The Naked Cake

Frosting makes a cake look finished and offers endless design possibilities. As a cake decorator, I love how frosting covers up little mistakes like cakes not coming out of the pan perfectly or ending up a little dry. I especially love the Italian buttercream that I use to cover my wedding cakes with because it creates a smooth finish and isn't too super sweet. Frosting is a cake decorator's best friend. Lately though, I have been  infatuated with a new fad in cakes: the Naked Cake. It still has frosting, but rather than trying to cover up imperfections, the 'naked' style shifts the focus back to the cake itself. The frosting is more a compliment in flavor than design, and the result is a beautifully rustic stack of cake- with nothing to hide.

A good cake begins with good ingredients. Here's a picture of my pear and ginger cake, stripped down to its  skivvies:

 

This cake is so full of flavor and moisture, you won't even miss the extra frosting.