These 20 Wedding Cake Alternatives Look Great Any Way You Slice It

No cake, no problem.

Collage of unique wedding cake alternatives

Photos From Left to Right: Nicole Gatto Photography; Ruth Eileen Photography,Design: Natalie Romine

Updated May 30, 2024

So a "good sponge" doesn't move you as much as it does Paul and Prue on The Great British Bake Off. No worries—there are so many wedding cake alternatives that still bring the wow factor of a multitiered confection, but can be made from a treat that truly speaks to your sweet tooth. Any dessert—from a humble cookie to a fancy macaron—can take an elegant, wedding cake-esque form with a little imagination and design expertise from a pro baker. Find one on The Knot Vendor Marketplace by filtering by your wedding location, then refining by the cake and dessert options that suit your search criteria. These confectionary wizards can tailor these showpiece desserts to your wishes. For example, maybe you and your partner are big doughnut people, but feel a little funny about missing that classic cake-cutting moment. Your baker can conceptualize a doughnut tower design that's crowned with a six-inch cutting cake so you won't miss that memory.

These Bakers Are Pros at Wedding Cake Alternatives

If you need some inspiration to find an alternative to a wedding cake that's eye-catching, but still feels like you, get your Pinterest board ready and scroll down. These non-traditional wedding dessert ideas really make us wish we had a fork right now.

1. Crepe Cake

You won't miss the layers of a wedding cake if you swap in a crepe cake. These paper-thin French pancakes can be kept low or stacked high, with whipped cream or fruit preserves slathered between each layer. A dusting of powdered sugar is the perfect topper, but it's also easy to decorate with fresh flowers, fruit or any other classic options.

2. Cupcake Tower

Yes, they were on the wedding cake trend circuit in the aughts (I distinctly remember one at my cousin's wedding in 2006), but cupcakes have serious staying power. According to the 2023 The Knot Real Wedding Study, 38% of couples served cupcakes at their wedding, including 48% of Gen Z couples. (I guess that tracks given how much the generation loves all things Y2K.) Especially if you're serving a slew of different flavor-icing combos, a tiered display of cupcakes below a small wedding cake is an easy way to satisfy your guests' sweet tooths.

3. Croquembouche

Lemon Croquembouche Wedding Cake alternative

When the dilemma of what to do instead of a cake at a wedding arises, getting a global perspective helps. A croquembouche—a triangular tower of cream puffs drizzled with strands of caramelized sugar—is the traditional wedding dessert of France. You can nestle wheels and peels of citrus or small flowers in between the pastries to make it feel extra special.

4. Doughnut Tower

Arrange these glazed goodies atop a tiered display that gets smaller as it gets higher and you've got one of our favorite alternative wedding cake ideas. Wedding doughnuts are festive and easy to serve (no slicing required), but you can still top your tower with a small wedding cake just for you. Feel free to ice the sweets in your wedding colors, but something about the plain-glazed look feels rustic, understated and elegant.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Few sweets feel as classic, cozy and comforting as a chocolate chip cookie, but that doesn't mean the favorite can't be elevated to be wedding worthy. Stacks of concentric cookies are fun alternatives to wedding cakes, since they're big on whimsy and nostalgia. Your baker can employ some attractive icing techniques to secure each layer and leave the edges exposed to give guests a glimpse at the goods.

6. Macaron Tower

French Macaron Dessert Tower wedding cake alternative

French macarons are perhaps the classiest cookies around, so it's no surprise that they're the star in one of our favorite alternative ideas for wedding cakes. Oftentimes, macarons are displayed on their edges in a tiered serving platter, filling side out, but this unique conical "cake" shows off the cookies' hand-painted tops. Add some flowers and greenery to soften the edges.

7. Cheesecake

Tiered Cheesecake with Purple Roses wedding cake alternative

Wedding cheesecake, anyone? If this is your go-to goodie, you'll be pleased to know that it's a top choice for alternative wedding desserts to serve at your reception. This purple rose-bedecked tiered cheesecake looks so sweet and definitely doesn't need any icing or fussy decorations. Who would want to hide that gorgeous layer of graham cracker crust?

8. Cheese Cake

Dairy-loving couples, take note: If cheesecake is a little on the sweet side for you, try a cheese cake—aka a wedding cake made from stacked wheels of cheese. This is one of the most popular savory alternatives to cake for a wedding—and we can see why. Stacking wheels from large to small create a wedding cake-like shape and the entire thing can be decorated with fresh fruits like figs, strawberries and grapes. Bonus points if you source wheels from your wedding location or other areas that are significant to your relationship.

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9. Madeleine Tower

What can you have instead of a wedding cake? A stunning tower of golden, crispy-edged French madeleines that look straight out of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. The shell-shaped petite cakes are visually stunning alone, so they don't need much in the way of icing or heavy cake toppers. Though, the black velvet bow fastened at the base of this one is coquette perfection and very on trend.

10. Pie Stack

Tiered Pie Dessert with Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Thanksgiving lovers, this one's for you. Substitute wedding cake with wedding pie for a truly personalized dessert option. Whether you crave pumpkin pie all year or a cinnamon-laced apple pie is your consistent choice, using pies as creative wedding cake alternatives is a no-brainer—especially if they're stacked in a cake-like shape and adorned with chocolate-covered strawberries. Even ask Lauren Conrad, who baked 50 apple pies for her 2014 wedding reception to William Tell.

11. Pancake Stack

You don't have to have a brunch wedding to swap in pancakes as an alternative wedding cake option. Seriously, no guest will be mad at digging into a slice of a flapjack stack in lieu of cake, especially if you're serving up syrup, honey, whipped cream, berries and other toppings for each attendee to customize their plate. The same goes for waffles.

12. Ice Cream Cake

Textured Ice Cream Cake with Olive Branch Topper

If you're on the hunt for alternative wedding cake ideas that still look traditional to the naked eye, an ice cream cake is your best bet. The confection can be tiered, frosted and decorated like a traditional cake, but with no sponge in sight. Choose one flavor or layer a couple of complementary ones. Pro tip: Crushed cookies between layers add a welcome textural contrast and crunch to the dairy duo of buttercream and ice cream.

13. Bundt Cake

Bundt wedding cake with white rose accents

This is one of our favorite non-traditional wedding cakes for an autumn wedding: a bundt cake. Bundt cakes are often flavored with cinnamon, sugar and warming spices—aka the flavors of fall. Though, an angel-food bundt cake drenched in lemon-curd drizzles would be wonderful in the summertime.

14. Sfogliatelle Cake

Sfogliatelle (or lobster tails) are flaky pastries filled with ricotta custard that's spiked with citrus and cinnamon. And if you've even been to an Italian bakery, you've definitely seen these goodies going just as fast as the cannolis. The laminated pastry translates well into a "layer cake" form, mostly because you get even more of that decadent filling.

15. S'mores Cake

If you don't have a cake at your wedding, just have s'mores. Trust us, no one will be mad. This stacked and tiered s'mores "cake" is a great centerpiece for your dessert spread, especially if you have a bonfire where guests can make their own nearby.

16. Cinnamon Roll Cake

Among the sweetest unique wedding cake alternatives for brunch-loving pairs, cinnamon roll wedding cakes are a sure crowd pleaser. Consult with your baker and decide if you'd prefer each tier to be an oversized cinnamon roll or made up of grouped-together, standard-sized pastries baked into a circular shape as seen in this photo. A simple icing drizzle is all you need to top it off, though, you can add some fun piping and other flourishes with a slightly thicker frosting, if you'd like.

17. Millefoglie Cake

In Italy, these cakes are traditional options for weddings. Circular layers (really, a lot of layers—the name translates to "a thousand layers" in Italian) of puff pastry alternate with a light diplomat cream to create this flaky confection. A generous dusting of powdered sugar and a pile of fresh fruit finishes it off. The flavor leans light and not too sweet, so it's a refreshing choice for summer nuptials.

18. Nordic Kransekake

Another international wedding cake alternative, the kransekake has Scandinavian roots and a statement-making shape. It's made from concentric rings of almond cookie secured together by icing (and drizzled with a generous amount of the stuff). They're very popular at weddings and other celebratory occasions and, while they typically include at least 18 rings, you can go higher and higher depending on how big the occasion is.

19. Oreo Tower

An artistically stacked array of oreos in the rough shape of a wedding cake is sure to get a smile out of your guests. A touch of icing and a few decorations is all you need to make this humble cookie feel celebratory. This would also be a fun option for a groom's cake alternative, given the almost tuxedo colors of the classic cookie.

20. Rice Krispies Treat Cake

Staying in the childhood-favorite vein, Rice Krispies treat cakes are definitely unexpected non-traditional wedding cake alternatives. Just gussy up the layers with ribbons and fresh fruit as seen here. You won't need any additional icing—the cereal and marshmallow combo is sacred and not to be messed with.