Groom’s cakes add an extra flavor to your dessert hour, and if you choose a fun and playful groom’s cake theme – we hear that everything Avengers is big right now – the groom’s personality also gets to shine. Guests will say, “Oh, that’s so him!” of the creative cake he’s chosen or designed. That’s right…more grooms are designing their specialty cakes, rather than picking a photo out of a baker’s portfolio. They’re making sketches, requesting flavors, adding some surprise elements, like a sugar paste villain getting trounced by the superhero on the second tier. Groom’s cakes are wildly in demand now, with TheWeddingReport.com saying 24.2% of all weddings now feature this specialty-themed cake…and grooms (and brides!) are having a lot of fun working with their baker on this confection, as well as the wedding cake, cupcakes and other baked bites. So what’s your groom’s cake style? To help you out, here are the top categories of groom’s cake design inspirations:

1. Childhood Favorites

We’re talking Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, Ninja Turtles, Chewbakka – the good guys your guy loved. The ones who might have been the design of their sheets when they were little boys and are now, again, a big part of their lives.

2. Sports

The football fan could go literal with a football cake, but if that’s too supermarket style for your guy, there’s also the jersey of his favorite player and hero, or an entire football stadium, complete with a little sugar paste him catching the game-winner in the end zone. Baseball, soccer, hockey…you name the sport, a cake can be created for it.

3. Hobbies

In the past, there were pretty much two main hobby-themed cakes for guys: a bass for the fishing enthusiast, and a golf bag. Now, cakes can be video game consoles, drum sets, and items from their favorite movie (like a gun and some cannolis.)

4. Alma Mater

A big red R for Rutgers, the blue UNC logo…wherever they went to school, or where the two of you met, it can be the cake’s theme. And then the same logo is used to decorate the cupcakes surrounding the cake.

5. Your Pet

Man’s best friend gets a special honor as your groom’s confection for the big day.

6. What the wedding cake isn’t…

No theme at all. Nope. Nothing cute, fun, or playful. They just wanted an all-chocolate cake, or a rum-soaked cake, or something rich, decadent, dark, the antithesis to the bride’s choice of all-white wedding cake. My Aisle Files tip: If you can’t agree on a single wedding cake style, get them both, and make one the groom’s cake. If you’re on a budget, it can be smaller than the traditional white wedding cake, but it gives your groom the chance to style his own choice of cake his way, or share with you the creation of your Cake #2. Share your groom’s cake ideas with us in the comments section below or on Facebook.