This summer has me busy with weddings and parties. I just wanted to take some time to highlight one of the cakes I made during this hot, dry, summer. Six months ago, I received a request for a cake order for a wedding. My initial thoughts were chocolate fondant or some kind of marzipan something with 3 tiers that towered 3 feet. A little bit of fear rushed across my face since it’s been a while since I’ve done super fancy cakes.
A few days later, I received several pictures of the style of the cake the bride wanted. To my surprise it was a naked cake. Naked meaning no frosting, fondant, marzipan on the outside. I sighed with relief and then it dawned on me, “That means I have to make sure the cake doesn’t crack! And it has to have a nice uniform color to it.” Icing usually covers mistakes in the baking process and broken cakes.
Before starting I figured I should do a couple of test batches to make sure I get a nice color from cakes. Not sure if you know this but the pan matters: non stick, aluminum, thickness, greased, etc… Lucky for me, things worked out after the first batch. The trick was to use a coated aluminum pan, grease it, and also line the bottom with wax paper. The edges came out perfect, the color was dark but not too dark, and it fell out of the pan.
I layered the pieces with royal icing and fruit. Originally, I thought whipped cream but experience taught me that whipped cream will not hold its shape. Then I dusted the top with powdered sugar and more fruit for decoration.
