Whoa there! OK, friends, let's not get too excited... I am, of course, talking about cakes! Naked? Semi-naked? Rustic buttercream? We've found all those styles are very on trend again this year, but the naked wedding cake seems to be the most popular of that group still. And why not? They're pretty, summery, and this wedding cake which I made for Sarah and Dean's wedding last month is no exception.
When Sarah and I first spoke, she talked me through her wedding plans and I just knew that a pretty, naked wedding cake would be perfect for them. Having booked The Coach House at Marks Hall Estate near Coggeshall, Sarah was after a relaxed, countryside wedding feel to their day. Sweet, seasonal, fresh summer fruit would be easy to source, and knowing that currants and cherries would also be in season thrilled me as they look super cute hanging down the sides of the cake, which softens the distance between each deep tier.
For those worrying about this style of cake drying out... there's really no need to be overly concerned. We brush an appropriately-flavoured sugar syrup on each layer of sponge when assembling them and this helps seal in the moisture (did you see how I avoided the word "moist" there!) within the cake. For this cake, the top and bottom tiers had a vanilla sugar syrup, and the middle carrot tier, a cinnamon sugar syrup.
Sarah and Dean chose Madagascan vanilla and raspberry conserve at the top; carrot, pecan and roasted hazelnut with cinnamon buttercream for the middle tier; and dark chocolate truffle with white chocolate buttercream at the base. The lovely, thick gnarled log slice which my woodsman supplied completed the look. A little gypsophila and a dusting of icing sugar.... et voilà! One naked, fruit-adorned wedding cake!
The happy couple... Sarah & Dean cut their naked wedding cake...
All that remains is for me to thank Sarah and Dean for asking us to make their wedding cake and we wish them both a long, happy and healthy married life together... filled with cake on regular occasions, of course!
~ Rebecca x