15 Engagement Party Cakes Ideal for Sweet Celebrations
Updated: Nov. 27, 2023
You've decided on forever! Before you start wedding planning, take some time to celebrate. These engagement party cakes will make the festivities all the sweeter.
Champagne Cake
Bring out the bubbly! Beyond opening a few bottles of champagne to serve at the party, you can also use a splash in your dessert. Champagne cake has a hint of the sparkling wine flavor guests love. Top this engagement party cake with pearly or metallic sprinkles for an extra festive touch.
Also, if you want to make a cake that’s just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside, a surprise cake is just the ticket.
Strawberry Heart-Topped Cake
It takes just a few extra cuts to transform sliced strawberries into heart-shaped confections. Layer these on top of any frosted cake, though this strawberry jam cake seems like the ideal base for this decoration.
Wondering what presents you can get for the happy couple? Offer to make their engagement party cake or check out these gifts for engaged couples.
Chocolate on Chocolate Cake
While an ethereal white cake may be a popular choice for bridal showers, engagement parties and weddings, we know that some couples just prefer chocolate.
At your celebration, don’t be shy: Layer on the cocoa! Go for chocolate buttercream, chocolate curls and even crushed chocolate candies. This decadent mocha cake uses chocolate-covered coffee beans as decoration.
Coconut-Covered Cake
Give a nod to the lacy wedding gown to come by covering your cake in shredded or flaked coconut. Try this easy decorating technique on our top-rated coconut cake or Ina Garten’s favorite coconut cake.
Naked Cake
While nothing will ever replace a highly decorated wedding cake, there is something to be said about the growing appeal of naked cakes. These cakes are lightly frosted on the outside, which allows your guests to see through to the layers of cake inside.
If you’re thinking about this style for your wedding day, giving this cake a test run during an engagement party is a great idea.
Rose Swirl Cake
Engagement party cakes have never looked so rosy! To give a layer cake this flowery finish, break out the piping bag and a large star tip. Once you get into the flow of piping buttercream flowers, decorating this cake will go quickly—and the result is as stunning as a bridal bouquet.
Floral Cake
Flowers aren’t just for the wedding day bouquet and boutonniere. You can use edible flowers to decorate engagement party cakes. Take this finish to the next level by creating candied flowers that look dazzling under candlelight.
Sprinkle-Covered Cake
Confetti cakes may be the purview of kids’ parties, but there’s no denying the whimsy that a handful of sprinkles can give a dessert.
To add a splash of fun to engagement party cakes, stir sprinkles right into the buttercream. As you smooth out the icing while you frost the cake, the sprinkles will emerge.
Ombre Frosted Cake
Give your loved ones a preview of your wedding day color scheme with an ombre frosted cake. Use any layer cake you like as the base and then tint the buttercream with various levels of food coloring.
As you ice the cake—we recommend using a cake turntable or Lazy Susan for this—the different hues will start to blend together nicely.
Ganache Drip Cake
Drip decorations are more popular than ever on cakes. A rich chocolate ganache dip is a great way to add drama to a layer cake. You can also use white chocolate to make ganache and tint it whatever shade you like. This confetti drip cake is a great example of how you can add color.
Classic Wedding Cake—But Smaller
Engagement party cakes can absolutely be a scaled-down version of the cake you plan to serve at your wedding. In fact, your party is a great time to sample cakes from a great local bakery. If you prefer homemade, you can’t go wrong with a classic vanilla cake.
Decorated Bundt Cake
We may have Nothing Bundt Cakes to thank for the growing popularity of Bundt cakes at festive celebrations. At Taste of Home, we’re here for it!
Bundt cakes are stunning on their own thanks to highly decorative pans. Add some frosting or ganache to the mix and you’ve got a showstopping dessert that deserves to be front and center at your party.
Regional Cakes
If you and your fiance come from different parts of the country (or even the globe), your engagement party is the perfect venue for showing off your roots. Bake up your favorite regional treats—after all, two cakes are better than one!
Some of our favorites at Taste of Home include Southern hummingbird cake, St. Louis gooey butter cake, Appalachian stack cake and Michigan bumpy cake.
Classic Cupcakes
Want to save the cake cutting for your wedding day? Serve up cupcakes as your engagement party dessert. Vanilla bean cupcakes are a classic, but we have dozens of other fun cupcake recipes in our library to choose from.
And don’t forget to add a cupcake pan to your wedding registry! You’ll want it for stirring up everything from muffins to bite-sized quiches.
Individual Cakes in a Jar
This unique treat will likely be a novelty for your guests. To make these single-serve treats, bake your go-to cake recipe in a 13×9 pan. Cube it up and layer it into a jar with plenty of frosting and maybe a few sprinkles. Take a few tips from this red velvet jar cake recipe.
Originally Published: February 07, 2023
