Today I'm sharing how to make a fake naked cake.

 

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I'm here to tell you that fake cakes, or fake naked cakes, really do exist. I mean, who knew? I'm not sure when I came across my first fake naked cake, but I think it was on Instagram. That led to some Etsy research. And then all bets were off. Did you know people will actually pay upwards of $50 for fake cakes? 

Fake naked cakes are used for many things, but I'm loving them for decor.  Just think, a yummy looking layer cake decorated for the seasons -- what better way to create a warm, homey atmosphere in your kitchen or dining room?

Maybe add a nice vanilla-smelling candle, or perhaps one of my favorite candle fragrances -- Sugar Cookie! Once I became obsessed with making my own fake naked cake it was only a matter of time. 

I call it "naked" cake because once the "icing" is put on, you'll go back and scrape most of it off, leaving bald spots where you can see the "cake" underneath. It's rustic and imperfect and I love how it looks. 

 

Supplies For Making A Fake Naked Cake  

I mixed two colors of acrylic craft paint, trying to achieve a golden brown just-out-of-the-oven cake color: Apple Barrel Melted Chocolate and Apple Barrel Khaki.

I poured them in a 50/50 ratio onto a paper plate and then mixed them with some toothpicks. Overall I didn't need a ton of paint for this. I had quite a bit left. 

They still looked pretty dark, despite my adding a lighter color into the mix. However, I was pleased overall with how the brown looked underneath the "icing." 

These two rounds were from Dollar Tree and are much less dense than the rounds from Hobby Lobby -- so I needed more paint to get decent coverage on them. I did not use them for this cake but saved them for later.

No matter the type of round, I only used one coat of paint on each round, and let them dry overnight. Be sure to leave adequate drying time before starting the spackling, or the paint color may run. Don't ask me how I know this.

I was so excited while doing this project that I neglected to take many in-progress shots. But I did get a picture of the largest round after the first "icing" but before the scraping off. 

My Dollar Tree lightweight spackling was very fluffy and easy to spread, however in some areas it was a bit hard to get the spackle to stick. (I've heard some people wet the putty knife to help with this, but I didn't want the paint to potentially run.) 

This is where the Lazy Susan comes in handy. It helped with the icing stage so that I didn't have to hold the round the whole time while I iced it. I actually used a toothpick, softly pushing it into the round to give me some control over it as I slowly turned the lazy susan around while icing it.  

But one of the great things about this project is that there's no right or wrong way to do it and it's not supposed to look perfect by any means. 

 

I iced each round one at a time, starting with the bottom. Then I took the back (non-serrated) side of a plastic knife and gently scraped the bulk of the icing off, leaving the naked cake look. I put the unused spackling back in the jar to use for another project. 

 

Just gorgeous. I got the rustic farmhouse marble and wood cake stand at Kirkland's. I love it.

Some people mix their spackling with paint before using it. If you want colored "icing" that's fine. I didn't use white paint with my spackling since I actually like the matte, more rustic look as opposed to the glossy look that would probably be achieved with paint.

The spackle dries fairly slowly so you have time to go back and re-work any spots you're not happy with. Once you're done and the cake is just the way you want it, let the spackle dry for at least 12 hours before using your cake.

Some people glue the layers together and some people "ice" the layers together. I, however, chose not to attach them at all. Nor did I glue on the flowers. This way I can change the size and numbers of layers as necessary and also change out the cake topper whenever the spirit moves me.

For this naked cake, I cut apart some faux peonies off a multi-stem bouquet from Michael's, plopped them on top and then used the leaves for extra garnish.

You can use whatever flowers and/or other natural elements you prefer as a cake topper.

I couldn't be happier with how my fake naked cake turned out.

I later added a small bird's nest in honor of spring. Just placed it on top and voila. I'll leave it on for the early spring season, but come summer there will be a whole new seasonal topper for sure! Easy, peasy folks. I can't wait to change it up so stay tuned. I might even add a glass cloche into the mix.

Well, that's it until next time, friends!

I hope you enjoyed reading about 

How To Make A Fake Naked Cake 

and that I've inspired you in some way.