and flowers.

If none of the above rustic wedding cakes is quite you, never fear as we have a few more alternative wedding cakes that just might be your idea of heaven. We've seen layered brownies and doughnuts; cookie and doughnut walls, plus, a cake table featuring all the of the mentioned, and last by no means least a meringue tower layered with fruits and splashed with chocolate! And for the savoury lovers out there, we've also seen a pork pie tower! If you want to view any of the rustic wedding cake ideas, just click on the image and the link will take you to the real wedding in our archives. You're welcome.

We've also got some additional reading for you if you fancy baking your cake yourself and want to know how much cake you'll need to feed your guests. Or if you'd rather leave it to the professionals search our recommended suppliers for a talented baker near you.

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