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• wedding cake
  wedding cake

  noun

  a white cake, traditionally in tiered layers, covered with white icing and decorated.
• wedding-cake
  wedding-cake

  adjective

  highly ornate or overly elaborate.

wedding cake

¹ American  

noun

• wedding cakes
  plural

1. a white cake, traditionally in tiered layers, covered with white icing and decorated.

2. (in England) a fruit cake, similar in appearance.

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wedding-cake ² American  

[wed-ing-keyk] / ˈwɛd ɪŋˌkeɪk /

adjective

1. highly ornate or overly elaborate.

   wedding-cake architecture.

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wedding cake British  

noun

1. a rich fruit cake, with one, two, or more tiers, covered with almond paste and decorated with royal icing, which is served at a wedding reception

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• wedding cakes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wedding cake¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Origin of wedding-cake²

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wedding cake wedding-cake

Beware of buttercream - this popular wedding cake ingredient is likely to melt if not kept cool.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

At least one commissioned a wedding cake in the shape of it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

The two were deep in conversation about olive oil, wedding cake and other culinary matters, while nearby his co-star Lionel Boyce leaned in for a huddle with “The Studio” co-creator Seth Rogen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

This is not a wedding cake; it’s a celebration among friends.

From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2026

Together they stood on the sidewalk and gazed at the wedding cake in the window.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

No. The Catholic priest who conducted our marriage preparation mentioned that the purpose of the wedding-cake cutting was to inaugurate the domestic life of the new couple.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Not just standard wedding-cake topper, 1990s romantic-comedy love, but inclusive love.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

On a summer afternoon before the crowds arrive, it’s utterly serene, a reflection of Salzburg’s wedding-cake grace.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 2022

The southeastern German state now manages 45 palaces, including the wedding-cake piles of King Ludwig II, who essentially abandoned his royal duties to build some of Europe’s most ornate castles.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2020

There was a strange rumour in Highbury of all the little Perrys being seen with a slice of Mrs. Weston’s wedding-cake in their hands: but Mr. Woodhouse would never believe it.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen