Naked Wedding Cakes – A Guide
Naked, or un-iced cakes are becoming increasingly popular. Here we look at all aspects of choosing the perfect naked cake for your big day!
Naked Cakes are a great accompaniment to a more relaxed, rustic, or ‘back to nature’ style wedding. Not everyone likes the sweetness of traditional icing, and if you are planning to serve your wedding cake as the dessert course, a naked cake makes a particularly good choice. The cakes are often decorated with fresh berries, and these, served with a slice of the cake and some pouring cream, make a simple but delicious dessert.
Top points to consider about naked cakes:
- If your reception is being held in a marquee in summer, you may want to discuss with your cake maker the effects of temperature on you naked cake.
- Always use a cake maker experienced in making these types of cake, and who will deliver and set up the cake themselves, at your venue on the day. Naked cakes transport better as individual tiers, as there is no icing to ‘stick’ them together. Assembling them is a skilled process!
- Fillings will usually be buttercream with the possible addition of a preserve. Fresh cream is not suitable, as it would not support multiple tiers, and would need to be kept refrigerated at all times – not possible when the cake is on display! If you do have jam in between your cake layers, it will have a tendency to ooze out, and run down the sides of the cake. That’s a look that can be mouth wateringly attractive, but only if you want it to be that way! If you don’t want that look, but still crave the flavour of a quality fruit preserve, there are ways to keep it hidden – ask for advice.
- Dry weather will tend to dry the surface of a naked cake, as there is no coating of icing to contain the moisture in the cake. Drying can be avoided by careful planning of delivery times, and correct packaging during transportation. Recipes can also be adjusted to help keep the cake moist, taking into account factors such as how long the cake will be on display, and the weather forecast.
Choosing to ditch the icing does not mean your cake will lack style or appeal! Browse some examples of naked wedding cakes here.
