I made this semi-naked wedding cake for Ellie, the daughter of a good friend of mine. Each tier has a different flavour so that there is something for everyone and although not for the fainthearted, it really isn't as difficult to make as you might think.
You may think a wedding cake is not an easy task to take on and you would be right. There is certainly a lot of work making it, plus the pre-planning, testing and organisation, and of course the stress of getting it right on the day, but, as you know, at Recipes Made Easy I like to make everything I share as easy as it possibly can be. So if you just think of it as just a stack of three individual sandwich cakes suddenly making this semi-naked wedding cake doesn't seem so hard after all.
A semi-naked Wedding Cake for Ellie
I made this semi-naked wedding cake last year for Ellie and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about making it. Despite having made more cakes than I care to remember including some decorated cakes for special occasions, I had never made a wedding cake before. Well, actually, I did make a wedding cake once, but for someone else to decorate. That's because in the past wedding cakes tended to call for a degree of cake decorating skill which is way above my own.
However, with the current vogue for sponge cake with buttercream as the cake of choice, once you break it down into sections it really is not that difficult at all for anyone with a bit of baking experience under their belt. It is, after all, just a combination of several sandwich cakes stacked on top of each other. So I accepted the challenge.
Ellie wanted three tiers each a different flavour. For the bottom tier, she wanted something similar to a classic Victoria Sandwich. However, when baking a Victoria sandwich larger than about a 23cm (9in) it tends to dry out too much around the edges. We wanted a 30cm (12in) cake. I discovered this Vanilla Yogurt Cake from fellow food blogger Jo at Every Nook and Cranny which was ideal and used the following quantities to make a single layer. I baked the cake for 55-60 minutes until springy to the touch.
- 320g Softened butter
- 400g caster sugar
- 400g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 320g Greek Yogurt
If you want all your cakes to be the same as this base cake check out Jo's post on making a Naked Wedding Cake. She has listed the quantities she uses for each different sized tiers. You will notice that she uses more for her 30cm (12in) tier than I have as I didn't want the layers to be quite so deep. Jo also has some fabulous tips on the page so it is well worth reading.
Because we were after different flavours in each layer I used my pistachio and lime cake recipe for the second tier and a coconut and raspberry cake (recipe below) for the third tier which, unlike the other two tiers, I baked as one cake and then cut into three layers.
Naked, Semi-naked or covered
I don't really like these terms, but they seem to be what everyone uses. If you are wondering what the difference is, this is my interpretation. A naked cake is one in which the cake has no outer covering of icing. It is simply a layered sandwich cake. Simple but effective.
A semi-naked cake has a thin layer of icing over the sides but you can still see some of the cake peeking through at the sides. Taking this a step further, I guess that a cake completely covered by the butter icing is called a covered cake.
When making a semi-naked or naked wedding cake I recommend that you buy or hire good quality tins to make the cake as these are less likely to stick and the cakes are less likely to burn or catch around the edges.
Obviously the amount of buttercream you require to create each of the effects is going to vary. Whichever style you opt for I would recommend you make more buttercream than you will need. Any leftover icing can be frozen for future use. I made double quantities to be on the safe side but half as much again should suffice. For the bottom tier. I used about 900g (2lb) butter and 1.8kg (4lb) icing sugar plus vanilla extract. Yes, it is a lot of buttercream but it serves a lot of people!
In addition to the buttercream I added a layer of strawberry jam in the bottom tier.
Before covering a semi-naked cake I would recommend popping the filled cake into the freezer for about 30 minutes- 1 hour or so to firm up the edges and so reduce crumbs spoiling the finish.
For a covered cake proceed as for the semi-naked cake and cover with a thin layer of buttercream first. This first layer is sometimes referred to as the crumb coat. Chill again before putting the finishing layer of buttercream.
Finishing the Cake
There are a number of ways you can finish the cake. For a summer wedding, fresh berries work really well with a naked wedding cake. I tried it with the semi-naked cake as pictured below and I wasn't so sure. To me it looked unfinished but it does work on a single layer cake - see my pistachio and lime cake. Some sprigs of redcurrants or white currents would also glam it up a bit more.
Fresh flowers work really well with all styles. For Ellie's cake I opted to make my own sugar paste flowers. As I have said I am no expert cake decorator but I found a simple tool for making sugar roses. They are easy and fairly quick and you can see how to make them in my how to make easy sugar roses guide. I then added some simple easy sugar daisy flowers. To finish off I used some leaf cutters to make sugar paste leaves.
You could also buy a pretty cake toppers for the top tier if you like.
The cake will need to be assembled on the day. Read Jo's post for some great tips to avoid last minute complications. I put the top and middle tier on cake boards that were the same size as the cakes which were then hidden once the cake was decorated. The bottom tier was on a cake drum which I covered with a ribbon.
Each tier was supported on 4 wooden dowels pushed through the cake below and cut level with the top of the cake. To allow more room for the decoration the cake stacked slightly off centre. Once stacked in situ the fondant flowers and leaves were stuck in place with a little more buttercream.
Hints and tips
Three tiers will give you a large wedding cake with a good height, and will almost certainly be more than enough except for exceptionally large and grand affairs. If you want something a little more modest, you could use just two layers in each tier. Alternatively, opt for a two-tier cake.
Before the big day
- Plan and make any decorations you require.
- Allow at least one day for the baking of the cakes. If you need to start earlier, make the vanilla yogurt cake first as this cake is very moist and keeps well.
- Make the buttercream in advance and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week before using. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Use a 18cm (6in) cake board for the top tier a 23cm (9in) cake board for the middle tier and a 30cm (12in) cake drum for the bottom tier. Secure the bottom layer of each tier to the cake boards/drum with a good dollop of buttercream, then layer and cover the cakes.
On the day
- Assemble in situ. These cakes are very difficult to move once assembled
- Use four dowels positioned at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock approximately 3cm (11/2 in) in from the edge of each tier to support the cake above.
- Stack the cakes and decorate as desired.
Raspberry and Coconut Layer Cake
Ingredients
for the cake
- 200 g butter softened plus extra for greasing
- 200 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 75 g desiccated coconut
for the buttercream
- 175 g butter
- 350 g icing sugar
- 4 tablespoon coconut milk
to complete
- 12 tablespoon raspberry jam
- fresh raspberries (optional)
Instructions
Make the cake
- Place a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven and fill with about 3cm (1in) water. Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan)/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 18cm (6in) deep cake tin.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Sift in the flour and add the coconut. Carefully fold in. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream
- Beat the butter until pale, then add the icing sugar a third at a time and beat until combined. Add the coconut milk and beat until very fluffy.
To complete:
- Trim the top of the cake level if required then carefully cut into three equal layers.Spread about one third of the buttercream over one of the sponge layers. Place the next one on top and repeat with another third of the icing and the third layer.
- Use the remaining buttercream to coat the top and sides of the cake. Pile raspberries on top and serve or use as the top tier of a wedding cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Lou Pope
Please could you give me ingredients list for this cake with an 8 inch layer and a 12 inch layer.
Looks fab. Want to attempt a 3 tiered cake.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
This cake was made with 3 different flavours. The bottom tier was a 12in vanilla cake the quantities I used (for each layer) to make the cake are listed in the post plus there is a link to the recipe I used for the method. The middle layer is my lime and pistachio cake and again there is a link to this in the post and the top tier is the raspberry and coconut. Im afraid I do not have the quantities to make any of the cakes in all the sizes.
Dave
Hi Jacqueline
I love this cake and I know this is a recipe from many moons ago but I have been asked (painted into a corner!) to make a 2 tier cake, the bottom being a 4 layer cake about 8" high and the top tier about 10" high. It's to be semi naked and I am close to perfected with cake and timed and batter ratios etc. after a few test bakes BUT I am having trouble getting a nice brown side crust.
I found that sugaring after greasing the sides helped to get a kind of light-mid tan colour but I'd like a darker colour as your cakes have.
Any tips? I was thinking I could go low and slow and perhaps the extra time would create a deeper crust...?
Thanks in advance
D
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Dave good luck making the wedding cake. To get a darker crust I would not go low and slow as this would likely dry the sponge out rather the opposite. You could try a slightly higher temperature so that the crusts caramalises then if necessary turn the temp down to finish cooking but again do with caution you dont want the cake becoming dry. Good quality cake tins will help. Mine are quite heavy aluminium pans which I find brown without burning the crust. Hope this helps let me know.
Lisa
Hello. Thanks so much for this recipe. Can you tell me how you managed to stack roses like this? Did you use wires? Thanks
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Lisa, I decorated the cake in situ and the roses are just stacked on top of each other and secured in place with a blob of butter icing. I did not need to wire them. Hope this helps Jacqui
M
Hi, after reading all of these comments I am slightly confused as it seems this didn't work for many people before being corrected. If I follow the updated recipe listed above will I be able to make one cake with 3 layers? Or do these measurements make only 1 layer and I need to triple it to make my 3 layers? Thanks so much! Cannot wait to try it!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
The recipe for raspberry and coconut cake in the post makes one 15cm (6in) cake and that is cut into 3 layers. The quantities in the body of the post are for the vanilla cake and makes one 30cm (12in) layer.
I realised that this post has got a little confusing and intend to rewrite and republish along with m own recipe for the vanilla layer cake.
I had photographed my new vanilla cake as a celebration cake and was going to write the post for that recipe when Covid hit. Given that large gathering and weddings are not permitted in the UK where the majority of my readers are located it does not feel appropriate to publish it just at this time.
sue mcgovern
Dear Jaquie,
We had a great family time taste testing the raspberry and coconut cake and I flavoured the yogurt cake with lemon and lime which worked well. Certainly the raspberry and coconut one has been a real hit with everyone raving about it , and I wondered if the double quantities you printed originally made a 12" round? I wondered if you had been trialling it at all?
Thanks sue
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
I definitely didn't make it in a 12in But I may have made a double batch on the final cake as " insurance" to get 3 perfect layers and it was probably then I noted the quantity then but forgot to change it when writing up the post. I would love to see pictures of your finished cake. I do like the sound of lemon and lime for the base.
Sue McGovern
Hi, thanks for all the advice, I tried a practice 6” raspberry and coconut cake today and found that there was far too much cake mix to put into a 6” tin, which was 3” high, I ended up filling a 7” shallower tin as well! I put a grease proof liner into the 6” tin which was 21/2” above the top of the tin and filled the tin with the mixture almost to the top of the tin, took 1hr 25 mins to cook but looks great! Surely this amount of mixture is for a much larger cake? Looking forward to splitting it into 3 and filling it!!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Tanks for you comment I hope you enjoy the finished cake. I will have to look into quantity again Im wondering if I made a mistake when it came to writing it up. I'm away from home at the moment and dont have thtin but I will report back when i can.
sue mcgovern
I'll look forward to heRing from you when back home. The 6 inch cake has come out really heavy but the extra mixture in the 7 inch tin has cooked beautifully in 35 mins , great tasty texture. I want to use it for a six inch top layer of a wedding cake, and thought of dividing the mixture into 3 x 6" sandwich tins, so look forward to yr reply , enjoy time away!! Sue
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Oh dear I have a confession to make I have made a mistake. Most embarrassed as I pride myself on writing reliable recipes that work. I have made this recipe a few times now and I must have noted down the quantity for double the amount of mixture then written that up as mistake. (I blame the stress of making it for a wedding cake lol). I have now corrected the recipe. It shouldn't have come out heavy when you cooked it as i had chosen a mixture that could be cooked in one go and cut into layers but yes if you prefer you could bake in 3 tins instead. I might be inclined to up the quantity to a 4 egg mixture doing it that was so you can trim any doming of the cakes. Watch the cooing time too, it will likely be less than the 7in, I would guess about 30 minutes.
sue mcgovern
Thank you so much for your reply and delighted that you've been able to rewrite the quantities. I'll have another practice making it in one tin. We had a taste session over the weekend and although the large one has gone in the freezer for Trifle , the small one was delicious! I'll also practice the yogurt recipe in one 12" tin as you recommend. Agreed it's a scary time making a wedding cake! Many thanks again. Sue
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Good luck
sue mcgovern
My other question was about the vanilla yogurt recipe which I know is Jo's but again about the amount of ingredients. I have tested the 8" and it is moist and lovely flavour altho not as deep as I thought it should be. I want to make a 12" three layer and am unsure whether the amount of ingredients she mentions for this size divided into how many layers as I'll need to make one layer at time only having one tin... hope you can put me right on this one!
Thanks sue
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
The quantities I have listed on the post is what I used to make one 12in layer, I found the original recipe made the layers a little too thick for my liking. I used three layers to make the base of the cake. Hope that helps
Jacqui
Sarah
Well that was a disaster. I baked the coconut cake in a deep 6” tin, had far too much mixture based on your quantities and despite not filling the tin to the top, it still bubbled over into the tray of water below. It took an hour and a half to cook and what was left promptly sank. That said, I have frozen it to use for a Caribbean trifle base sometime. I’ve been baking for 50 years and this was a pretty spectacular fail!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Many apologies I accidentally used double quantities when writing up the recipe for the post. I'm rather embarrassed by this as I usually pride myself in writing reliable well-tested recipes. I made the cake for both the dummy and real cake when I was happy with the result. but with the wedding and everything else I did not write up such good notes as I would have done normally. Your idea to freeze and use for a Caribbean trifle sounds a fabulous idea I love trifle and I'm so glad it has not completely gone to waste.
Sarah
Thanks for the update. The cake tasted lovely, despite the fail and will now make it again using the right sized tin! I should have trusted my instincts but no harm done!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thanks for being so understanding
clare
HI. Thanks for this post, really enjoyed reading it. The finished product looks great. You said that you didn't want your layers quite as deep as Jo's from Every Nook and Cranny. How deep are your layers and did you use 3 layers in each tier?
Thanks again.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Clare. glad you enjoyed the post. Off the top of my head I think my layers were about 3cm deep (so I sued the quantities listed in the post following Jo's method) and I used three layers. Jo's were more like 4-5cm deep which to my mind made the tier too deep.
I used three layers in the various flavours for each of the tiers.
Hope this helps any more questions just ask.
Jacqui
clare
HI. Thanks for your reply. I'm having trouble finding a standard equation for increasing and decreasing recipes. I am going to be be making a three tiered wedding cake (never made one before, but am a good standard baker), each tier having three layers in 12" 9" and 6" pans. I may well go with Jo's recipe but want to taste test others.
I look at different recipes and say for example someone's original recipe is for a 6" x 3 layered cake, they say double it for 8" and triple it for 9" so can only presume they'd quadruple it for 12". In other places I read you should work out the conversion factor by working out the cake's area and divide it and convert the recipe that way. If I do that the doubling or tripling in the example above doesn't seem to work out?
If I have it right then the increase to 8" should be a 1.77 conversion factor and the 9" should be 2.25 from 6". I suppose as I have never made a wedding cake before I don't have the confidence to ignore the proficient bakers advise and follow instead the more mathematical version, cos I don't know what I'll end up with. Do you have a tried and tested way of increasing and decreasing? Really appreciate any help you can give.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Clare,
Im sorry I dont have a tried and tested way of increasing cake recipes and to be honest there are different factors to take into account depending on the type of cake sometimes it not just as simple as multiplying the ingredients. I have over time got quite good at guessing. But even with many years of practice for something as important as a wedding cake I would still do a test bake to make sure I was happy with it.
Sadly unless you make wedding cakes on a regular basis there is no getting away from it it is rather stressful so it would be worth testing out if you possibly can beforehand anyway to reduce the stress when it comes to making the real thing.
That said I am sure with some taste testing your cake will turn out jsut fine on the day 🙂 Good luck.
Joyce
Hi
Tried the vanilla recipe 3 times in 30cm tins and each time cakes were very heavy and dense textured- is this how they are meant to be? Also browned early on top when uncooked in middle and had to add foil to cover top. I have baked a lot of cakes and not encountered these problems before - is it the yoghurt that causes the issue. Was disappointed in the result as was hoping to use as vase teir for my daughters wedding cake. Any tips? Thank you
Joyce
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Joyce
I am really sorry your cakes have not turned out as expected. No they definitely should not be dense and heavy. The vanilla cake is a recipe from Jo at Every Nook and Cranny. Did you follow Jo's method exactly as stated on Every Nook and Cranny? I generally use my own recipes but when I discovered this recipe on Jo's sight I was so pleased with the result. A lovely light vanilla cake which kept well so was ideal for wedding cakes. which is why i used it for the base of these wedding cakes. I have now used it on a couple of real wedding cakes as well as these two photographed here.
Did you use a Greek Yogurt? If not what yogurt did you use? Yogurt helps keep the cake nice and moist. Too much may cause it to be dense but if you followed the recipe it should have been fine.
Is you baking powder in date? They might affect the rise
Did you put the tray of water in the bottom of the oven? I have found that helps prevent the top becoming too dark before the cake is fully cooked.
Have you checked the temperature of your oven. Different ovens can vary considerably.
And finally did you follow all of Jo's tips (listed below), especially the one about creaming the butter and sugar. I know I have been guilty of not doing this enough in the past!
I hope this helps and congratulations on your daughters up and coming wedding I would love to see pictures of the cake you make.
Jacqui
AJoyce Primrose
Hi Jacque
Many thanks for your detailed reply but I did follow all the steps and hints exactly! Even bought an oven thermometer and oven temp spot on.
Used yeo valley organic full fat Greek yoghurt.
Can I recheck that the temp is 160c for 50-60mins for 30cm single layer? Thanks
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
I have made the cake again today for another celebration cake and all three layers were fine. The oven temperature for Jo recipe is for a conventional oven are you using a fan oven? If so you will need to adjust the temperature. I generally reduce the set temperture by 10-20C so I cook these cakes at 140C in my fan oven. For this batch i have used Total 5% fat Greek Yogurt but i am sure i have used supermarket own brand Greek yogurts which tend to be a bit thinner with no noticeable difference in the past.
Liz
Hi, can you tell me how far ahead semi naked cakes can be buttercreamed? I’m making my nieces wedding cake but am part of preparations in the days before. I’m assuming I should fill and buttercream on the day to ensure the cakes don’t become dry
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
I would bake the cakes as near to the day as possible, although you could freeze them if you made them earlier. I found that the Vanilla cake stayed fresh the longest so I would make that first I made mine 3 days before and the others two days before. I buttercreamed them the day before the wedding (and a day after the baking) and assembled and decorated the cake on the day. If you have enough fridge space You could probably do everything a day earlier (make sure you dont have anything strong smelling in the fridge as once buttercreamed you will not be able to cover them closely and you dont want the buttercream picking up the flavour of the other foods. Hope this helps any other questions just ask.
Ali
Hi,
I tried to make this cake today, but really struggled to get it cooked in the middle. The outside cooked perfectly, just not the middle. Have you any tips I could try for next time?
Many thanks
Ali
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Ali,
I am assuming you are talking about the raspberry and coconut cake. If it is cooking on the outside and not in the middle it is most likely that your oven is a little hot. All ovens vary so try reducing the temperature 10 or 20 degrees celsius. A roasting tin with filled with 2cm or so of water in the bottom of the oven can help prevent the edges drying out before the middle is cooked as can the quality of cake tin which can a make all the difference. Finally, if that doesn't work A recent tip that I learnt for cooking deep fruit ckaes which I found very successful and may help if you are still having problems is to make a collar of wet kitchen paper wrapped in foil and wrap around the cake tin. To test if the centre is cooked a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Hope this helps Jacqui
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe
That cake looks so impressive and so beautiful - I love that you had different flavours too. Plain sponge is not my sort of thing but I love the others. And those flowers are truly beautiful. I don't do much with fondant but did a course recently where we made roses and I really enjoyed it. But you really have a way with presentation of the flowers that made me think they were real at first.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thank you so much for your kind comments I like the vogue for having different flavours something for everyone. and not too much fondant has to be a good thing.
Ritu Sharma
What a lovely cake. I can't wait please give me. I want eat it. Superb!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thank you
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
What a stunning cake Jacqui, I can imagine how happy the bride & groom were with the finished result! I've not made sugar flowers before but they have certainly finished the cake off a treat. Thankyou for sharing with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thank Angela, I was surpurised how easy the roses were to make with a simple cutter and much quicker too.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
There is something absolutely beautiful about both naked and semi-naked cakes (not a fan of terminology either by the way lol ) 🙂 I think it must be due to their simplicity and subtleness. Your cake is an absolute stunner Jacqui and the flavours in all three theirs sound really delicious! Thank you for sharing with #BakingCrumbs 🙂
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thank you Jo. Agree sometimes simple is the best way to go.
jenny paulin
Jacqueline your cake is simply stunning.I love seeing as naked cake for a wedding centrepiece, I think it shows off a sponge better than being covered in fondant! your homemade flowers are so intricate too. it really is beautiful. I bet the bride and groomer thrilled with it. I would have been.
thank you for sharing with #Bakeoftheweek x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Hi Jenny Yes pleased to report the bride and groom loved it. Im not a keen fan of the flavour of fondant and covering the cake completely with buttercream can be a bit much so these are a great compromise to my mind.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
These cakes look so beautiful. I bought a 10" tin years ago to make a 2 tiered cake but haven't got round to making it. When I do I want to do a semi naked affect and hope it looks as good as yours!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
I'm sure it will look just as good Cat. It is not as hard as you think.
Monika Dabrowski
This cake looks stunning, Jacqui, fit for the royals 🙂
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thank you Monika