From classic cupcakes, one-tiered wedding cakes, bundts, and beyond, here we're checking out cake alternative and cake ideas for small weddings, perfect if you're opting for a small wedding celebration. Scroll down to see some delectable ideas that can make just as big of an impression as super-sized confections and that will not only appeal to your sweet tooth, but also your wedding style.
Small Wedding Cake Ideas
One Tier Wedding Cakes
If you're looking for a unique alternative to the traditional multi-tiered wedding cake, consider serving one, or a couple of small and sweet one tier cakes. Not only can you offer guests more flavour options, but opting for single tiers will also very likely save you money. A gorgeous example of these is the very on-trend Lambeth wedding cake.
Cupcakes
For a more budget-friendly cake option for a small wedding look to the classic cupcake. A beautiful but less labor-intensive treat, which brings down the price. They also double duty as a fantastic wedding favour (edible wedding favours will always be a winner in our book!) if left individually at a place setting. The rule of thumb when ordering cupcakes is to order 1.5 full-size cupcake per guest. If there are any left, they're easy enough to box up and send home with your guests (or make a great late-night snack!).
Mini Donut Tower
Donut walls have gained popularity at weddings over the last couple years. Rethink that trend by displaying these tasty treats stacked in a pyramid shape, instead, à la this sweet creation. The result? A crowd-pleasing treat that resembles a wedding cake, but still deviates from tradition. Offbeat Donuts and The Rolling Donut can create tasty towers to replace your wedding cake. Still want to have a cake cutting moment? Leave the top tier for a small one-tier cake.
Homestyle Pies & Tarts
A slice of pie or fruit tart is such a nostalgic treat! Since pies and tarts can be made in just about every flavour imaginable, they're also perfect for couples who can't settle on just one flavour (serve up an array to cover all of your bases!). Add some pretty fresh flowers, serve with some ice-cream and you've a dessert that can rival any cake!
Macaron Towers
Macarons are still a firm wedding favourite and there are plenty of ways to make these French treats feel unique to you and your small wedding celebration. With hundreds of colour ideas and flavour combinations, as well as artistic finishes such as hand-painting and gold leaf, there's something to please all tastes, and to surprise your guests!
Petite Two-Tiered Cakes
If you have your heart set on a tiered wedding cake, you can opt for a more petite version. A smaller wedding cake like this is a great opportunity to go big on flavour. Think of all the combinations you might not get away with in a bigger bake; summer berry, cherry and chocolate, pistachio and raspberry, hazelnut, sticky toffee or salted caramel. It also gives you the chance to go for something more decorative too.
Cookie Wedding Cake
A cookie wedding cake is a charming and creative twist on the traditional wedding cake, made primarily from layers of cookies rather than sponge cake. The cookie wedding cake typically features tiers of oversized cookies, often baked into perfect circles or hearts, and stacked with layers of frosting, ganache, or cream filling in between—similar to a naked cake. To see a real cookie wedding cake in action, check out One Fab Day couple Lucy & Shane's delish version.
Bundt Cakes
Wedding bundt cakes definitely don't get as much love as they deserve. These traditional European cakes get their distinct shape by being baked in a Bundt pan, shaping it into a doughnut shape. Flavour possibilities for bundt cakes are literally endless, and we love how a simple dust of icing sugar or a drizzle of glaze can transform these simple bakes into a unique wedding cake!
Vintage-Style Sheet Cakes
Simple, flat sheet wedding cakes were once the unsung hero of the wedding reception, sliced into squares in the back kitchen and served after the couple ceremoniously cuts their (faux, or too small to feed everyone) main wedding cake. But these nostalgic sweets are taking centre stage and becoming the centerpiece of the dessert table. With their unfussy charm and endless design potential, they're also perfect for smaller celebrations where a full-tiered cake might feel like too much fuss — proving that sometimes less really is more.
Madeleine Towers
A traditional French creation getting a lot of recognition in 2025 is the Madeleine tower. This eye-catching confection is comprised of fluffy, bite-size Madeline's, which are assembled into a cone or tower shape. The traditional decoration for a Madeleine tower is simple dusting of icing sugar but they can also be dipped in chocolate, icing sugar, or caramel. They are a great alternative to traditional tiered wedding cakes and will certainly bring the wow factor!
Narrow Slab Cakes
Building on the trend of more traditional square sheet cakes, the narrow slab cake style sees an upgrade to show-stopping elongated beauties adorned with delicate flowers, fresh fruits, and modern piping details. These slim, rectangular cakes are perfect for serving a smaller crowd while maintaining a chic, editorial feel. They're easy to cut and serve, look effortlessly elegant on display, and offer a canvas for minimal yet artistic decoration. Whether finished with pressed florals, glossy ganache, or a scattering of berries, slab cakes are the cool-girl alternative to the classic tiered confection.
Dome Cakes
One of the most fun wedding cake trends on the list, dome cakes offer a unique and a modern flair that's especially perfect for smaller gatherings. Dome cakes unique shape not only stands out on dessert tables but also can add an quirky artistic touch to any tablescape. We've seen all sorts of gorgeous designs to those covered with fruit or flowers, to darling bow designs.
Donut Hole "Croquembouche"
Donut-lovers, here's another small cake alternative for you! A twist on the traditional French Croquembouche, donut holes piled high are not only visually gorgeous and make a fun addition to your dessert table, they're a delicious crowd-pleasing option!
Single Serve and Mini Wedding Cakes
While love the drama of a big multi-tier wedding cake, single serve wedding cakes can make for an equally gasp-worthy option! If you aren't familiar, single-serve means that your guests each receive their very own miniature wedding cake, rather than a slice of a larger cake, and work really well for smaller weddings. These delicate delights are works of art in their own right, so display them individually, or arrange them in tiers to look like a regular wedding cake shape.
Wedding Meringues & Pavlovas
No matter what season you choose to have your wedding, a pavlova or meringue wedding cake works for them all. For a winter wedding, choose fruits like apples, oranges, pears, and rhubarb and for a summer wedding try mangoes, apricots, lychees, and all sorts of seasonal berries. Add some edible flowers for a spring touch, or top with leafy details for an autumn celebration.
Choux Tower
A wedding choux tower, also known as a croquembouche, is a spectacular and elegant French dessert made from profiteroles (cream puffs) that are artfully stacked into a tall, conical shape. The tower is created by assembling dozens (sometimes hundreds) of choux pastry puffs, each filled with vanilla pastry cream, Chantilly cream, or chocolate mousse. The puffs are “glued” together using caramel or spun sugar, which hardens and keeps the tower intact.
Traybake Towers
Traybake towers are not only mouth-wateringly good, they are a great budget-friendly option for small weddings too. So, if you can't choose between brownies, rocky road, lemon drizzle or raspberry sponge squares, why not serve them all! These can act as a relatively simple wedding DIY project for a friend of family member, with the key being really great signage and styling. Alternatively most good bakers now offer this as an option.
Ice-cream Cake
Who says your wedding cake has to be a cake at all? Ice-cream wedding cakes are quietly gaining popularity at small weddings and we can totally see why! This tiered ice cream with berry drizzle cake is just dreamy, and those ice-cream sandwiches will certainly impress your guests! A great talking point at the reception table, this alternative wedding cake idea can be as simple or as fancy as you please.
Wedding Cheese Cakes & Cheese Boards
For a savoury treat tiered wedding cheese cakes can be disassembled and used as an after dinner cheeseboard or as a tasty small wedding cake alternative. If you want to know how to create your own wedding cheese cake we have the full instructions and tips all ready for you.
Our Top Tips for Cakes and Desserts for Small Weddings
- If you love the idea of a small cake or a dessert treat option, there are lots of professional bakers who offer beautiful options. Check out our recommended Irish wedding cake bakers here.
- Get creative with the decoration on your small cake or confection - you still want it to look special. Fresh flowers, pressed flowers, a cool cake topper, macarons, gilded fruit and even candy all work well.
- Think about how your small wedding cake or dessert will be displayed, you don't want it to look lost on a big table. Talk to your venue about the best place to display it, a side table, on a high cake stand, with some family photos or as part of a bigger dessert display are all good ideas.
- Let them eat cake! While there is often a whole tier left over with a bigger cake, if you're opting for a single tier cake or smaller dessert table options, you do want to make sure you have enough to go around. Talk to your baker about how many guests your cake, tower or pies will feed, and opt for some additional cupcakes, brownies or cookies if you think you'll be short.
- Just because the confection is small, doesn't mean you have to forego the cutting of the cake (unless you want to that is!), if you like the tradition, grab knife and go at it!
From the latest cake trends to delicious dessert ideas check out the rest of our great cake posts.
