Dare to Bare: What Are Your Thoughts on Naked Wedding Cakes?

In my opinion, one of the best things about cake is the frosting so I wouldn't like a naked cake.

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Haha I agree! It's kind of interesting seeing how cakes look without it though.

I think it looks pretty don't think I'd ever do a full naked, maybe half so people had options.


However if it was the wedding day and knowing that the fancy cake I paid for didn't look how I wanted it. Oh I'd be mad. Lol
Purposely naked is good. "Oh shoot" naked is bad. 😂

My sister had a naked cake for her wedding 5 years ago and while it was pretty and tasted good, it was a bit rustic for me. I'm more clean and modern, as is my FH so a rustic cake just isn't my style.

I personally don't like naked cakes. Wedding cakes the actual cake is baked in advance and naked cakes tend to be too dry without the frosting to lock in the moisture.

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That's interesting! What do you think makes the cake look rustic?

I think I would like to eat "naked cake" as long as there is frosting in between the layers. But... I would NOT want it as my wedding cake.

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Maybe boho is a better word? Just think it doesn't has the same clean lines, or formal feel as a cake with a smooth surface.

I don’t care for the look of them. They look unfinished and they get very dry without frosting.

I think the one in the picture looks pretty, but I prefer cakes with frosting. It looks more finished and is less dry. But I would much rather have a cake with no frosting than fondant. It looks pretty, but fondant tastes disgusting.

View Quoted Comment Fondant is not the only frosting choice and very few bakers actually use that beyond intricate designs. Many bakers use buttercream, cream cheese or non dairy whipped cream.

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Yeah, I'm definitely doing buttercream. I have a hobby of baking and I've only used fondant once

I actually almost had a semi-naked cake myself because I’m not a huge frosting person (most frostings taste chemical-y to me) but in the end I also felt it was a little too rustic/boho. Most example pics on the internet show naked or semi-naked cakes at more rustic-themed weddings. Mine was in a city at a former high-end restaurant turned event venue. I also wanted the flowers on the cake to really pop, so I opted for the full white frosting.
The first pic is what we had. The second is one of the inspiration pics I sent potential bakers.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the look of naked cakes, and I feel like that could cloud people's perception on how the cake tastes too. Plus, some bakers will do a faux cake where there's only the bottom layer or just a cutaway piece that's actual cake, and the cake that gets served is sheet cake kept in the kitchen. Not sure how that would have worked if what happened in your friend's scenario happened.

I'd for sure be mad if I had planned and paid for a fully-frosted cake and had to settle for a naked one though.

I’m not a big fan of cake or heavily frosted desserts. However, I loved the cake and frosting our bakery used for our wedding cake. (During the cake tasting, I turned to the pastry chef and said “I don’t usually like cake but this is really delicious.” The quote is now on their website - LOL)
To me, naked cakes look unfinished for the most part and I feel that it makes them appear more casual. When one tier is a dark color (like chocolate) and a different tier is a light color (like vanilla) it makes the darker tier look over baked sometimes. I’d suggest keeping to one flavor on a naked cake. I think if you’re having a casual event, you can get away with it. If it’s semi-formal or formal, I’d suggest full buttercream exterior.
After eating delicious buttercream frosting and 2 different flavors of cake that night, I wouldn’t do it any other way. So many of our guests loved it.

I don't care for the look of naked cakes, but I do like "semi-naked" cakes when the balance is right. Just a little bit of cake showing through, but they've actually got very thin frosting on the entire cake. We are having a beach wedding that is not too casual but definitely not formal. And my fiancé doesn't care for icing. We are having white, strawberry and tres leches.

Here is my inspiration cake (without the simple topper)