The nice thing about them is that if you're not an expert in covering a cake with fondant this may be the way to go.
So next time you have a birthday cake or celebration cake, go 'natural' and try your hand at making a naked cake.
There are a couple ways to make your naked cake a success:
-Add something to it. Fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or any other berry between the layers. Keep it natural looking. The best naked cakes have that natural, organic look.
Choose beautiful fresh looking fruit.
-Colours and flavorings. Pick a flavor that you'd like, but keep in mind that a white cake might not look as good naked. Pick cakes that have some colour such as carrot, hummingbird, red velvet, lemon, chocolate. And keep in mind what you're going to garnish and add to it.
But do make sure that all the flavorings go together. Your cake has to taste good as well as look good naked.
-Keep your butter cream or frosting or whatever you are layering with even. Make sure that every layer has the same amount and don't over do it. Make it a good stiff butter cream. IF you are adding a fruit filling make sure that you are adding a nice big dam around the outside of the layer and then add the fruit filling. If you don't it's all just run out over the sides. Remember that there isn't any fondant to keep everything in its place.
-Keep the temperature in mind.... we all know that a humid day or an outside wedding will reek havoc on a butter cream cake. Remember this when planning your naked cake.
-Don't stack early--Keep everything nice and fresh looking. Stack your cakes as late as possible.
-Make sure all your cakes are the same height! Use a cake leveler if you have too, but you want nice clean lines. Again this goes for the filling--keep it all the same depth.
-Trim..if you want..When you bake your cakes you always have a darker layer around the outside. This can be trimmed- maybe not all of it or any of it depending on the look you want.
Here are some nice pictures (they are not my cakes).
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I like this one, I think it's whimsical and would make a lovely birthday cake.
Like making any other cake the variety and imagination to making a naked cake is unlimited. Have fun with it and experiment.
Got a naked cake that you've done? Post it here.
Thanks for reading,
Christina
Christina Lapointe
