Eco Bakes

The wedding market is quickly becoming a very eco-conscious space with couples aware of how their one special day can have a big effect on the environment in the future. Your wedding cake and tasty desserts are an area where you too can consider the planet and reduce your wedding’s carbon footprint with these easy and simple eco-conscious changes and considerations…

1. SOURCE PRODUCTS FROM LOCAL PROVIDERS

When it comes to sourcing your cake and dessert ingredients, work with your baker and catering team to get them from local providers like farms and organic shops. Eggs, butter, milk and cream can all be sourced from local, sustainable sources with high welfare standards. As well as helping out smaller businesses you can also cut the travel miles.

2. PRIORITISE SEASONAL PRODUCE

Using fruit and flowers to decorate your wedding cake is a must-have for a showstopper dessert but you can help your wedding’s carbon footprint by using produce that is seasonal to your country. This means you won’t have to fly products in from another country where certain flowers and fruits may be in season and a shorter trip from field to baker helps our environment out. It can also help narrow down flavours and décor for your bakes, think dahlias, peonies and berries for summer and jasmine and figs for winter!

3. ECO-FRIENDLY CAKE TOPPERS

Choose a topper that won’t end up in the bin after the big day! To top your wedding cake, use a small ornament or statue that you can display in your home after the big day and provide a forever reminder of your special day. Why not ask your loved ones if they have anything suitable so you can fulfill your ‘something borrowed’ at the same time?

4. VEGAN RECIPES

Having a vegan wedding cake is a great eco-friendly choice and there are lots of options out there for your wedding day desserts. Vegan-friendly cakes are readily available to you and your baker and taste as good as the traditional recipes, trust us! Vegan recipes will also encompass a lot of your guest’s dietary requirements, imagine the look on their face when they realise they can get in on the wedding cake, too! Plus, more fed guests means less waste.

5. CAKE CUTTINGS

Tiered cakes are getting more and more complex with loads of different shapes and architecturally sculpted masterpieces. But this can mean a lot of cake is wasted as your fancy bake is carved and cut to fulfill a certain shape, so consider how much waste you could be creating. Alternatively, ask your baker to mix the cut-away sponge with flavoured buttercreams to make tasty cake pops to adorn your sweet table!

6. PORTION CONTROL

Consider how much cake you will actually need to feed your guests, a four tier cake for 50 guests may be a bit excessive and lead to lots of waste for example. Let your baker guide you on how much you’ll need, they are the experts after all. Maybe you could freeze your top tier to enjoy on your first anniversary or child’s christening?

7. DUMMY TIERS

An important characteristic of most wedding cakes are the elaborately decorated tiers just waiting to be sliced and enjoyed. But a great way to reduce waste is to utilise dummy tiers. These are fake tiers of polystyrene that stand in for your bake and your baker can ice and decorate them in the same style. They add height and drama without compromising style and they’re more budget-friendly!

8. THE LEFTOVERS

Your guests will want a reminder of your big day and as well as bundling them up with wedding favours and flower displays, they must have some cake to take! Your caterer or venue staff will usually be happy to manage dividing the cake up. This is a great way to involve those guests that couldn’t make it on the day, too.

Sustainable weddings are certainly on our radar for 2025 weddings but don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to follow every single one of these tips to the letter. Instead, prioritise the ones that resonate the most with you and your plans for the big day, if every couple utilised just some of these ideas, we’re sure the planet would thank us!