• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Search
    • Recipe Index
    • Bars & Brownies
    • Breakfast
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Cupcakes
    • Frosting
    • Fruit Desserts
    • Muffins
    • One Bowl Desserts
    • Pies & Tarts
  • About Me
  • Food Photography
    • Work with Me
    • Classes and Workshops
  • Shop

Frosting & Fettuccine

Home » Recipes » Decorating Tutorials

Aug 16, 2020(last updated October 31, 2021)

How to Make a Naked Cake with Flowers

4.34 from 3 votes
BySam Adler
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Making a naked cake is not as hard to make as it seems! All you need are a few simple baking tools and some decorations or flowers. This is one of my favorite ways to decorate a cake because it can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. It’s perfect for a birthday cake or even as a wedding cake!

A naked cake with flowers on a wooden cake stand.

What is a naked cake?

A naked cake is a cake that has little to no frosting on the outside of the cake. It is filled with buttercream or frosting between the layers, but the outside remains, well, semi-naked.

People love these cakes for their rustic look, and for their simplicity. You dont have to make sure that the cake is frosted perfectly or if the crumbs are in their exact place.

If it looks a little messy we just call it rustic!

What you need:

  1. At least 3 layers of a cake
  2. Buttercream
  3. Flowers
  4. A cake stand
  5. An offset spatula and/or bench scraper

Cake

First make sure you start off with a good cake recipe. Most of the time people use vanilla cake recipes because they are a great canvas for the flowers, but you can also use chocolate or even red velvet!

Next, make sure you bake enough layers.

If you want your cake to be a showstopper, it needs to have height to it. The layers also need to be even and level. I usually bake my cakes into 3 cake layers instead of two. This gives the cake the dramatic effect it needs by making it taller than a regular cake.

3 cake layers ona gray background

It will also show off the layers of the naked-ness. Imagine the difference between a cake with just one layer of frosting in the middle versus 2 layers. It just more visually pleasing.

Feel free to go higher than that but make sure that the cake will be able to remain stable.

My usual go to style for a naked cake is a 6″ cake with 3 layers. It feeds about 15-18 people. If you need a larger cake, go for an 8″cake pan to bake in.

Just make sure you still bake it in 3 layers. It’s handy to have multiples of the same size pan so you can bake the cakes all at once.

Buttercream

You will also need a good buttercream recipe. You can flavor it or color it any way you want. You can keep it white and simple, or you can color the buttercream in ombre colors and fill the layers accordingly.

A 2 layer cake frosted with buttercream on a white turntable

One recipe for buttercream should be enough for a cake either 6″ or 8″ because you only need to fill in the layers and the top of the cake.

Flowers

Now on to the cake decorating! You will need some fresh flowers. I usually buy them at Trader Joes, or sometimes buy the edible ones from Whole Foods.

You can put fake flowers on your cake but I don’t recommend it. They never look real enough to not look tacky, so I say stick with the fresh ones but follow the rules below.

Try to get an idea about what you want the final cake to look like so you know what flowers to buy and colors to look for. You don’t have to know exactly what it will be but it’s smart to think about it first.

A cake topped with flowers on a wood cake stand.

Get flowers in differing sizes too. Think about which one you want to be the main focus and then get some small ones as accents.

Make sure to also get some greenery! I love the way eucalyptus looks hanging off a cake stand.

This is my absolute favorite way to decorate a cake. Flowers bring so much beauty and just make this cake even more rustic!

Cake stand

Make sure you find a pretty, yet rustic cake stand to show off your beautiful cake! You can definitely make and decorate the cake on this cake stand, but it will be easier to do on a turntable.

How to make and frost a naked cake

Now that you have your cake layers, buttercream, flowers, and cake stand, it’s time to get to work!

  1. Take one layer of cake and place it in the center of the cake stand. You can place it directly on the stand, or you can use a cardboard cake board. You definitely don’t NEED the cake board but it is useful if you want to move the cake around easily.
  2. With an offset spatula or piping bag frost the top of the cake layer. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just try to spread it evenly. You want this layer to be thick but not so thick that the cake layer on top will slide off.
  3. Take another cake layer and turn it upside down so the bottom is now the top. Place that on top of the buttercream frosting and repeat the second step.
  4. Now take your last cake layer (assuming you have 3) and flip it again and place it on top. Since this is your last cake layer you want to frost the top but only lightly, to keep the “naked” look.
  5. Depending on how you want the cake to look you can either now add a small amount of frosting to the sides and smooth it out using a bench scraper. If you don’t have a cake scraper you can use a large spatula or a butter knife. Or you can just leave the cake as is with just the buttercream peeking out.
  6. Now time to decorate with the flowers!

How to add fresh flowers to the cake

If you want to learn how to decorate a cake with fresh flowers, I have it all broken down for you!

There are definitely some things you need to know before you start placing flowers on your cake.

If your’e gonna skip that post, just make sure that you wash the flowers completely from each petal to the stem before placing it on the cake.

If you are going to insert the stems, wrap them in plastic wrap first.

It is also a good idea to put a clear piece of plastic wrap on top of the cake before decorating it with flowers. This way you don’t have the flowers touching the cake and since the flowers are covering the plastic wrap, no one knows it’s there!

Make sure to cover any piece that is showing with a flower or tuck it in so it’s hidden.

Attach the flowers to the cake either by pressing lightly into the cake so that the buttercream sticks to it.

If the buttercream has already crusted, use small amount of leftover buttercream to “glue” the flower to the cake.

Decorating:

It depends on the kind of flowers you get but there are so many ways to make a cake look beautiful with flowers.

You can make a cluster of roses on the edge of the cake and then have greenery drape down the sides.

Or place a small bouquet in the middle and place single flowers along the sides of the cake or on the cake board.

Flowers on a white cake on a wood surface

Don’t just think about the top of the cake. The sides and the cake stand can be decorated too!

There is no right or wrong way to do it so just have fun and get creative!

If you find that you don’t like the design, you can take it off and just start again usually without detrimentally harming the cake.

Making ahead

Make the cake and frost with buttercream up to 2 days ahead.

When it comes to the flowers though, leave it up until the last minute that you can to decorate with them.

Flowers need water to survive and will look best within a 24 hour rand of decorating. Any time after that and they will start to droop and wilt.

Storing

Leave an undecorated cake at room temperature. You don’t have to cover it but you can if you have a large enough cake dome or light plastic wrap.

Once the cake is decorated with flowers store it in the fridge to keeo the flowers fresh.

Cutting

Remove the flowers before cutting the cake to avoid a mess.

For all the visual learners out there, make sure you watch the video for how to assemble and decorate a naked cake!

For more cake decorating tutorials:

  • 10 ways to make your cakes more professional
  • How to stack a two tier cake
  • How to decorate a cake with flowers

This post contains affiliate links! This means that if you purchase something off one of those links I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog!!!

A naked cake with flowers on a wooden cake stand.
Print
4.34 from 3 votes

How to make a naked cake

Making a naked cake is not as hard to make as it seems! This is one of my favorite ways to decorate a cake because it can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. It's perfect for a birthday cake or even as a wedding cake!
Prep Time45 mins
Active Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to make a naked cake, naked caked with flowers, naked rustic cake
Yield: 1 cake
Author: Sam Adler
Cost: $15

Equipment

  • Offset Spatula or bench scraper
  • Cake stand
  • Cake turntable (optional)

Materials

For a 6"-8" Naked Cake

  • 3 layers cake
  • 1 1/2 cups buttercream
  • 1 bunch fresh flowers differing colors and style

Instructions

Fill and stack the cake:

  • Make sure the cake layers have level, even tops. Use a sharp serrated knife to level them off or a cake leveler.
    3 cake layers ona gray background
  • Place one layer of cake on a cake turntable if using or on the cake stand. Fill with an even layer of buttercream then top with the second cake layer. You can turn the cake layer upside down so that the bottom becomes the top to make sure the cake is more level. Repeat this step until the 3rd, top layer of cake.
    A 2 layer cake frosted with buttercream on a white turntable
  • Using an offset spatual or bench scraper, lightly cover the top of the cake with a thin coat of buttercream.
    A 3 layer cake with white frosting on top.
  • You can now cover the sides with a light coat of buttercream, smoothing it out with the bench scraper or spatula. Alternatively you can just leave the sides naked and have the buttercream peak out between the layers.
    A naked cake on a turn table
  • Clean and dry each flower from petal to stem. Wrap the stems in plastic wrap if you are inserting them into the cake. Lightly cover the top of the cake with clear plastic wrap so the cake is safe from the flowers.
    Flowers on a white cake on a wood surface
  • Arrange the flowers around the cake
    A naked cake with flowers on a wooden cake stand.

Video

Notes

If the buttercream has crusted, use a small amount of extra buttercream to help stick on the flowers.
Play around! Remember there is no wrong way to do this.
Remember to add the flowers on as close to the event as possible but the cake can be made and frosted 2 days in advance. 

I love when you share my recipes!!

464 shares

Filed Under: Decorating Tutorials Tagged With: Vanilla

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura says

    August 17, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE this step by step! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      August 17, 2020 at 7:16 pm

      Thank you so much lady!!! Let me know if you make one!!

      Reply
  2. mikyla says

    October 5, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    5 stars
    I had a customer order a naked cake from me and I had never made one. Thank GOODNESS you made this easy to follow, step by step, guide to the prettiest naked cake on earth! Thank you so much!!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      October 5, 2020 at 5:48 pm

      YAY Mikyla I am so happy that it helped you! The cake is gorgeous! Thank you so much for reviewing and commenting!

      Reply

Leave a comment & rate this recipe Cancel reply

Do you love this recipe? If so, I would be so grateful if you left a star rating with your comment! Star ratings help other people find my recipes so they can make them too. Thank you for your support!

XO, Sam

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search

Hi! Im Sam Adler,

I'm a professionally trained pastry chef and food photographer.
This is a place where you will find easy yet impressive looking desserts. I also share a ton of food photography resources too! What can I say, I love pretty & delicious baked goods! Learn more about me!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

As Featured In:

Logo images of media places Sam Adler has been featured in
Saveur Blog award winner for best food Instagram
FeedFeed

frostingandfettuccine

Finding your style 📸 It’s probably the numbe Finding your style 📸

It’s probably the number one struggle I hear from food photographers. 

❌ Shoot after shoot, it doesn’t feel like your photos are consistent or that there is even a recognizable style there.

❌ You don’t feel as if anybody would see your photos and be like “hey! I know who’s that is!”

❌ You might even feel like your photos are pretty enough but that you learned or experimented with how to shoot in someone else’s style so you don’t really feel like it’s yours.

I GET IT 🙌🏻

✅I didnt know how to use my camera 5 years ago
✅I had no recognizable style
✅Once I thought I had a style, I stuck myself in a box and felt like I could never shoot differently

But after countless hours, investing time and money every day I now have the freedom to know that whatever I shoot will inevitably come out in my own style. 🎉 I shoot in ALLL the colors of the rainbow and it always comes out like me 🙋🏻‍♀️

And this is why in my signature program, The STYLE Mastermind, with it’s combination of coaching + education, I teach you how to find your own unique style, and not how to shoot in mine.

There is *literally* no point in shooting in a style that you don’t love because the whole point of running your own creative business is to do it because you love it.

And when you love your job and it shows through your work, that’s when the clients come in. 💰 💰 💰

Over the last 3 years my program has helped over 90 (!!) students find their unique consistent style, land their highest paid contracts ever, and LEAVE THEIR JOBS! No it doesnt happen overnight, but it does happen.

SO yeah you may be scared outta your mind to take that leap and join but trust me, it may just be the best thing you do for your mindset, creativity, your business, and your style.

PS. THE STYLE MASTERMIND IS NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT! 🎉💵👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏻 We are only accepting 24 students for this round with 2 spots already taken. Tap the link in my bio to apply and level up your business!!

#photographystyle #foodphotographyandstyling #foodstylingtips #foodphotographytips #producephotography #colortheory #ilovecolor #colorlover #grapes #strawberries #plum #foodphotographyandstyling
3 things I wish someone told me in the beginning o 3 things I wish someone told me in the beginning of my food photography career 📸:

1. Do not be afraid to use shadows! You NEED shadows in your work. They are what create dimension in a photo and what gives it the “pop of the screen” effect. Just because you like to shoot light and bright doesn’t give you an excuse not to use them either. Using shadows doesn’t = dark and moody. So please, if you feel like something is missing in your photos, maybe you need more shadows?

2. Mindset is EVERYTHING. You will have really good days and then really 💩 days too. Knowing how to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship is the everlasting key to your success in the food photography world. 

3. Learn about licensing and usage!!! Like get in with the nitty gritty of it. I cant tell you how much I have given away for less than what I deserve because I didn’t know enough about licensing and usage. 

All three of these things are V important to me in terms of how I run my own business and what I teach to my students.

It’s some of the main reasons why and how students have been so successful. Like 10k+ months, and leaving their 💩 jobs they hate, kind of successful.

Theres a couple more hours left to get on the waitlist for my signature program The STYLE Mastermind for an early bird incentive.

Click the link in my bio to join and get in on it while it lasts!

#foodphotogrgapher #foodphotographers #foodstylist #foodstylists #learnfoodphotography #learnfoodstyling #mentorshipprogram #foodphotographycourse #foodphotographyprogram #photographer #miamieats #miamifoodphotographer #commercialfoodphotographer #commercialfoodphotography #foodstylingandphotography #southfloridafoodphotographer #foodphotographyteacher #foodstylingteacher #photographygoals #foodphotographytips #foodphotographystyling #foodphotography101
One thing I constantly tell my students is to get One thing I constantly tell my students is to get the hell out of their comfort zones- because nothing extraordinary ever comes from it.

Think about it- the things that have gotten you to where you are today, will not get you to where you want to go next. If they did, then you would already be there.

Constantly pushing yourself to the next level of your comfort will though.

Running a workshop in Tuscany and teaching in person was that for me, and it was one of the most magical weeks ever.

So grateful for all the people that traveled across the world to stay with people they never met for 5 days.

If that’s not pushing yourself, I don’t know what is!

If you’re thinking that you need help getting to the next level, then get on the waitlist for the next round of my signature program, The STYLE Mastermind. 

It’s designed to help you find your unique signature style (YES YOU HAVE ONE) and to get paid well in this industry.

The link is in my bio to learn more about the program and join the waitlist!

If you want more, check out my highlights for Testimonials 🙃

#cakephotography #cakestyling #foodphotography
#foodstyling #learnfoodstyling #foodstylist #foodstylingandphotography #cakeoftheday #cakedecorating #cakesofinstagram #cakestagram #vanillacake #girlycake #cakephotography #miamifoodstylist #miamifoodphotographer #miamieats #southfloridafoodphotograoher #commercialfoodphotographer
✨Artichokes ✨ They were allll over Rome- at t ✨Artichokes ✨

They were allll over Rome- at the markets and next to the restaurants- all bundled up and beautiful that I couldn’t resist taking some shots.

For these I wanted to go with a light chiaroscuro effect- using the contrast between light and dark to highlight parts of an image.

I took these artichoke shots in two different areas and also edited them differently. The first to bring out more of the contrast between green and purple and the second focusing more on the green.

I cant decide which I like best- I added the raw images here too so you can see how powerful editing it, especially when you already have the finished image idea in your head!

Which do you like better?

#artichokes #artichokehearts #artichoke #campodefiori #rome #romeitaly #saminrome #rometrip #romefood #romephotography #foodphotography #samsitalypics
In July 2019 while on vacation in Tuscany, I messa In July 2019 while on vacation in Tuscany, I messaged @healthylittlecravings with the idea of running a food photography workshop in Italy. I was hoping she didn’t think I was crazy 🤪, or maybe she was just as crazy as me- because she said YES. Almost 3 years later, after lots of frustration, zoom calls, planning, un-planning, and planning again, it’s finally happening!

I’m proud of us for not giving up, and grateful for the students that have invested their time and money in learning with us- whether they are coming this time or not. 

I won’t be posting anything on my feed bc it’s not where i want to be spending time this week, but I’ll be sharing on stories! And yes we plan on doing this again ❤️ 

#foodphotographyworkshop #tuscanyworkshop #foodphotographers #foodstyling #foodstylists #tuscanytravel #stradatoscana #italytravel #tuscanygram #tuscanyview #tuscanyhills #tuscanylover
Cupcakes. My least favorite thing to shoot- so nat Cupcakes. My least favorite thing to shoot- so naturally I have a BUNCH of cupcake recipes that I need to shoot over the next week or so. I find that when I find a food that I dont love shooting, I force myself to do it over and over until I am more comfortable with it. 

It happened once before with cookies, and now cookies and I are BFFAE.

So get ready Mr. Cupcake- meet your new best friend 🙋🏻‍♀️

#itme

#cupcakes #chocolatecupcakes #chocolatecupcake #vanillabuttercream #vanillafrosting #easycupcakerecipe #cupcakestagram #cupcakesofiinstagram #chocolatelover #foodstyling #foodstylingandphotography #foodphotographyandstyling #foodstylinginspiration #creativityfound #commercialphotographer #bakedfromscratch #bakingfromscratch #heresmyfood #whatsfordessert #foodfluffer #droolclub #miamifoodphotographer #miamieats #miamiphotographer
Load more please Follow me on Instagram!

Categories

Archives

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About
  • Web Stories
  • Privacy Policy

Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclosure Policy

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work with me

Copyright © 2022 Samantha Adler | Frosting & Fettuccine | Support by Foodie Digital

464 shares