Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you! Oh, how I love chocolate and for those instant cravings, I make sure to have a few pantry staples on hand, like a box of chocolate cake mix, for those days when I don’t feel like making a cake from scratch. What I like about making a naked cake is the rustic and imperfect look of it, not to mention how super easy it is to decorate.
Whether you will be celebrating a holiday, birthday celebration, or special occasion, why not make a statement by topping off your cake with fresh rose buds that instantly makes your decorated cake incredibly stylish, chic and extra special!
To do this, first be sure to find flowers at your grocery store that are edible or organic because you don’t want flowers that are full of pesticides. I personally stick with roses if I am going to decorate a cake and I started by cutting the stems short (approx. 1 1/2″ in size), I rinse the roses and stems with water, then let them air dry (about 10 min). Afterwards, I take small pieces of aluminum foil and wrap the stems and the bottom of the stems real tight (this helps in protecting your filling and prevents water from leaking out of the stems – this is very important and advisable) and then I strategically insert them on the top of the cake. I found that other people who decorate their cakes with flowers, wrap the flower stems with either floral tape or single stem water picks to protect the inside of the cake.
To make this cake, I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Dark Chocolate Cake Mix and for an extra decadent chocolate flavor, I used Hershey’s Chocolate Instant Pudding for the cake filling and for the frosting, I made chocolate flavored whipped cream. The chocolate combinations complemented each other well and it was surprisingly not heavy in taste, it had a mousse-like lightness to it.
The process for making a ‘naked cake’ is simply using your angled icing spatula, distribute your frosting evenly and you are to leave the sides of the cake exposed. For this cake, I went back and forth with the spatula and removed some of the chocolate whipped cream topping so that their is a very thin layer on the cake – to the point that the cake is visually exposed and not covered 100% with the whipped cream.
For the Cake
ingredients:
- 1 box, Betty Crocker Super Moist Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
- 1box, Hershey’s Instant Chocolate Pudding
directions:
- Follow the instructions on the back of the cake mix box and the chocolate pudding box
- Be sure the cake is fully cooled before handling. Cut the bottoms of your round cake so that they sit flat on your cake stand.
- With your first cake layer in place, add all the chocolate pudding on the center of your cake and with your spatula, start in the middle and spread out evenly
- Add your second layer of cake on top.
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream
ingredients
- 1 cup, heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons, Confectioners sugar (if needed, add more to adjust to your taste)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons, Hershey’s Cocoa, natural unsweetened
- 1 1/4 teaspoons, vanilla extract
directions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until the cream can hold a stiff peak.
- Distribute a thin layer of whipped cream evenly on your cake – leaving some of the top and sides of your cake exposed. (For any leftover whipped cream, and option would be to serve it with a side of berries)
-Photos + recipe by Rose Angel Lopez
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