30 Naked Cakes for Your Wedding

The naked wedding cake: It's a trend that's clearly here to stay, as couples and their bakers are forgoing an outer layer of icing in favor of an unfrosted confection that looks just as good as it tastes. If you're not a fan of the traditional three-tiered white wedding cake, this big-day dessert alternative might just be for you.

As these naked wedding cake ideas will show, there's a style for every celebration, whether you're after a naked rustic wedding cake or a modern one featuring unexpected flavors. Naked wedding cakes aren't all about looks and taste, though. There's actually a serious benefit to choosing an unfrosted confection, and that's freshness.

Because frosting locks in moisture, a baker is able to whip up a traditional wedding cake in advance of the big day, then add the finishing touches right before delivery. That's not the case with an exposed wedding cake, which needs to be baked relatively close in time to the reception to ensure each layer is fresh, moist, and delicious. That means your pro will likely pop your tiers into the oven the night before or even the day of your nuptials. Nothing beats a cake baked just hours before it's eaten, right?

Whatever your reason for choosing one, you'll soon see that bare wedding cakes can be chic, sophisticated, and beautiful—not too sweet, but just sweet enough. Click through to see some of our favorite examples, starting with this stunning half-dressed wedding cake (topped with lemons and limes) by Lelé Pâtisserie.