Six Naked Wedding Cake Ideas

Unfrosted and pared-down, naked wedding cakes expose layers of sumptuous sponge and not much else. Yet they don’t have to be boring. Bride brings you delicious naked cake inspiration with help from London cake company, French Made 

"Naked cakes have been around for a few years and judging by the number of enquiries we are getting for 2016, it looks like the trend is here to stay a little longer,”says Lauren Delpech, the brains behind London cake company French Made, which specialises in naked cakes.

So what constitutes a naked cake? “The characteristics of naked cakes are no fondant, just homemade sponge-based cakes that expose the delicious flavours inside,”Lauren explains, adding that just because they’re bare, it doesn’t mean they can’t be spectacular. 

“Just like any other cakes, they can be created in different flavours and decorated in many different ways,”she says. “Couples often ask if they can choose different flavours, hence different-coloured sponges. My answer to that is, if you want your cake to look elegant and refined, pick lighter colours like vanilla or lemon, but if you want something more rustic or funky, totally go for it.”

With that in mind, here are some of Lauren’s glorious homemade creations that demonstrate the multiple ways naked cakes can be styled for each and every wedding. Which is your favourite? Let us know @BrideMag

1. ‘50s rockabilly



“This cake was a small three-tier vanilla sponge filled with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream,”explains Lauren. “The theme was ’50s rockabilly so we added some red ribbon and blue tulle as well as a cool cake topper by Miss Cake, some Lovehearts, and fresh cherries and flowers to keep the rustic twist of the naked cake.”

Photography by Lexi Fleming

 
2. Rustic bunting



“This one was a four-tier lemon and almond sponge filled with homemade lemon curd and lemon buttercream,”says Lauren. “It’s decorated with rustic-inspired, personalised bunting and a mix of fresh flowers and berries. I would say this style has been the most popular.”

3. French biscuits



“On this four-tier cake we used langues de chat biscuits which add a French touch. The couple went for different flavours for each tier,”explains Lauren. “From bottom to top, there is chocolate sponge filled with dark chocolate ganache and chocolate buttercream, lemon, carrot cake and coffee sponge with caramel buttercream.”

4. Purple ombré



“This is a purple ombré, semi-naked cake, with blueberries and beautiful blooms by Jay Archer, which were used to accent this three-tier cake,”Lauren says.

 
5. Cupcake tower



“This is a cupcake tower with a small naked cake on top,”says Lauren. “In order to give some height to a cake, you may want to use traditional cake stands, but wooden logs and wine crates have also been particularly popular with naked cakes this wedding season.”

 
6. Provence cake 



“Here is the first naked cake we ever created,”recalls Lauren. “Instead of berries and flowers we decorated it mainly with rosemary and lavender which are reminiscent of Provence, which is where I am from.”

Photography by Naomi Kenton

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