Naked cakes are a trend that doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere any time soon, and I’m here for it! These cakes are so versatile and there are many naked cake design ideas for any occasion. Naked cakes (or nude cakes) can stand alone beautifully with little to no cake decorations, or you can add a combination of cake decorations to create a gorgeous naked cake design. We’ve made many naked cakes over the years! So let’s go over some nude cake design ideas – from classic to modern: naked cake designs we love!
How to assemble a naked cake
Before we get into our favourite naked cake designs, let’s go over the basics of creating a naked cake! Basically, a naked cake is the first step to creating a layer cake – it’s a crumb-coated cake! But, you don’t really want to have too many crumbs showing up around the naked cake, so there are a few tricks to creating a cleaner naked cake!
We actually have a post on How to Assemble a Layer Cake, with a step-by-step guide on creating a layer cake. One of the first steps is to crumb coat the cake, before applying the final coat of buttercream frosting.
There are some cake decorating tools and a few different techniques for putting together a layered cake, which we outline in detail in our post on how to assemble a layer cake, but there is one cake decorating technique in particular that will help you create an almost crumb free naked cake.
When decorating a naked cake, the first thing I like to do is trim down the cake circle that the naked cake sits on. I usually use a cake circle (or cake board) that’s the same size as the cake and have a larger cake circle underneath when I’m crumb coating and masking the cake (also when I’m covering the cake in fondant). Then I cut about a ¼” off the cake circle that is the same size as the cake. I like taking this first step for creating a nude cake so that edge of the cake circle doesn’t peek out of the bottom of the naked cake. The cake will look more professional 😉
I also prefer applying a crumb coat to a cold cake. In this case, the cake will emit fewer crumbs when you’re adding buttercream frosting around the cake! So pop the cake layers in the fridge or freezer for a bit before assembling the naked cake.
Once the cake layers are nice and cold (but not toooooo cold!), spread a bit of buttercream with an offset spatula on the cake circle so the first layer of cake sticks to it. For naked cakes, I like to pipe the buttercream between the cake layers instead of spreading it with an offset or straight cake spatula. This technique also helps keep the nude cake cleaner with less crumbs 🙂
After alternating the cake layers and buttercream, you can also pipe buttercream around the cake instead of spreading the frosting around the cake – again, a cleaner look since you’re not spreading buttercream AND crumbs!
I demonstrated this cake decorating technique on Instagram in a reel making an 18th birthday cake 🙂
After piping the buttercream around the cake, use a cake scraper to remove the excess frosting and voila! A naked cake! 🙂 But you’ll have some buttercream frosting “residue” on the larger cake circle. So I like to freeze the cake for about 10 minutes and transfer the naked cake to a clean cake board or cake drum.
But first, spread some buttercream on the clean cake drum where the cake will sit (so the cake circle under the naked cake sticks to the cake drum). You can use a larger offset spatula and your free hand to carefully transfer the naked cake to the cake drum. Now, you can leave the cake as is – they’re the perfect smash cakes for the little ones too! (don’t want them to have too much sugar right? 😉). Or go wild and decorate as you please with the naked cake ideas we’re about to discuss 🙂
Naked Cakes with Sprinkles
Sprinkles are a classic decoration for cakes and many other desserts! And they’ve come such a long way from the standard jimmies we’re used to finding in every grocery store. We have sequins, nonpareils, dragees/pearls, sanding sugar, rods, and so much more.
There are even a ton of sprinkle medleys from a variety of vendors to accommodate different party themes and decorations! Especially when any holiday rolls around, you’ll notice sprinkle medleys with tiny symbols of the holiday. Like little Santa hat sprinkles for Christmas, little carrot sprinkles and bunny sprinkles for Easter, to shamrock sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day! 🙂
When it comes the naked cakes, sprinkles are a perfect addition to add some fun and colour to the cake! You can add some piping designs around the top of the cake (like buttercream rosettes) or around the trim and add sprinkles. Or even place the sprinkles around the cake sporadically!
We added sprinkles around the bottom tier for the paint-themed birthday cake above – which was a semi-naked cake 😉
Keep it Simple with Fresh Fruit On a Nude Cake
Adding fresh fruit to a naked cake sounds like such a refreshing cake, doesn’t it? Perfect for a summer BBQ or a family gathering. We added fresh strawberries when we decorated the cake in our yummy Vanilla Cake Recipe. It’s actually a strawberry shortcake, but you wouldn’t know right?!
This is possibly the easiest decoration to add to a nude cake, just make sure to wash and dry the fruits completely before adding them to the cake. Having the fruits dry fully before adding them to the cake prevents the fruits from “bleeding” onto the cake!
Add a Chocolate Drip to a Naked Cake!
I loooooove adding a chocolate drip to a naked cake! You can add it all around the top of the cake, or just a portion of the cake. You can add the chocolate drip alone, or add additional cake decorations (like buttercream piping designs, french macarons, or sprinkles!).
If you’ve never made a chocolate drip, you can check out our post on a Complete Guide to Drip Cakes 🙂 Making a chocolate drip and successfully adding that chocolate drip to a cake can be a struggle for many cake decorators, so we’ve created this complete guide to help and troubleshoot. Plus, we have chocolate drip recipes in there!
Add some bright colours to a nude cake with a white chocolate drip and food colouring. Usually, I would mention it has to be an oil-based food colouring for white chocolate, BUT our white chocolate drip recipe can use a water-based food colouring! And it’s an easy chocolate drip recipe that never fails me 🙂
Exude elegance with edible gold leaf or edible silver leaf
Okay, I also loooooooove gold leaf and silver leaf! If you really want something simple and elegant, edible gold leaf or edible silver leaf are the perfect cake decoration for naked cakes…any cake really but we’re focused on naked cakes right now 🙂
When you’re decorating a cake with gold leaf, you can create a subtle cake design and add just a touch of gold flakes around the cake. Or you can add the gold leaf in larger chunks around the cake, in different shapes or patterns. I made the communion cake below where the cake design had gold leaf in lines around the cake!
Edible gold leaf or silver leaf can come in a little booklet of loose leaf sheets separated by paper or a booklet of transfer paper gold leaf. Edible gold or silver leaf (or gold foil/silver foil) can also come in a small bottle of separated flakes. I prefer the sheets since I have better control of how much I’m getting instead of piecing them back together as I’m decorating the cake.
If you’re using loose sheets of gold flakes or silver flakes, you can use a small knife or brush to take portions of the edible gold/silver leaf from the paper. Just be careful because if it falls off the brush or touches your hand, it’ll stick! Gold leaf really sticks to anything!
If you’re using the transfer paper sheets of edible silver leaf or gold leaf, all you need to do is press the sheets against the cake. This type of leaf is ideal when you’re covering the entire cake in edible gold flakes or edible silver flakes.
When purchasing silver flakes or gold flakes on cakes, it is important to make sure they are edible! There are some versions out there that are only for arts and crafts and are not meant to be eaten. Edible gold leaf should be 24 karat gold and edible silver leaf should be genuine silver 🙂
Fresh Flowers are the Perfect Addition to a Naked Cake
Adding fresh flowers to any cake is another elegant look for any occasion. This cake style is very popular for wedding cakes or anniversary cakes – I’ve definitely made many wedding cakes with this cake design! And I love them all 😍
I love using roses and baby’s breath on cakes – even eucalyptus! I think cakes with real flowers are just gorgeous! No wonder this style of cake is common for wedding cakes 🙂 Naked cakes with fresh roses are also a lovely addition for a Mother’s Day celebration or milestone birthday. You really can’t go wrong!
When you’re putting actual flowers on a cake, you must first make sure they are food safe! You really shouldn’t just be putting flowers directly on a cake. Normally, I wrap the stems in floral tape and insert a bubble tea straw into the cake, and put the stems in the straw. The straws act as a barrier between the cake and the stems/floral tape. The floral tape has a sticky substance that shouldn’t come in contact with the cake.
Another method for adding flowers to a cake is dipping the stems in chocolate! Wash and dry the stems completely. Then, dip the stems in melted chocolate and wait for it to set! Once they’re set, you can add the stems straight into the cake 🙂
Did Someone Say Macarons on a Cake?!
Now who doesn’t love macarons?!!? If you don’t, that’s totally okay – more for me 😏 But adding macarons to a naked caked just adds another layer of yumminess to a delicious cake!
Some macaron cake ideas include adding them around the top of the cake, or maybe just adding them in one section of the cake. You can also add one or two on the bottom, or completely cover the cake in French macarons! 😋
When you’re sticking French macarons on a nude cake, you may need to pipe some buttercream to the area where the macarons are being placed. Since naked cakes have so little buttercream, if you don’t add that extra piping, the macarons might fall off (and that’s just devastating!).
Like sprinkles, french macarons can help add a pop of colour to a nude cake. You can dye macarons to match different themes for any special gathering. Oh! And you can add designs to French macarons as well, like edible paint splatter or edible paint brush strokes. You’re not limited to the plain style of macarons that come out of the oven.
Why Not Combine Cake Decorating Ideas?!
Now this is the best part! This might be at the top of the naked cake designs we love! With all of these naked cake-decorating ideas, you can even combine them all! But don’t get carried away, less is more 😉
While fresh flowers are a favourite for wedding cakes, adding a drip and macarons to the cake is equally beautiful and elegant. Another cake design includes having fresh roses and gold flakes on the cake (another popular choice!). Or maybe just a white chocolate drip and silver leaf!
One of my personal favourites is a chocolate drip with sprinkles stuck onto the drip 🙂 Plus gold leaf! Did I happen to mention I looooooove gold leaf?!?! How about macarons with gold leaf and a gold chocolate drip?!?! Ahhh the possibilities are endless…and gorgeous! I just love cake decorating, don’t you?!? That’s why you’re here right? 🤗
So which cake decoration is your favourite?? Have you made a lot of naked cakes? Naked cakes are quickly becoming a classic cake design and I have no problem with it 🙂
Until next time!
Happy cake decorating!
xo
Mich
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