A Modern Take on Vintage Lambeth Cakes Features Delicate Wedding Flair

Five different vintage-style Lambeth cakes at wedding cake shoot with delicate details

Trends

Nostalgic charm is evoked with four show-stopping and mouth-watering creations exploring a timeless style.

Published:

California Wedding Day Fall/Winter 2024

Lambeth cakes, named after their creator, Joseph Lambeth, were all the rage when they first graced the wedding scene in the 1930s. The artistic technique features intricately piped royal icing details that range from scrolls and garlands to dots and ribbons, exquisitely layered to create depth and beauty. Four of California Wedding Day’s Best in Cake finalists bring this vintage style into the 21st century.

Lelé Pâtisserie

Based in sunny Santa Barbara, chef Lele Miranda was introduced to the Lambeth style of piping at The French Pastry School in Chicago. “I instantly fell in love,” says Miranda. “The style is so versatile and fun, with all the different textures and colors. I hope it’s a trend that sticks around because I’m not ready to give it up. I never will!” Miranda’s beauty in blue is a single, tall-tiered cake that perfectly exhibits stunning simplicity. Lele Patisserie also bakes heart-shaped Lambeth cakes that are perfect for adorning with text, such as “Just Married” or a couple’s monogram in royal icing.

CocoaBerry Cake Co.

With sugar as her medium, Ioana Miller of CocoaBerry Cake Co. in Orange County redefines the Lambeth cake with her artistic attention to detail and exquisite layering. Frosted in a mauve-tinted Swiss meringue buttercream, this confection’s luxurious look is heightened by candied pearls and rose-gold-dusted cherries.

Nicole Bakes Cakes

It’s safe to say that love is the secret ingredient in the confections created by Nicole Redd-McIntosh of Nicole Bakes Cakes in Los Angeles. Redd-McIntosh dreams up designs that are inspired by her couples, their love stories and everything pretty. This three-tiered vision, with layers of wreaths and bows, is an ode to romances of yore that’s been given a twist of modernity.

Laura Marie Cakes

Temecula’s Laura Westhoven of Laura Marie Cakes is known for her sculptural cakes, but her passion lies in the delicate flowers created with a palette knife. “I’ll adapt to trends but bring my own technique to the design,” says Westhoven. She brings a delicacy to this sweet two-tiered cake with the addition of a Lambeth-piped garland paired with her signature florals in Swiss meringue buttercream.