Cakes By Season

Nothing says winter quite like snow and ice. This four-tier cake is whimsical but elegant at the same time, says Foley. Pearlescent appliqués punctuate the crisscross impressions on this fondant-covered delight.

Cake by

Colette Foley

This cake's crystal embellishments are not only elegant, they're edible too-they're made from molded sugar.

Ron Ben-Israel

The henna-inspired piping add a subtle nod to India, while keeping the color palette subdued.

Masse's Pastries

This decadent stacked cheesecake is topped with whipped cream icing, frosted snowflakes and real pine cones.

Cake by

Heavenly Cheesecakes & Chocolates

This cold weather confection is dark without being somber, thanks to whimsical and airy sugar flowers.

Cake by

Confetti Cakes

Pearl piping isn't the only jewelry motif on this classic cake, it also takes inspiration from Tiffany & Co.'s robin's egg blue boxes wrapped with a simple white bow.

Cake by

Butterfly Cakes

This whimsical design was covered in hand-rolled white chocolate pearls that were dusted with opalescent powder for a snowball effect.

Cake by

Cakework

These billowing tiers of snow white hydrangeas are a light counterpoint to geometric layers of cake.

Cake by Town & Country Market; Washington, 206-842-0112.

Hand-piped fiddlehead ferns create a tapestry-like covering on this winter blue cake.

Cake by

Christine Dahl Pastries

For a non-traditional yet delicious cake-covering, this ganache-topped pillar was dotted with hand-made truffles.

Cake by

April Reed Cake Design

Blue hand-piped scrollwork adds an icy touch to this winter wedding cake.

Cake by

Jim Smeal

This cool, mod design is fit for a fashion-forward couple.

Cake by

Cakegirls.

Well-placed sugar tulips look just like the real thing!

Cake by

Cakes to Remember

I wanted this cake to be fresh and sophisticated," says Archana Rao of Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Brooklyn, N.Y. "It's very Carrie Bradshaw with the oversize bloom." The lifelike peony curled around this three-tier cake is simple yet oh-so-chic.

Cake by

Sweet Melissa Patisserie

Give a chic white cake a burst of color with bright blooms in different hues.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

White fondant, green fondant ribbon and gumpaste hellebores dress up this two-tier confection of sour cream pound cake with blood orange buttercream filling.

Cake by

Petal Crafts

Before launching Confetti Cakes, New York City baker Elisa Strauss designed textiles for Polo Ralph Lauren, which might explain her inspiration for this four-tier delight: a swatch of floral-patterned fabric. The cake, iced in chocolate and vanilla rolled fondant and decorated with flowers and twigs of royal icing, also features a sugar-dough border.

Cake by

Confetti Cakes

Contrasting colors carry a theme and add instant drama. The inside of this tuxedo cake alternates chocolate and vanilla layers with raspberry cream. Faux "wrought iron" lends an air of importance, says cake designer Ron Ben-Israel.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

New York City cake-maker Colette Peters, whose clients include Sting and Whoopi Goldberg (as well as President Bush and Bill Clinton), says the idea for this old-fashioned design-covered in rolled fondant and accented with royal-icing bluebells and cattails made of sugar dough-arose from etchings of 19th-century pastries she'd seen in books.

Cake by

Colette's Cakes

Susan Morgan's California bakery may be called Elegant Cheese Cakes, but this confection is all about white chocolate, from the fondant icing and handcrafted ferns to the pink dogwoods and blue forget-me-nots. "I love placing a surprise on top," says the designer of the cake's crowning achievement: a tiny chocolate bird's nest.

Cake by

Elegant Cheese Cakes

"I think the carefree movement of a butterfly evokes springtime and brings the feeling of fantasy to mind," says Cheryl Kleinman of Brooklyn, N.Y., who covered this four-tier tower with rolled fondant and accented it with dainty butterflies crafted from sugar paste. To make the creatures lifelike, Kleinman embossed their wings with tiny veins, then added a sugary shimmer.

Cakes by

Cheryl Kleinman Cakes

Fuchsia and neon orange daisies line this cheery cake, fit for a garden party wedding.

Cake by

Cakeline.

For a seasonal cake topper, a bride and groom were replaced with a couple of songbirds.

Cake by

Lovin Sullivan Cakes.

Butterflies lend a beautiful touch to this floral fantasy.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

Cascading gum paste daisies make an fuss-free statement on this pale pink cake.

Cake by

Carrie's Cakes.

A pair of ladybugs are not only a whimsical embellishment, they're also good luck charms.

Cake by

Montclair Baking

The intricate lace details (inspired by the bride's gown) and hand-piped monogram on this cake are enhanced with vibrant pink and fuschia flowers that matched the bride's bouquet.

Cake by

Sedona Cake Couture

Spice up a simple white cake with titled layers, alternating shapes and colorful spring blooms.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

The cheery paisley pattern is a fashion-forward take on the season's colorful blooms.

Cake by

Sweet Melissa Patisserie

For this confection, Brenda and Mary Maher of Cakegirls created a baroque arrangement of shells on a simple monochromatic cake iced with fondant, since its thick consistency stands up better than buttercream to warm weather. The Mahers made these intricate treasures by pressing fondant into molds of actual scallop, clam and snail shells; faint lines of peach-colored iridescent powder add detail to each mollusk.

Cake by

Cakegirls

This three hexagonal tier confection is dressed up with rolled, pale cantaloupe-colored fondant, white dots of royal icing and a cascade of individually applied sugar-dough orchids.

Insider Tip: These are sugar flowers, but fresh dendrobium orchids are an excellent choice for cakes because they aren't quick to wilt.

Cake by

Confetti Cakes

For an elegant take on the bamboo torches and huts found at tropical locales, the Mahers rendered this minimalist interpretation by hand-shaping dozens of fondant reeds in varying lengths. The bakers then notched the stalks and affixed them in alternating directions to tiers of two different heights.

Cake by

Cakegirls

Adored for her feminine silhouettes and touchable textures, the N.Y.C. designer dreamed up this three-tier culinary masterpiece, inspired by a frothy watercolor-print dress, dubbed Pastel Garden with Flower, from her collection. "Their cake is the couple's moment to show their style, what their taste is. It's something everybody can enjoy," Reese says.

Cake by

Ruth Drennan Cakes

Layers of butter cake are brushed with clear creme de cacao and filled with fresh raspberries encased in white-chocolate buttercream. The cake is topped in smooth Italian buttercream and decorated with fresh raspberries, buttercream vines and fondant leaves. The finishing touch: a shaving of white chocolate served with each slice, which Smeal says is an easy way to add extra sophistication.

Cake by

Jim Smeal

Soft pastel summer flowers in sugarpaste adorn this simple fondant cake dressed with white chocolate "pearls" for an intimate summer evening reception.

Cake by

Sedona Cake Couture

The vibrant color contrast of turquoise and orange dahlias creates a Moroccan tile feel.

Cake by

apieceofcakesb.com

Working in a palette of seawater blues, the Mahers envisioned this round, three-tier delight-with its obvious nod to fashion icon Emilio Pucci-as a funky swirling surf. The pair crafted the thick rolling waves from fondant, accenting each with iridescent sheen, and piped the delicate bubbles in royal icing.

Cake by

Cakegirls

Layers of light, lemon-flavored buttermilk cake alternate with lemon-meringue buttercream and fresh blueberries. It's a perfect choice for summer, though you don't have to wed in June to serve it. "In the U.S. blueberries grow from May to July," says baker Jim Smeal, of Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal in Charleston, S.C, who created Reese Witherspoon's wedding cake. "But now you can get almost anything you want any time of year, if you pay a little bit more."

Cake by

Jim Smeal

Soft fondant draping combined with jewel-tone sugar roses on offset square tiers offer a modern, yet romantic look.

Cake by

Sedona Cake Couture

Panels of fondant were painted to mimic birch bark.

Cake by

Gateaux Inc.

This artistic cake's untraditional square tiers are covered in abstract fondant leaves.

Cake by

Buttercream Studio

The inspiration for this cake's coloring was a seasonal favorite: pumpkin.

Cake by

Chocolaz Artisan Cakes

Boldly colored blooms instantly add style.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

Figs were both the color and design inspiration for this slender, stacked cake,

Cake by

Couture Cakes

An iconically autumn design, the assorted fondant leaves are reminiscent of maple sugar candy.

Cake by

Christine Dahl Cakes

A high-impact apricot colored flower gets all the attention with this dramatic cake design.

Cake by

Sweetest Perfections

The centerpiece of this traditional white cake is a folk art-inspired tree.

Cake by

Buttercream Studio

Vibrant blooms liven up simple yellow, oval-shaped confection.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

Sugar paste ferns, acorns and flower clusters bring a simple three-tier round cake back to nature. "This cake has a woodland feel," says Foley. "It reminds me of hiking in Vermont during the fall."

Cake by

Colette Foley

Ribbons and bows add a colorful and decorative element without being ultra-feminine, thanks to a muted palette.

Cake by

Take the Cake.

Vibrant autumn colors brighten up this stunning silver and white confection.

Cake by

Ron Ben-Israel

The Italian shoe designer's appropriately named collection, The Love Garden, is a fanciful interpretation of an Eden where "passions blossom." "I was looking for a way to combine electric colors from the outdoors with an old-world setting," says Caovilla, describing his Lucky Shoe Wedding Cake.

Cake by

Margaret Braun