No Eggs, No Dairy, No Problem!
So, let’s talk about vegan wedding cakes!What are vegan wedding cakes, you ask? They’re the same as any other magical cakes, but it’s made without any animal products. There are so many egg and dairy replacements the market these days, so bakers have a wide selection of tools to choose from. Because it’s gotten so much easier, more and more “conventional” bakeries are starting to master the art of vegan baking, which is extremely helpful. There are also independent vegan bakeshops popping up all over the place- there’s a good chance you’ll find one near you! Your wedding cake is, of course, a big symbolic piece of your celebration – you need it to be delicious. Make sure to set aside time for ample tastings (fun!); I almost didn’t, hence the cautionary tale below.
(Just want to see the list of vegan-friendly bakers? Click here to skip on down!)
Shopping For Vegan Wedding Cakes: A Cautionary Tale
When I was an engaged bride-to-be, I dealt with a strange combination of characteristics throughout the planning process; on one hand, my passive, people-pleasing nature helped me steer clear of the cliche Bridezilla stereotype (angry, demanding, and pushy). On the other hand, I was a bit obsessive (to put it mildly) about every detail pertaining to the wedding food, because I felt I owed it to the animals to make the plant-based cuisine not just as good as, but better thanmost other wedding feasts out there.
My obsession didn’t end with dinner- my hunt for vegan wedding cakes was just as important. I wanted my guests to leave my wedding with a new appreciation for and curiosity about vegan eating, in hopes that they might consider including more cruelty-free options in their diet going forward. I knew the last bite they would take would likely be the cake, so it couldn’t be a failure.
Here’s where my cautionary tale comes in: I came very close to committing to a very mediocre cake. I only knew of one vegan bakery in town, so I assumed they’d be the right choice. They don’t specialize in wedding cakes, and their website didn’t seem to pay much attention to weddings at all. That should’ve been the first red flag. The photos of the vegan wedding cakes they’d made previously sort of looked like they were made in the 1980s, as though their cake decorator wasn’t aware of any decorating techniques that were discovered after the VHS release of Father of the Bride. That should’ve been the second red flag.
Alas, I mistakenly assumed that a fully vegan bakery would be far superior to conventional bakeries that claimed to be “able to” make vegan wedding cakes. I figured the non-vegan bakers wouldn’t care enough to put time and energy into experimenting with egg and dairy substitutes. And thus, over the course of a couple months, I bought three separate cakes made by the local vegan bakery. They don’t do tastings, so I had to pay full price for them all (another red flag). Each time I hoped they would just magically be better than the previous one. And yet, each one was lacking in flavor and was way more dense than a cake should be.
I found myself briefly doubting the quality plant-based food all together, wondering, “Is this just how vegan cake tastes? Do we really need chicken eggs to make fluffy, decadent baked goods? How have I never realized this before?” In retrospect, this thought was so silly; I’ve had countless vegan baked goods over the past decade- enough to know that there is zero sacrifice in texture and flavor if the chef knows what he or she is doing.I had simply been working with the wrong bakery.
Fortunately, after sample cake #3, the last email I received from the vegan bakery was surprisingly rude and dismissive, which promoted me to finally look elsewhere. We were getting dangerously close to the wedding by this time, so I began to panic. I flew through the pages of The Knot, emailing highly rated bakeries in hopes of finding one that would consider making a vegan cake! I was beyond pleasantly surprised to discover that four of the five bakers I wrote were experienced with vegan options, and a few even listed so on their websites. Sometimes I honestly forget how far the world has come; I had been so naive to think that in a progressive and relatively big city (Denver), it would be a challenge to acquire a cruelty-free cake!
I decided to do a tasting with The Cupcakes Gypsies, a local traveling bakery whose vibe I just really liked. Their website specifically noted that all of their many flavors could be made vegan, which made it clear that vegan options weren’t just an afterthought. I arranged a cupcake tasting and was blown away by the decadent perfection of every flavor they created. We ended up committing to a single two layer wedding cake (strawberry shortcake, covered in edible gold glitter) and nine dozen cupcakes (Candy Apple, Nutty Monkey, Stranahan’s Red Velvet, and Chocolate Truffle). All vegan, all delightful. So, the moral of this long story is: with any decision you make during the wedding planning process, don’t accept the first offer unless you’re blown away.
Without further ado, here is a list of vegan and vegan-friendly bakeries that can absolutely make your wedding cake and/or cupcakes! And, as my story indicates, I recommend sampling the goods from at least two bakeries before committing:
Note: This list is still a work in progress. To recommend a vegan-friendly bakery, please send details to ttkweddingtips@gmail.com!
Argentina:
Como Pez En El Agua (vegan-friendly)
Australia:
New South Wales:
My Little Panda Kitchen (fully vegan)
Socially Vegan Cakes (fully vegan)
Queensland:
Veganyumm (fully vegan)
Bakehouse BNE (fully vegan)
May & Mint Bakehouse (vegan-friendly)
Victoria:
Vegan Cakes (fully vegan)
Mad About Cakes (vegan-friendly)
Mister Nice Guy Bakeshop (fully vegan)
Blissful Cakes (vegan-friendly)
AB FAB Cakes (vegan-friendly)
Canada:
Alberta:
Whimsical Cake Studio (vegan-friendly)
Cookie Mama (vegan-friendly)
British Columbia:
Le Gateau (vegan-friendly)
Edible Flours (fully vegan)
Vogue Cakes (fully vegan)
The Sweet Tooth Cakery (vegan-friendly)
Cartem’s Donuts (vegan-friendly)
Two Daughters Bakeshop (fully vegan)
Ontario:
Tori’s Bakeshop (fully vegan)
Bunner’s Bakeshop (fully vegan)
Bloomer’s (fully vegan)
Lucia’s Vegan Catering (fully vegan)
Rashmi’s Bakery (vegan-friendly)
Sorelle & Co. (fully vegan)
Kelly’s Bake Shoppe (fully vegan)
Le Dolci (vegan-friendly)
Québec:
SophieSucrée (fully vegan)
Petit Lapin Pâtisserie (fully vegan and free of top 10 allergens)
Saskatchewan:
Bliss Cupcakes (vegan-friendly)
Costa Rica:
FCH Sweetness Cakes (fully vegan)
Estonia:
Bakery by Chef Sentjurin (fully vegan)
Germany:
Culinary Dots (fully vegan and raw)
Cactus and Caramel (fully vegan)
New Zealand:
Auckland:
Temptation Cakes (vegan-friendly)
Bay of Plenty:
Kex Specialty Kitchen (vegan-friendly)
United States:
California (Northern)
Fox and Fawn (fully vegan)
California (Southern)
Courtesan Cupcakes (fully vegan)
Chef Amy Loch (fully vegan)
Cup My Cakez (fully vegan)
Baby Love Sweetery (fully vegan)
Karma Baker (fully vegan)
Colorado:
Beet Box Bakery (fully vegan)
Cupcake Gypsies (vegan-friendly)
The Makery Cake Co. (vegan-friendly)
Make, Believe Bakery (fully vegan)
Florida:
Bunnie Cakes (fully vegan)
Ali’s Sweet Treats (fully vegan)
Delectable Delights (vegan-friendly)
Idaho:
Boise Bakery (vegan-friendly)
Indiana:
Sea Salt & Cinnamon (fully vegan)
Louisiana:
Shake Sugary (vegan-friendly)
Michigan:
Rise Grand Rapids (fully vegan)
New Jersey:
Ulala Foods (fully vegan)
New York:
Sweet Maresas (fully vegan)
North Carolina:
Blushing Bakery (vegan-friendly)
Oregon:
Back to Eden Bakery (fully vegan)
Pennsylvania:
Crust Vegan Bakery(fully vegan)
Batter and Crumbs (fully vegan)
Vegan Treats (fully vegan)
Tennessee:
Leeuw Bake Shop (fully vegan)
Texas:
Reverie Bakeshop (fully vegan)
The Rosemary Bakery (vegan-friendly)
Capital City Bakery (fully vegan)
United Kingdom:
Berkshire:
Tiny Sarah’s Cakes(fully vegan)
Greater London:
Cat Food Cakes (vegan-friendly)
Heart of Cake (fully vegan)
Tegan the Vegan (fully vegan)
Cat Food Cakes (vegan-friendly)
Hampshire:
Lucie Loves To Bake (vegan-friendly)
Hereford and Worcester:
Vic’s Vegan Bakes (fully vegan)
Scotland:
Naked Bakery (fully vegan)
Wales:
Eat Petite Bakery (fully vegan)
More options will be added soon! For additional plant-based culinary inspiration, check out my list of vegan-friendly caterers!
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