“Naked” Wedding Cakes | Inside Out Wedding Cake
Inside Out Wedding Cake
Nude isn’t just for bland wedding color schemes anymore (and it’s not for getting married without clothes, either!) These days, “naked” wedding cakes are all the rage. Also known as “inside out” cakes, these wedding confections put their icing on the inside–and show an honest, clean, simple exterior.
In a world where couples’ matrimonial cakes sometimes seem like they’re competing for the most tiers and biggest sugar sculptures, a naked cake can really stand out. Simple and unpretentious, the lack of icing is an elegant statement about minimalism and straightforwardness. Plus, a naked cake looks just unusual enough to catch guests’ attention and become the focal point of the dessert table.
Demand Perfection
While naked wedding cakes seem, at first glance, to be simpler creations than their traditionally iced counterparts, they come with their own set of challenges. Cake icing, after all, is a time-honored way of smoothing over cakes’ imperfections. With no icing layer to hide behind, naked cakes must be smooth and perfect on their own. It takes a skilled baker to achieve the smooth, flawless texture of each cake layer, knowing that nothing will come between it and its audience.
Fit the Wedding Theme
While naked wedding cakes are an obvious match with rustic wedding themes, they aren’t limited to receptions that take place in converted barns and sunny meadows. Because of their understated simplicity, naked cakes are also a good match with chic, modern weddings. If your bridal gown is a white sheath and your wedding venue boasts large windows and smooth surfaces, a perfect cake unburdened by outer icing is a gorgeous complement.
Regardless of your theme, a naked wedding cake is a bold, eye-catching way of showing off your wedding colors. Alternate layers with different colors of cake batter so that the body of your cake itself acts as a display for your wedding color palette. (This works best for weddings based around red, white, and earth tones.) Red velvet is an especially striking choice. Want to really run with the idea of a colorful cake? Try an inside out rainbow wedding cake.
Decorate the Inside Out Wedding Cake
Just because naked cakes don’t go overboard with icing decorations, it doesn’t mean you have to skip the artistic touches entirely. In fact, decorating a naked cake can be incredibly challenging and fun because the process is all about finding the perfect small touch. The idea is to highlight what makes the cake special instead of hiding it behind decorations.
Fresh fruits and flowers are popular decorations for naked cakes because they continue the “natural” theme. Combine colorful fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries to give a plain white cake more visual appeal. For a cake with strong hues in the batter, complement its colors with plain white roses or orchids interspersed throughout the layers.
To give a tall, plain cake a more complex look, try cascading small bunches of champagne grapes or jasmine flowers down from each layer. Just be careful not to cover up too much of the cake itself–that’s the real star of the show.
Celebrate the Meaning
Naked cakes are, at their core, all about honesty and openness. Unlike a regular wedding cake that douses its shape under piles of icing, a naked wedding cake stands proudly on the dessert table saying, “Look at me!” Even with a slightly uneven edge or two, the naked wedding cake holds court over the other desserts and seems to know how delicious it is.
In its essence, the same comfort and confidence apply to a healthy marriage. Nobody is perfect, and yet you and your partner have found each other and want to bind your lives together despite a small imperfection or two.
Whether they’re found on cakes or human beings, it’s the uneven edges that make us real (and interesting). You know you’ve found a good life partner when you can stand in front of him in all your honest glory and know he sees you with eyes of love.