When I saw the photo above I assumed it was taken before the cake was finished. Not so. Leaving the sides of a cake unfrosted is intentional.
Bakers these days are holding back frosting from wedding cakes for an exposed look that is popular with couples looking for a traditional wedding cake alternative. But is this frosting-free look right for you? These naked cakes will surely convince you.A gallery of 44 "naked cakes" is included at this Martha Stewart Weddings link.
As these couples will show, there's a naked cake for every celebration. Choose between shaved, striped layers or creative bases (think: pavlova, crêpes, or even cheese), sparsely placed icing or no icing at all, and décor that makes up for whatever frosting is missing. Even better, try new flavors, without the threat of finding a frosting to match. These naked concoctions are chic, sophisticated, and beautiful—not too sweet, but just sweet enough.
Photo via a post at the Food subreddit, where the discussion thread hashes over the pros and cons of frosting and fondant.
some cakes are so over frosted (and with such poor mouth feel frosting) that a naked cake is a blessing for the tongue.
ReplyDeleteI-)
Quiet, you ;)
DeleteThere is a practical reason cakes are frosted (or iced). It prevents the cake from drying out. The first I heard of his trend was a recent article by a baker bemoaning Pinterest's influence on wedding planning. He stated that it was very hard for a baker to prevent the cake from drying before being consumed.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the etymology between frosting a cake and icing a cake...is it
a colloquial thing, I wonder? Off to do a search here on the blog and then elsewhere.
Good question. I don't think you'll find anything relevant here. Some places I looked at just now seem to indicate the words are interchangeable. Interestingly both imply a white color, and the terminology originated when granulated sugar was the coating used on cakes.
DeleteIf you find some other info, please report back to the class...
I thought icing was more sugar, and frosting was more cream?
DeleteIn Australia (or at the very least Sydney, where I reside), the term "frosting" is unknown, except when encountered in American media. We exclusively use the word "icing".
DeleteUpdate: I found this link that includes glazing as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.seriouseats.com/2009/01/icing-vs-frosting-glaze-debate.html
" Cakespy says the terms are ultimately interchangeable, but a little research in Cake, the new Williams-Sonoma cookbook, proves "an icing is generally thinner and glossier," while frosting is "a thick, fluffy mixture, such as buttercream, used to coat the outside of a cake." Then there's glaze (oy!) which is more slippery and thinner than the other two."
There were a lot of different sites that used this exact same phrasing as if it were copied and pasted from one source.