Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

"Naked" Wedding Cakes

Unfrosted wedding cakes - it sounds silly but FI & I think they're kind of cool. Of course, there are a ton of frosted cake options that I think are awesome as well. Just wondering what everyone else thinks about this. What's your opinion?

imageimage
image

Re: "Naked" Wedding Cakes

  • I think they are gorgeous!!!!  I also am one of those people that usually scrapes a lot of the frosting off of cake before I eat it anyway.  In my opinion, I think if people want cake they will eat it regardless - so go with what you love!
  • I find the ones pictured in your OP to look rather messy and pretty unappetizing, but the ones that @LittlePeachBlossom posted look yummy, but a bit casual. I mean, not that your cake has to match the "theme" of your wedding or anything, but it just makes me think of birthday party of casual garden party rather than wedding. I am also one that dislikes frosting, so taste-wise I like this, but I also like the idea of having a more heavily decorated cake.
  • I love how the naked cakes LOOK (I'm more a fan of the examples @LittlePeachBlossom posted), but... I love frosting. It's the best part of the cake, IMO, so I'd definitely be disappointed that there was about 50% less frosting than usual.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers
  • I'd miss the frosting--I love frosting.  As in, I'd eat it plain if I wasn't trying to get a few pounds off.  When I was in law school, and was tiny, I'd keep a jar in the fridge.  When I was stressed or wanted desert, I'd carefully measure out one teaspoon and slowly savor it.  Pure delight.

    That being said, I think it you love it, that's what matters.  I don't think it will photograph as well from a distance, but if it's your thing, go with what makes you happy.  It's your special day.  

    Another option to think about if you're into alternative cake options or don't love frosting...a crepe cake.

    image

    image
  • Thanks for all the opinions ladies! 

    Ironically I love frosting - but only dark chocolate frosting...as in, I will eat it straight from the jar - healthy, I know :-P Apparently the Internet hates the photos I posted. I get what people are saying about it looking messy. However, there is something about them that I am attracted to & I'm having trouble putting it into words. Perhaps it's that I think they're visually more interesting than the other ones I've seen. Someone else showed me something similar to the ones that @LittlePeachBlossom posted & said she liked that it looked simple, yet beautiful. So maybe I want something less simple, but a "cleaned up" version? I don't know. Just an idea. I have LOTS of time to decide on a cake!

    @atlastmrsg - my future step-daughter would DIEEE for that crepe cake!
    image
  • jacques27jacques27 member
    First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited August 2014
    1. I love frosting, so I am biased in that regard, admittedly.

    2.  While I know it's the "it" thing right now (I think it was Momofuku Milk Bar starting the trend most recently and know that basically everything David Chang is part of right now is the hot thing in basically all things culinary), and I could never, ever hate cake (I so love cake), I honestly think this particular trend already looks dated and a few years from now will look even more dated.  And by dated, I mean wood paneling and shag carpeting dated.  Also, in a lot of cases, I think comes off looking more messy than anything else.

    Now it's not like you're actually going to be hanging pictures of your cake on your wall and pulling out the photo album every night to look at it, so ultimately, it is just really important it be freakin' delicious.  But also, unless you're ordering from Momofuku, I present to you...
    http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2013/6/21/the-emperors-new-cakes.html (and yes, I know there are plenty of ways to wreck buttercream or fondant, too).

  • IMO, I think they're a mixed bag - logistically how the heck do they keep that thing from drying out? Even if they filled it that day - the thing is going to be sitting for at least 6 hours drying out. But honestly, I see them in pics and think "what an idiot for trying to DIY the cake and not having enough time to decorate it so they just gave up, threw some flowers/fruit on it and called it a day while trying to call it trendy..." And I vote DARK CHOCOLATE ICING!!! YUMMMM!!! I'll take that any day over not being able to have frosting! That'd also be different!!!
  • I like naked cakes, but not enough because ICING.
    image
  • jacques27 said:
    1. I love frosting, so I am biased in that regard, admittedly.

    2.  While I know it's the "it" thing right now (I think it was Momofuku Milk Bar starting the trend most recently and know that basically everything David Chang is part of right now is the hot thing in basically all things culinary), and I could never, ever hate cake (I so love cake), I honestly think this particular trend already looks dated and a few years from now will look even more dated.  And by dated, I mean wood paneling and shag carpeting dated.  Also, in a lot of cases, I think comes off looking more messy than anything else.

    Now it's not like you're actually going to be hanging pictures of your cake on your wall and pulling out the photo album every night to look at it, so ultimately, it is just really important it be freakin' delicious.  But also, unless you're ordering from Momofuku, I present to you...
    http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2013/6/21/the-emperors-new-cakes.html (and yes, I know there are plenty of ways to wreck buttercream or fondant, too).

    Oh those poor cakes... now I know to never try to make one.  Oh, wait - I am a frosting freak so there is no way I could go through with it.

    OP - I always wonder how you could keep them from drying out since they will be sitting out for hours.  And while I would never utter a word til I was in the car, I would silently lament the lack of frosting on my beloved piece of wedding cake.  It is my favorite part of the wedding food.

  • I found another pic of the the second cake with the chocolate part cut out of frame and it actually looks much better. As you can see though, the filling looks uneven in the top tier. These sort of cakes have to be very neat since you're not counting on the frosting to hide everything. Putting a ring of a thick cream filling on the outside edge would probably make it look pretty and even without sacrificing the filling desired. I think with a neat top and neat bottom tier, the middle could get away with looking like below.

    I didn't even think of the cake drying out. It's a good point to consider. Regarding the frosting, maybe you can have them put a dollop on each plate.


    image
  • When planning our wedding, I was attracted to many looks and ideas.  We reigned ourselves in by saying "What will we still like when we look at our pictures 10, 20, 30 years later?"  We decided against trends in favor of a more classic look that wouldn't go out of style.  Naked cakes will most certainly be something we cringe at in 10 years like puffed sleeves.
  • Meh, I'm not big on the concept. Plus the ones your posted photos of look messy IMHO. I just like me a regular frosted cake. Skip the fondant since I'll peel it off anyway (tastes like poo).
    *********************************************************************************

    image
  • I  can't love them. I love frosting however. If you do go with this make sure the place doing it gets your idea or it may look really messy. OR it may even fall apart depending on the type of cake they use.
  • jacques27 for the Cake Wrecks link. It's been ages since I've visited that blog and H & I just spent the last hour cracking up at the all the horrible cakes out there.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Image and video hosting by TinyPic
  • They might taste great, but the cakes in the photos you posted just don't look attractive.

    I'd stick with a frosted cake.
  • They are ugly, stark, and sloppy - they just don't seem right for a formal occasion. Or even for a casual wedding. They are just ugly.

    Like other posters have said, they are going to look dated soon. Ridiculously dated.

    I have eaten one, and it was dried out.
  • The only purpose of cake is the frosting. 

    An unfrosted cake dries out almost instantly, too.

    They're ugly, and they look like someone forgot to finish frosting and decorating them.

    Nope, I wouldn't do it.
  • We did a naked cake for our wedding. Ours stayed moist the whole time and our guests loved it, but it was also baked the morning of! I baked the cake, then decorated it with the help of a friend. We had so many compliments on it, even though it was so simple.

    It cost us about $20 total. It wasn't a big, fancy affair, mind you - but with powdered sugar, a sifter and some berries, you can get a pretty cake without much time or money spent. I've attached a photo of how ours looked.

    Best of luck in deciding!
  • edited June 2015
  • edited October 2014
    We did a naked cake for our wedding. Ours stayed moist the whole time and our guests loved it, but it was also baked the morning of! I baked the cake, then decorated it with the help of a friend. We had so many compliments on it, even though it was so simple.


    Your cake looks really great!

    But I think the tiered cakes that are more traditional wedding cakes look sort of "undone" naked. I have seen some where some icing was sort of smeared on the sides and they didn't look naked OR frosted.

    I also wonder about the cake drying out and maybe it would be more of an issue for a larger cake that presumably would have to be made at least the day before.

  • I think they look fabulous. 
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers
  • Unfrosted wedding cakes - it sounds silly but FI & I think they're kind of cool. Of course, there are a ton of frosted cake options that I think are awesome as well. Just wondering what everyone else thinks about this. What's your opinion?

    imageimage
    i really like the top option. my FI and i are still in the early stages of planning but i really love the naked cakes. i really would keep it to 3 layers maybe with a thin line of frosting at the top of each layer just to add a little touch of color.
    image
  • My fiance would love naked cakes. He doesn't like sweets that much.

     
  • It's an interesting choice, in theory.  The cakes remind me of what Marie Antoinette would've eaten back in her day.  
    They do look a bit on the messy side though, and you definitely don't want to serve a dried out cake. I also like the surprise of not seeing the layers until the cake is cut.  
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards