Semi - Naked Fresh Cake

A semi-naked three tiered cake topped with fresh flowers. Featured flavors are lemon ginger cake, vanilla cake, white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, and honey buttercream.

This cake is stunning! Simple yet elegant with hints of fun flavors!

This cake is made up of three tiers, two kinds of cake, two flavors of buttercream, and a whole lot of love. The name of a semi - naked cake comes from the style of frosting because parts of the cake are exposed. This is one of my favorite cakes that I have ever made because of the beauty, simplicity, and taste of this cake!

Semi - Naked Fresh Cake

Serves up to 65; Makes One Three-Tier, Three Layer Cake

Ingredients

6 - Inch Round Lemon Ginger Cake

Butter or nonstick cooking spray for pans

2 ½ cups cake flour, plus 1 tablespoon for pans

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, room temperature

3 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ cup diced dried ginger

10 - Inch Round Lemon Ginger Cake

Butter or nonstick cooking spray for pans

4 cups cake flour, plus 2 tablespoon for pans

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger

¾ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cup (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 ½ cups granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large egg, room temperature

5 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ cup diced candied ginger

8 - Inch Yellow Butter Cake

Butter or nonstick cooking spray for pans

3 ¼ cups cake flour, plus 2 tablespoon for pans

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 ½ cups whole milk, room temperature

White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1 cup egg whites

2 cups granulated sugar

3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

5 ½ ounces white chocolate, melted and cool to touch

Honey Buttercream

½ cup egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

6 tablespoons honey

Assembly

Fresh flowers

6 - inch cake board

8 - inch cake board

12 or 10 - inch cake board or serving dish

8 wooden dowels

Small hand saw

Parchment paper

Palette knife or offset spatula

Instructions

*note for all baking times - I bake at altitude and I tried to adjust times for sea level, but make sure to check your cakes and DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN until cakes have risen and look fully cooked*

Lemon Ginger Cakes

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease, flour, and add cutout parchment circles to three 6 - inch cake pans and set aside.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. Add the lemon zest, grated ginger, and sugar. Mix on medium until the butter is light and fluffy and all ingredients are evenly combined (3 to 5 minutes). Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

4. Add the egg yolks one at a time with the mixer on low. Then add the egg and vanilla. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

5. Divide the buttermilk in half. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture in three batches alternately with the buttermilk starting and ending with the flour mixture. Add the lemon juice and mix on low until just combined. Fold in the candied ginger with a spatula.

6. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pans.

7. To make the 10 - inch lemon ginger cake, follow steps 1 through 6 but use three 10 - inch cake pans and bake for 40 - 45 minutes.

Yellow Butter Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease, flour, and add cutout parchment circles to three 8 - inch cake pans and set aside.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. Add the sugar. Mix on medium until the butter is light and fluffy and all ingredients are evenly combined (3 to 5 minutes). Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

4. Add the egg yolks one at a time with the mixer on low. Then add the vanilla. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

5. Divide the buttermilk in half. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture in three batches alternately with the buttermilk starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low until just combined.

6. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 31 to 36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pans.

White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar.

2. Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place over medium-high heat. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

3. Whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it reads 160ºF (70ºC) on a candy thermometer or is hot to the touch. Once hot, carefully remove the bowl from heat and either fit onto a stand mixer or place on a heat-safe material.

4. Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed until it holds medium-stiff peaks (8 to 10 minutes). When done, the bowl should have returned to room temperature and no heat should be escaping from the top of the meringue.

5. With the mixer on low, beat in the butter, about four tablespoons at a time. Then add the vanilla. Once all ingredients are incorporated, mix on medium until buttercream is silky smooth (3 to 4 minutes).

6. Add the cooled white chocolate and mix on low until fully incorporated and the buttercream is silky smooth again.

Honey Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar.

2. Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place over medium-high heat. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

3. Whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it reads 160ºF (70ºC) on a candy thermometer or is hot to the touch. Once hot, carefully remove the bowl from heat and either fit onto a stand mixer or place on a heat-safe material.

4. Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed until it holds medium-stiff peaks (8 to 10 minutes). When done, the bowl should have returned to room temperature and no heat should be escaping from the top of the meringue.

5. With the mixer on low, beat in the butter, about four tablespoons at a time. Then add the vanilla. Once all ingredients are incorporated, mix on medium until buttercream is silky smooth (3 to 4 minutes).

6. Add the honey and mix on low until fully incorporated and the buttercream is silky smooth.

Assembly, Part 1

1. Once all of the cakes have cooled, level all of the cakes using either a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Choose which layer of each size will be the bottom layer for each tier.

2. For the 6 - inch lemon cake, place the bottom layer on a 5 - inch cake board. The cake board should be on a turntable. I like to use a little bit of frosting to help stick down the cake. Then, using a small brush, brush the crumbs off of the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, place a large dollop of the white chocolate buttercream on the center of the cake. Then slowly spread out the buttercream with a palette knife. I recommend holding the knife so it is flat and parallel to the cake and then slowly applying pressure. Repeat this process until there is about ¾ inch layer of buttercream that just barely reaches the edges of the cake. Chill the cake for about twenty minutes.

3. After the bottom layer and first layer of frosting is chilled, place the next layer on top of the frosting. Repeat step two with this layer, omitting placing it on a cake board. Chill the cake.

4. Once the cake is chilled, place the final layer atop the other 6 - inch cakes. Set aside.

5. For the 8 - inch yellow cake, repeat steps 2 - 4, but using the 8 - inch cakes, the honey buttercream, and a 7 - inch cake board.

6. For the 10 - inch lemon cake, repeat steps 2 - 4, but using the 10 - inch cake, the white chocolate buttercream, and a 9 - inch cake board.

Assembly, Part 2

1. Take the 10 - inch cake and place it on a turntable. Using a palette knife, place a small amount of the white chocolate buttercream and place it on the outside of the cake. Smooth it out so that some of the cake still shows, and so that there are small flecks of frosting. This process is completely up to you, and the amount of frosting can vary as wished. After frosting the side, place a very thin layer on top of the cake (about 1/4 of an inch thick).

2. Repeat this process with the 8 - inch cake, but using the honey buttercream.

3. Repeat this process with the 6 - inch cake, and using the white chocolate buttercream.

4. Place five dowels in a diamond with one in the center. The diamond must be at least three inches from the edge of the cake.

5. Take the dowels out of the cake and use the hand saw to cut the dowels where the frosting line is. Alternatively, you can mark where the top of the cake is on the dowel with a pencil and cut along that line.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the 8 - inch cake and using 3 dowels and placing them in a triangle.

Assembly, Part 3

1. Place the 10 - inch cake on a cake stand or the cake board which it will be served on.

2. Place the 8 - inch cake on top of the 10 - inch cake. I like to have another person help me with this to make sure that it is centered.

3. Repeat step 2 with the 6 - inch cake, placing it on top of the 8 - inch cake.

4. Once the whole cake is built, use the flowers of your choice to top off the sides. I like to spread out the five flowers throughout the cake. (see the photo)

5. Now enjoy your cake! I recommend eating it tier by tier, and storing it somewhere cool. The cake will last in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and will freeze for 3 months.