Remember the naked cake trend that ruled every wedding Pinterest board circa 2013? Well, it’s back… only better this time, and with a *brilliant* twist.
Cookbook author Casey Elsass is putting a cheeky spin on the trendy bare look in his new cookbook, What Can I Bring?, with his Birthday Suit Cake. Honestly, it might just be the smartest (and easiest) cake-frosting method you’ll ever try.
So, what exactly is the Birthday Suit Cake? It’s a vanilla “funfetti”-style layer cake that looks like a labor of love to partygoers. Only you will know just how low-effort it actually was to make. Think moist, sprinkle-speckled, stacked layers with frosting only on in between and on top — leaving the sides of the cake scantily clad.
🍰 But before we get to talk about frosting, we simply have to talk about the cake…
Casey’s recipe starts with a white cake — that means no yolks, so the crumb stays extra pale, letting the rainbow sprinkles pop like confetti at a surprise party. Egg whites also keep things beautifully light and fluffy.
In the dry ingredients, Casey includes cornstarch with the flour, which is, as my Bostonian mother says, “Wicked smaht!” Why? Because it tenderizes the batter. Cornstarch has no protein in it, meaning it can’t get tough when added to a batter in the way that wheat flour can.
Now, let’s get into the frosting…
Flavor-wise, traditional American buttercream can be overly sweet, but not this one. Casey opts for a cream cheese buttercream — the cream cheese adds a welcome tanginess and makes the frosting suuuuper smooth and light.
The naked technique involves a technique I like to call… the plop and push.
Casey uses a little dab of frosting on the plate to secure the bottom layer of the cake. Then, he plops roughly half of your frosting on top of the first layer, using a spatula to push the frosting to the very edge of the first layer. Without the worry of saving enough frosting to coat the entire cake, buttercream filling takes no more than a minute or so to spread.
Once he’s aligned the bottom and top layers (honestly, the most difficult part), Casey just spreads the remainder of the frosting on top and dusts it with even more sprinkles for an extra cheery look.
I’m a cake girl: usually the type to pick around the frosting and eat only the cake. NOT THIS TIME. The frosting-to-cake ratio of this bare-booty cake is perfect. My plate: licked clean. My tastebuds: deeply satisfied.
Birthday Suit Cake is one of the 75 guest-optimized recipes in Casey’s new cookbook, What Can I Bring?, which focuses on killer dishes and desserts you can bring to any party. Order it here!
Are you going to bring this cake to your next soirée? Let us know in the comments!