If you’re preparing for your wedding – or you’re simply a foodie on the lookout for the latest culinary trends – you will have already heard of the naked cake. Rid of its cream topping, this dessert lends itself to all kinds of decoration. Today, with the help of experts; Clara Jung, Mary Cherry, Little Cake Sisters and Louis Pâtissier we’re bringing you the 5 essentials for decorating your naked cake.
Mary Cherry says that “you can really let your imagination run free with the naked cake. Chocolate, vanilla, red berries, flowers, greenery…the naked cake is, by definition, very plain, so you must decorate it properly!”
If you do decide to go for the naked cake option, here are a few tips from Mary Cherry to get you started:
- Be very careful to un-mould the cake properly, you want the cake to be smooth without any holes as it won’t be covered in cream! There are several ways to make a naked cake: simply by alternately layering the cream and the sponge, or by setting, an additional thin layer of cream around the cake, called a “crumb coat” (to disguise any small imperfections);
- For the cream, it’s worth using one that holds fairly well so that the cake doesn’t flatten too much; you want lots of volume. But don’t panic if the cream flattens slightly between the layers of sponge, or if the cake isn’t perfectly smooth or level, what’s nice about the naked cake are precisely those raw aspects. The advantage of a naked cake its that’s its easy to do and the decoration is always very pretty!
- Don’t hesitate to form collections of fruit and flowers, not only on the top of the cake, but all around it.
Fresh Flowers
“The “true” naked cake, has a few imperfections, and is mainly decorated with real flowers that are in keeping with the bridal bouquet or wedding decoration,” the Little Cake Sisters explain. Roses, peonies, dahlias, hydrangeas, lilies…Follow your desires while incorporating the key flowers from your wedding theme. Rustic and provincial are two motifs that are particularly appropriate for decorating your naked cake. And the Little Cake Sisters’ finishing touch? A beautiful wooden topper for a bohemian theme to complete the look!
Check out our 60 Coolest Cake Toppers here.
Seasonal Fruits
For the 2017 season, Little Cake Sisters propose a novelty: We will keep on with the naked cake but cover it with a slightly thicker layer of cream. The sponge won’t be visible but the cream will be worked on as to give shape to the edge of the cake.” To decorate it, showcase your artistic – and culinary – talents with seasonal fruit!
Gourmet Treats
Ideal for a rustic wedding, the naked cake will adapt easily to any type of wedding: “fresh flowers or seasonal fruits usually decorate my naked cakes,” explains Clara Jung, but they can also be decorated with macarons or meringues to bring a unique and crunchy touch to the cake! And why not mix the two? Everything is possible according to the wishes of the bride and groom!
Succulent plants
These plants, overlooked as floral decoration just a few years ago, are making a strong comeback in 2017, and will undoubtedly be a part of the most beautiful wedding trends for next year. They are perfectly adapted to wedding decoration; requiring little maintenance while adding a fanciful touch like no other.
Leaves, twigs and other elements borrowed from Nature
Of course the emphasis at a wedding is on the flowers, however brushwood, twigs and other foliage can enhance different elements of your wedding, producing a very subtle effect: the ceremony, chairs, tables…and the naked cake! Economical and original, this is the option to consider if you want to bring a unique touch to your wedding décor.
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