If there’s one thing that always looks good semi-naked, it’s a cake. The barely-there buttercream is such a versatile look that works well for almost any kind of event. Whether you dress it with fresh flowers, drip it with ganache, or tint the buttercream, you can get pretty creative with this rustic or minimalist look. And the best part is, the semi-naked technique is extremely easy. You just need to know a few key things before attempting it to set yourself up for success.
If you’re more of a video-inclined learner, here’s a quick one I shot of the semi-naked technique. I’ll break everything down in the tutorial in the next section:
You Will Need:
- 3 Cups of buttercream (this Vanilla Buttercream recipe is perfect)
- Baked cake layers
- Angled spatula
- Icing smoother
- Cake turntable
Step 1: Prep Your Cake Layers
If you haven’t already, start by leveling your cake layers to an even height. In my opinion, this step should never be missed, no matter what kind of cake you’re creating. Leveling helps to get rid of any domed cake tops, thus setting your entire cake up for being super level and sharp.
Once your cake layers are perfectly even and level, fill and stack them.
PRO TIP: when you’re stacking your cake layers, it helps to very slightly offset the middle layer so that the edge sticks out a little further in some areas. The top and bottom layers should be completely parallel for evenly straight sides, but slightly offsetting the center layer (and I’m talking a centimeter or two) will help create more varying depth with your semi-naked finish.
Step 2: Frost And Smooth The Top Of The Cake
Start frosting the top of the cake by placing a bit of buttercream on the top and smoothing it with an angled spatula, turning the cake on your turntable as you smooth.
You should have enough frosting on the top of the cake that it extends about ¼ inch beyond the top edges.
Step 3: Frost And Smooth The Sides Of The Cake
Using that same angled spatula, apply buttercream to the sides of the cake, starting at the bottom and working your way up to the top. Since the semi-naked look involves buttercream that looks barely there, try to apply a pretty thin layer.
When you’ve got the sides covered, take your icing smoother and smooth the sides of the cake until they’re straight and you have some nice areas of cake peeking through. If you have areas that need more buttercream, simply apply more buttercream and keep smoothing until you like what you see.
Try not to press too hard when you’re smoothing the more “naked” areas, since you could puncture the cake layers and cause them to crumble. If this happens, just smooth it over with more buttercream.
Step 4: Smooth The Top Edges
Now that your sides are looking so rustic and beautiful, you’ll probably notice a little buttercream crown has formed around the top edge of your cake. This is a really good sign, because it means you’re going to have a nice, sharp top edge when you’re done smoothing it.
Using your angled spatula, smooth the buttercream crown inward, moving the buttercream toward the middle of the cake. The goal here is to create level, sharp edges by swiping through the buttercream crown and moving the excess buttercream across the top of the cake. Smooth the top of the cake until it’s level and you don’t have a dome in the middle from moving the buttercream crown inward.
Step 5: Decorate
Now that you’ve created your very own semi-naked cake, it’s time to dress it up a little! Some awesome next steps would be incorporating some fresh flowers (made food safe) to decorate, doing a ganache drip, or keeping the design rustic with some greenery like fresh herbs. Here’s what I’ve done in the past:
Whether it’s your first semi-naked cake attempt or not, let me know if this tutorial was helpful and show me what you’ve created by tagging me on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations.
Hi Whitney
What scraper would you recommend please?
Hi Tracy! I love this one by Norpro: https://amzn.to/2MG2NjA
Oh this is perfect! I’m going to test this for my one year olds birthday this weekend
Yay, Jen! This design will be so sweet for your little one’s party!! Let me know how it goes!
Hi Whitney
Going to try to make this today and wondering do you put buttercream between the layers too or different cream?
Hi Julia! Excited for you to make this cake! I put buttercream between the layers on the cake pictured, but you can use any filling you’d like. Here’s all my tips for filling and stacking cakes: https://sugarandsparrow.com/fill-and-stack-cake-layers/
Hi Whitney, do you think Swiss meringue buttercream would work? Or is that more for piping icing?
Hi Essie! Swiss Meringue Buttercream would work beautifully with this technique. Give it a try!
Hi!
What board is your cake sat on?
I’m making a semi naked three tiered cake for my wedding, have you any tips on doweling and keeping the structure secure!?
Hi Harriet! Congratulations on your wedding! I use these cake circles to place underneath each tier: https://amzn.to/2TEkpPJ and as far as dowelling goes, I have had success with both wooden dowels and boba straws. Here’s a guide to stacking a tiered cake and making it secure: https://www.wilton.com/stacked-tiered-cake-construction/WLTECH-423.html
Thanks so much!! Xx
This is amazing! I noticed you said the icing should be a thin consistency. Would a buttercream made with shortening work for this too? Also, to avoid doing a crumb coat, can you ice the cake when the layers are frozen, or would you recommend them to be thawed? Thank you!
Hi Erin! You can totally use a buttercream made with shortening. I like to use thin consistency buttercream, meaning it’s thinned down with a few tsp of whole milk, and you can totally achieve that same consistency with shortening based buttercream if you’re finding it to be too thick. I’ve never iced frozen layers of cake before, but I know some bakers who swear by that method, so feel free to try it and see what works for you!
Hi, what is your cake recipe used here! Looks amazing!
Hi Philippa! I used my Funfetti Cake Recipe for this cake design. Here’s the recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Hi, what size cake pan did you use for this cake? 6×2? 6×3?
Hi Brianna! I used a 6×2 pan for this cake 🙂
Hi! I am planning to make this for my daughter’s cake smash photos tomorrow. I don’t have a scrapper on hand. What can I do if I don’t have one??
Hi Kaila, it’s really hard to get smooth sides without a scraper or something sturdy with a straight edge. What do you usually use to frost cakes?
you can use a ruler if you don’t have a scraper, it works just as well
That’s so creative, Jennie! I bet that totally works in a pinch!
Hi. Just found this video. I think in the instructions you mean to offset the middle layer by a millimetre or 2. I think a centimetre would be a lot! Good instructions. Thanks!
I made a cake tonight and I didn’t have a scrapper so I used a paper plate! I cute the plate to have a 90* angle. It was a little flimsy so you could double the plates up if you need to. It wasn’t perfect but it worked well enough!
That’s genius, Jess! I’m so happy it worked out!
Hello,
How far in advance can I do this to a cake and t will last? I know normal cakes covered in buttercream can be done up to three days in advance but not sure about this cake.
Many thanks
Hi Samantha! You can definitely make this cake in advance. Even though the cakes are covered with a really thin layer of buttercream, it’s enough to keep the moisture inside the cake for a few days. I would make it no more than two days in advance since it’s a thinner layer of buttercream though.
Hi, can i only use buttercream, or does ganache also work?
Hi Marielle! Although I’ve never only frosted the semi-naked design with buttercream, I hear that you can replicate the look with ganache as long as it’s frosting consistency.
Hi , if I have a tall cake can I still use my normal scraper or am I better off buying a bigger one to scrape the cake all at once. Thankyou
Hi Robyn! It’s easier to get a smooth finish if your scraper is taller than the cake itself, but you can totally get by with a shorter scraper, especially for a semi-naked finish.
These steps are so clear and useful. Thank you so much .
Hi! I wanted to try to make a semi-naked cake this weekend. Would you normally do a crumb layer with this too like you would normally frost a cake? I’m worried I might get too many crumbs in the frosting when trying to get the semi-naked look for my cake. Any tips??
Hi Vanessa! I don’t normally do a crumb coat when I do a semi-naked finish, but if you feel like you’ve got too many crumbs in your buttercream here’s what I would do: apply a very thin layer of buttercream to crumb coat, let it set/harden in the fridge for 20 min, then add your final coat of buttercream. In other words, just make sure the crumb coat is super thin so you can still get that semi-naked effect.
This is a great tutorial. Simple, to the point, made it very clear and easy! Thank You
Thank you so much, Elizabeth!