Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make a Simple Groom’s Cake + Boho Cake Ideas
When my husband and I got married in the year 2003, he requested a cheesecake for his groom’s cake. We actually had three cakes; one a flowery traditional layered cake, one a cupcake cake and one a cheesecake.
I wanted to make sure there was plenty for all our guests as I had been to a wedding in the past where they ran out of cake! That was disappointing for me and many others, but I learned what not to do for any special event in my future. People like to eat cake at weddings, so you should try to include it (and plenty of it) if you can.
We love how the cheesecake turned out!
Adding a simple groom’s cake is an easy and inexpensive way to make sure you have enough cake at your wedding. In this article, I’ll give you some alternative ideas for a simple groom’s cake (if you buy a grocery store version, make it yourself or have a family or friend make it, it will save you money!) and explain how I made my latest creation, a boho inspired DIY cheesecake for my husband’s birthday (which gave me groom’s cake vibes!). There are plenty of simple groom’s cake ideas out there and we’ve also put together a list for you.
Our pups joined in the birthday celebrations!
According to Brides.com, “a groom’s cake is simply a wedding cake entirely influenced by the groom’s tastes, hobbies and personality”. The wedding between Tommy (my now husband) and myself was not all about me, as many traditional weddings are all about the bride. What about the groom? Or, what about a wedding in which no one is the “groom”? A marriage is between two people, so if both want to be included in the details, they should.
I included him on everything and wanted his feedback. He mostly wanted me do my creative thing (and I DIY’ed a lot of our wedding, but of course), but he did have some requests.
The finished boho cheesecake design
Tommy wanted a cheesecake for his groom’s cake and I loved it. Many people loved it too. When I was making cakes as a side-hustle while being an art teacher, I had several fun requests for groom’s cakes. I made an “Operation” style cake that looked like the game itself with personal touches made especially for the groom that was studying to be a doctor. I made a UofK football stadium, a Maker’s Mark style drip cake (see it and some of my cake designs here) and more. But Tommy loves simplicity, so a cheesecake it was.
A donut groom’s cake alternative idea
Cheesecake makes a great alternative cake that is very simple and delicious. You can make one yourself or buy one from a store. You can leave it plain, or add chocolate covered strawberries like my husband’s groom’s cake had.
Our video reveal of the cheesecake in 7 seconds via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden or below:
There are many websites that say the groom’s family pays for the groom’s cake, but theknot.com says it’s expected for the bride to pay for the cake. Either way, if you are trying to save money for your wedding, making it yourself or having a relative or friend make one can be a cost-effective wedding strategy for both sides.
Macarons are held in place with a bit of icing under each one while on a tiered cake stand
Groom’s cake alternative ideas include:
Cheesecake (You could seriously buy a frozen one and as long as it tastes good and you remove it from the store packaging, including the tin, no one will know it wasn’t homemade if you don’t tell them.)
Brownie Cake (see mine in this quick video on my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden)
Cookie Cake
Macaron Tower
Donut Tower
Candy Bar
A cute cookie cake is a great cake alternative
See more groom’s cake alternatives in this article on the Martha Stewart website here. Not everyone likes cake, so there is even a cheese wheel version of a “cake” that is a unique groom’s cake. For my husband’s recent birthday, we brought back the cheesecake idea. Last year I made him a gorgeous carrot cake adorned with sunflowers and oranges, representative of spring, baseball and his love of carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
Add a candle and a cheesecake becomes a birthday cake
See the sunflower cake I made for him in 2003 below in a 7 second video or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
I’ve made many varieties of cheesecakes over the years, and this year we did a plain cheesecake with fresh cherries and cute boho décor. I thought it’d make a nice idea for a groom’s cake or a simple birthday cake, as I came together very easily. Here’s how I did it.
See me put the cake together in the 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolyjbraden:
Simple Groom’s Cake Cheesecake Tutorial
Items I used to make this simple groom’s or birthday cake are as follows:
9-inch springform pan (I have a Wilton one from Amazon)
Cheesecake recipe (I love this cheesecake recipe by Ina Garten, which is an example of a perfect cheesecake recipe. You can omit the raspberry topping and the lemon zest if you want it to be a plain cheesecake)
Boho dried flower cake topper (I got mine on TEMU for around $8…just search using what I called it on their app and use code afe55197 at checkout for 30% off for new app users OR you can buy a similar one on Amazon here)
Cake décor ball set (I got mine set on TEMU for around $6, but here’s a similar set on Amazon)
Fresh cherries (my husband loves cherry cheesecake, and fresh cherries are even better!)
The cheesecake in a springform pan
Make or buy a 9-inch cheesecake. If making it, follow all the directions perfectly so you don’t end up with a dry and cracked cheesecake. If the cake doesn’t taste good or if there is not enough, people will remember!
A perfectly baked plain cheesecake is fine on it’s own too!
Place a few of the cake décor balls into the cake to create a “holding” place for the boho dried flower cake topper ring. The décor balls have wire attached to help hold them in place on the cake.
Before I added the cherries, it looked fine too!
Place the cake topper between the cake balls.
The back of the cheesecake
Add more balls until the topper is well secured and it looks how you want it to look.
Cake decorating tip: Be sure to make the back look as pretty as the front IF people are able to walk around it and see it from all angles.
The completed boho cheesecake
Lastly, I added a few fresh cherries and placed the rest in a bowl to spoon out onto slices as the cake was cut and served.
If you loved this article, we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make a Unicorn Kisses Flower Cake
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.