Recipe: How to Make a Naked Cake

I really like the look of the naked cakes Momofuku Milk Bar makes. When I suggested this look for our wedding cake, Ryan was skeptical (wanting something a bit sleeker and simpler, I think), but he said that he thought he'd like the way naked cakes taste since he usually thinks cakes have too much frosting. So, I decided to make him one for his birthday. 

I used Funfetti cake mix and rainbow chip frosting because I am lazy love Funfetti and honestly don't know how to make it from scratch. But, you can, of course, make any kind of cake you want. I just love the way the naked sides of a Funfetti cake show off the dots of color. 

The basic concept for a naked cake is not only to frost just the top of each layer, but also to trim the edges so that the inside of the cake shows. I also like to cut off the rounded top of each layer, which I do even with non-naked cakes (clothed cakes?) because having a flat top makes layering easier.  

For the cake, I made a double recipe (two boxes, four layers). Trimming the tops and sides eats up almost half of each layer. After each layer cooled, I cut its top and sides off with a sharp, serrated bread knife. I used some the the crumbs from the cutoff tops to decorate the top of the cake. 

My cake definitely didn't turn out as perfectly pristine as the Momofuku ones that inspired it, but I like it all the same. Ryan and I thought it looked a bit like a Dr. Seuss cake with its bright colors, drippy frosting, and leaning stature.