I made a naked cake.
A cake that is naked.
Naked cakes sprang up at hipster weddings across the land last year. Since I am neither a hipster nor getting married there was no reason for me to have a naked cake. And I made a frowny face that lasted a full year. But when I realized Betty would need a cake for her 80th birthday I rejoiced. Turn that frown upside down. I was finally going to be able to strip.
I made an 8 layer sponge cake which I thought was a chiffon cake but evidently is a pound cake. Apparently what I think of as a sponge cake is not what the British think of as a sponge cake. I didn't know. I don't speak cake.
So I had an 8 layer lemon verbena "sponge" (actually pound) cake. In between each layer I spread thick layers of homemade lemon curd and vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
The outside was decorated with fresh lemon verbena leaves, local raspberries and green tails Amaranths from my cutting garden. Also there's the bunting banner I made which I unabashedly copied from a similar banner I saw on ... wait for it ... this is so weird ... Pinterest. I know. A bunting on Pinterest. That's almost as rare as a wart on a witch.
It was a thing of beauty this cake. Allow me to explain how it made it's journey to my sister's house, a 10 minute drive away.
I placed the cake, marble cake stand and all, into the trunk of my car. I sat the cake stand on a non slip pad and closed the trunk. The hot, sweaty, festering, trunk. It was like placing the cake into the armpit of a dry cleaning business.
And then I prayed. And then I realized I don't actually have a religion and had no one to pray to. So I prayed to the one person I thought could really understand my anxiety. I prayed to Martha Stewart.
I started the car, put my hazards on, took a deep breath and slowly stepped on the gas. Now I had a problem. The cake was melting at a rapid pace but if I went anything over 10 km an hour I risked the cake falling over. But the cake was more likely to fall over if the icing and curd melted.
Then I had an anxiety attack inside my car, did some thrashing, banging, hitting myself on the head ... you know, that sort of thing and cried in a way Martha Stewart would never. At the very moment I was about to get really dramatic a deep calm came over me and I felt a hand on my back nudging me forwards. Thanks Cake Boss.
14 hours later I made it to my sister's house with a puddle of cake in the trunk. Just kidding. Both the cake and I made it to the party with only a bit of melting and slanting.
As you can see, by the time she saw the cake Betty was slanting a bit too, so to her the cake was straight.
The biggest question everyone seemed to have was how do you slice a cake like this? Well it's pretty straight forward. You don't slice it. Everyone gathers 'round and smashes their face into it.
At least that's what I suggested but nobody went for it. 80 years olds can be annoyingly stuck in their ways.
What you're looking at is really 4 cakes, stacked on top of each other. I cut the top cake in half and that made 2 slices. Then the next cake was cut into 4, making 4 slices. And so on.
And then everyone smashed their faces into it.
If you're a hipster, getting married or turning 80 I highly, completely and enthusiastically recommend a naked cake. It's a horrible travelling companion but it makes a great entrance.
Have a good weekend!
Bonnie
Inspirational beyond belief. I'm ready to create some kind of version of this cake.
The biggest question I have is, how did Betty end up being so perfectly coordinated with that cake!?
And congratulation on being blessed with awesome 'genes'. Your ma is beautiful and twinkly.
Karen
Making them in mini sized as multilayered cupcakes sized would be fun! ~ karen
JulieD
Hi Karen,
The cake is gorgeous!! and looks so delicious! Next time, pound a 3/8"-1/2" dowel down through the center of the whole cake. Cut it about 1/4" shorter than the cake, and hammer it down in. That will keep the layers from sliding as you transport it. If you use cardboard discs to separate the layers, cut a hole in the center of them to accommodate the dowel, of course.
Karen
I actually had dowels and then for some bizarre and strange reason decided NOPE I wasn't going to use them. NO idea why. I think I may have gone temporarily nuts. ~ karen!
Suzanne
I am a huge believer that cake is just the vehicle for frosting. So a naked cake shouldn't be for me but after looking at those beautiful pictures of it and how sweet Betty looks tilting next to it I may have try it! It looks fabulous AND delicious!
Melissa in NC
Thank you for sharing your beautiful, naked cake. I'm sure you didn't disappoint Betty with the cake at her gathering :)
Karen
What's funny is Betty called me this morning after seeing this post and said, boy that cake was really beautiful. I didn't really get a good look at it at the party. FIY she got many looks at it at the party, lol. ~ karen!
Wisconsin Gal
Glad you decided to go with the stripped cake instead of stripping yourself. That kind of thing could result in heart attacks for 80 year olds. Great job on the cake, and great job Betty! You're lucky, Karen that you have such good jeans. Oops. Genes.
Karen
Thanks Wissy! That's what I'm. going to call you for short from now on. Wissy. Or at least until I forget. ~ karen!
Jackie
Your cake turned out beautiful - I'm sure it tasted good & that Betty loved it. Maybe you should have taken all the parts of it to your sister's house & assembled it there. I'm glad it didn't fall apart on you in the trunk. I remember taking a crockpot of baked beans to work one day (years ago), for a party we were having. I put the crock pot on the floorboard of the passenger seat & started off to work. The first little hill I had to go down - still in my neighborhood - & I had to make a left turn to go down the hill - the damn crockpot (it only had 3 stubby legs) of course turned over & dumped about half of the beans out. I had to go home, clean out the car & get more beans before going to work. My car had a beanny smell for quite a while. I learned from that to take the goodies & the crockpot separately & put them together when I got there.
Nancee
oh Karen! i spent almost 8 hours in the ER yesterday, and eventually checked myself out to come home, against doctor's wishes & 'orders'. i can heal & rehab here at home much better. And i can be barefoot the whole time if i want to!
This posting is priceless...a great uplift of spirits. Isn't laughter said to be healing?
I thank you for a bit of healing.
I'd heal even more if you'd share your recipe for the lemon curd & buttercream icing!!
Karen
LOL. I'll look into sharing it Nancee. But it isn't really my recipe to share. :/ A chef friend gave me her lemon curd recipe. It's coming out in her cook book soon ! ~ karen
Nancy Blue Moon
It's gorgeous Karen and so is your Mama...also I have prayed to Martha Stewart many times while cooking or baking...or crafting...or painting....or..well, you get the idea...I have no one else to pray to either so it's pray to Martha or pray to you...you are kind of a Martha junior...lol..
Karen
Feel free to pray to me any time you like Nancy. ~ karen!
Nancy Blue Moon
Right now I'm praying for one of those ovens you made to appear in my back yard...what's my chances on that your holiness???....Amen
Elise
The cake is lovely!!! You're so talented, Karen!
Trish
I just can't get enough...it's not fair...I want to hear more about the party and everything...!!!
love, love, love your cake, Karen! well done!
Aurora Clarke
we'll have to disagree :-) As a professional baker I learned that Sponge cake by definition has no added butter, oil or leavening agents - the perfection depends on the eggs alone which is why its tricky to make. Chiffon cake, a more recent American cross between a butter/oil cake and sponge making it more like pound cake. Epicurious has the cake classifications here http://www.epicurious.com/archive/howtocook/primers/cakestypes
Victoria loved her sponge cake for sure and that was the beginning of British tea time, when Queen Victoria was feeling a bit hungry before supper time. Whatever, its all good!
Karen
No, lol. I'm saying that a pound cake (equal parts butter, sugar, eggs) is referred to in Britain as a sponge. But it's referred to as a "Victoria Sponge". Which is the recipe I used, thinking it would be a sponge. True story. ~ karen!
Theresa
Beautiful cake and looks yummy too!
Jebber Jay
Lordy dee that is one BEAUTIFUL cake! I would have smashed my face into it.
YAY BETTY for turning 80 and having such fabulous daughters. :o)
Gretchen Sexton
SPECTACULAR!
I'm drooling....
Rose
What a beautiful loving gift for your momma! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Rebecca
It's beautiful!! Thank you for sharing.
Molly
Lovely cake! BETTY IS 80?! Daaaaayyyum. I hope I look that smashing at 80. Betty just gave me incentive to get the hell out of bed and smile more! Happy birthday Betty!
Wendy
Maybe somebody said this already:
I think you're supposed to freeze the actual cake, cut in it's slices, and then assemble it at the venue. I say venue, because I'm assuming we're talking about hipster weddings. I guess Pink Tool Belt didn't want cake assembly happening in the middle of a party?
Wendy
Aurora Clarke
FWIW - sponge cake is NOT the same as Pound Cake or Chiffon cake! http://www.epicurious.com/archive/howtocook/primers/cakestypes
Regardless, all very tasty and yours looks Fab! Yum!!
Karen
It's a Victoria sponge. (which is very much like a pound cake) ~ karen!
Kitty Nix
So Karen does that mean chiffon is that super airy cake?
Karen
Yes ma'am. ~ karen!
Christie
LOVE the cake stand!!! Wherever did you find it?!!!! Just kidding - don't want to start a rant.
On the melting cake... did you think about your homemade air conditioner in the trunk? The transport would also have been my most anxious moment of the Naked Cake Experience.
Love Betty's manicure - so festive! And the cake looks delicious - I would totally have smashed my face into it!