BITTERSWEET Thank You Brad Pitt

THANK YOU Brad Pitt

FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE CAKE WORLD

STORY & PHOTOS BY ANGEL SCHIFFER, BITTERSWEET BAKERY

I’m going to take you back to 2014. Remember with me if you will… it was the year Frozen came out and not a single one of us could let it go, let it go, let it go. Mona died #stillnotoverit. Ariana Grande got smacked in the face with a Victoria’s Secret angel wing. Delena broke up. But Brangelina? Brangelina was everything.

And 2014 just so happened to be their fated year of ‘I do’s’. Which obviously meant the world needed to know every single detail of their wedding… including the cake.

I distinctly remember receiving my first request for a naked cake. So I, like anyone in 2014, simply googled “naked + wedding + cake”. Let me tell you, there wasn’t a single picture of a naked, ahem, cake.Of course brangelina was cutting edge.

Being that the trend is much more popular in 2022 I doubt your Google search will result in the same nightmares, but for those of you still in the dark allow me to spare you any potential distressing chance and break down for you what exactly a naked cake is.

A naked cake is essentially a crumb coated cake. Which for those of you that are avid bakers you know it’s that initial thin layer of frosting when structuring a layered cake. Traditionally, you would apply your crumb coat and then add the exterior coat and any additional frosting flourishes after a quick chill in-between. With a naked cake, however, you let the cake layers shine through in all of their unabashed glory.

Queen Tosi, founder of Milk Bar, was one of the first bakers to spearhead this trend (as well as soaks, taking an elevated spin on nostalgic desserts, and single-handedly got the world addicted to a dessert named crack pie but that’s another discussion for another time) but it wasn’t long before the cake community took this style and made it what it is today. Initially, it was almost always used in a rustic setting. If you’re having trouble envisioning this think mason jars and burlap. Are you with me? Now you’ll find it at the most elegant of events with towering tiers of crisp edges adorned with stunning blooms and often edible gold if you wanna be boujie... heck, its 2022 we all wanna be boujie. Holding its own with the most elaborately decorated cakes.

As for all of the summer brides out there, naked cakes, or nekkid cakes as my mom calls them, are my favorite go to for hot summer wedding days. They hold their own beautifully compared to the more intricately piped cakes in this Texas heat. This style of cake isn’t just limited to weddings as it will also do wonderfully as a single tiered cake taken to a backyard bbq birthday celebration easily dressed up with fresh fruits, or as a shower cake to take to brunch on the patio adorned with an array of edible blooms. Naked cakes are versatile in the best way possible so thank yous are in order for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Although, I’ll forever stan our original King and Queen Brad and Jen, as one should.

WHICH WAS, GASP, NAKED.