Visit Martha Stewart Weddings Weddings Wedding Ceremony & Reception Wedding Reception Ideas Wedding Cakes & Toppers 30 Naked Cakes for Your Wedding By Emily Platt Emily Platt Emily is a former editorial assistant for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 26, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Michael Radford The naked wedding cake: It's a trend that's clearly here to stay, as couples and their bakers are forgoing an outer layer of icing in favor of an unfrosted confection that looks just as good as it tastes. If you're not a fan of the traditional three-tiered white wedding cake, this big-day dessert alternative might just be for you. As these naked wedding cake ideas will show, there's a style for every celebration, whether you're after a naked rustic wedding cake or a modern one featuring unexpected flavors. Naked wedding cakes aren't all about looks and taste, though. There's actually a serious benefit to choosing an unfrosted confection, and that's freshness. Because frosting locks in moisture, a baker is able to whip up a traditional wedding cake in advance of the big day, then add the finishing touches right before delivery. That's not the case with an exposed wedding cake, which needs to be baked relatively close in time to the reception to ensure each layer is fresh, moist, and delicious. That means your pro will likely pop your tiers into the oven the night before or even the day of your nuptials. Nothing beats a cake baked just hours before it's eaten, right? Whatever your reason for choosing one, you'll soon see that bare wedding cakes can be chic, sophisticated, and beautiful—not too sweet, but just sweet enough. Click through to see some of our favorite examples, starting with this stunning half-dressed wedding cake (topped with lemons and limes) by Lelé Pâtisserie. 01 of 30 Naked Cake with Seasonal Fruit The de Jaureguis The couple chose a four-tier naked cake, made of honey pistachio and raspberry almond cake layers. Meanwhile, it was layered with vanilla buttercream and finished with gold leaf and seasonal fruit. 02 of 30 Semi-Naked Cake Larissa Cleveland Flour and Bloom Cakes created this almond cake adorned with flowers that featured an "anniversary" layer of vanilla with almond buttercream and marzipan for the couple to enjoy on their first wedding anniversary. 03 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Berries Julie Paisley Photography Why cover up your cake's interior when it's as pretty as this strawberry one's was? The Sweetest Ways to Use Berries Throughout Your Entire Wedding 04 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Succulents Hannah Arista Photography Smilf star Frankie Shaw's raspberry-and-cream-filled naked wedding cake (complete with a gluten-free top tier!) was decked out in succulents. Fleur de Lisa made the dessert. 05 of 30 Half-Naked Wedding Cake D'Arcy Benicosa Photography Can't decide between a naked and frosted cake? With this stunning drip sweet, Pippa Cakery proved that you can have the best of both worlds. 06 of 30 Three-Tiered Naked Wedding Cake Eric Kelley for Easton Events Clue guests in on the flavor of each of your tiers. This delicious Maliha Creations trifecta included red velvet, vanilla, and chocolate cake. 07 of 30 Colorful Naked Wedding Cake Annie McElwain and Raya Carlisle Show off those sprinkles! This one-tiered naked wedding cake (by Belmond El Encanto) put the "fun" in "Funfetti." 08 of 30 Four-Tiered Naked Wedding Cake Apryl Ann Photography The groom admitted that he thought about this semi-naked Layered banana cake (complete with chocolate-ganache filling) long after his wedding day. 09 of 30 Croquembouche Branco Prata This couple opted for a traditional French croquembouche dessert as their wedding cake. 10 of 30 Tropical Naked Wedding Cake Audra Wrisley Photography A nearly-naked design let this Victoria Zoch confection's bright orange flowers do all the talking. 11 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Pastel Flowers Kerry Jeanne Photography Upcountry Creations made this beautiful, light-hued flower-filled naked cake. The three tiers were actually made of carrot cake, at the bride's request. 12 of 30 Fern Naked Wedding Cake Jordan Brittley Our mouths are watering just looking as this decadent naked cake. Sticky Spatula baked the dessert, which was covered in foliage. 36 Ways to Use Leaves Throughout Your Wedding 13 of 30 Mostly-Frosted Wedding Cake Amy & Stuart Photography Ojai Valley Inn designed this couple's cake—which featured dulce de leche and caramel chocolate-mousse flavors—with enough icing to almost fully coat it. 14 of 30 Mille Crepe Cake Stetten Wilson These Lady M's Mille Crepe cakes were decorated with fresh florals for a unique take on naked wedding cakes. Eight Wedding Cake Flavors You Haven't Tried Yet 15 of 30 Naked Sponge Wedding Cake Kylie Martin Photography This lemon slice-topped naked cake didn't need any outside icing—it had plenty between its sponge layers! 16 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Fruit Thecablook Fotolab Romanov Catering decorated this naked dessert with cherries, blooms, and ornamental berries. 17 of 30 Naked Bundt Wedding Cakes Twah Dougherty Consider choosing a type of cake that's typically undressed, like these Matchbox Kitchen Bundt cakes. 18 of 30 Naked Bridal Shower Cake Jana Williams Naked cakes aren't just for weddings—you can serve them at pre-wedding events, too. For example, guests savored this triple-berry sweet at Margo & Me blogger Jenny Bernheim's bridal shower. 19 of 30 Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's Naked Wedding Cake Aaron Delesie For their Italian nuptials, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen chose this four-tiered carrot cake by AFM Banqueting, layered with cream cheese frosting. 20 of 30 Single Layer Naked Cake Laura Ford Photography The bride and groom opted for an olive oil cake for their wedding. This unfrosted cake was topped with powdered sugar for a sweet treat. 21 of 30 Iced Layers Naked Wedding Cake Elias Kordelakos Alexandra's Cakes created this tasty, beautiful lemon layer cake. 22 of 30 Semi-Naked Wedding Cake Jenna McElroy Photography A friend of the couple baked this cute dessert, which boasted tiers that were only partially frosted. 23 of 30 Naked Drip Wedding Cake Odalys Mendez This bride and groom chose a naked cake with icing dripping down the sides, made by Classic City Confections, for their Georgia wedding. 24 of 30 Naked Italian Wedding Cake O'Malley Photographers Devil's Thumb Ranch decorated this couple's tiered wedding cake to look like millefoglie, the traditional wedding cake of Italy. 25 of 30 Short Naked Wedding Cake Rachel Thurston Sweet Layers Cakes & Pastries may have baked this cake, but according to the bride, it was designed to look DIY. 26 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Flowers Dana Fernandez This large naked-style blueberry-lemon cake by Buttercup Bakery boasted bright crowns of fresh flowers. 27 of 30 Fun Naked Wedding Cake Delbarr Moradi Each reception table at this wedding was set with sweets, including this Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake. The couple encouraged guests to dig in to the desserts before the meal even started. 28 of 30 Simple Naked Wedding Cake Erin Kate Photography This bride and groom cut into a small, naked vanilla-and-berry cake from Le Loup. 29 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Peonies Ryan Ray Photography This bride had her heart set on a naked caked topped with fresh flowers, and we can see why! Her spiced-carrot confection by Cakewalk Bake Shop was so pretty. 30 of 30 Naked Wedding Cake with Roses Heather Payne This lemon cake—the bride's favorite flavor—was decorated with with buttercream and spray roses. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit