Get excited boys and girls because today you’re in for a treat! The ever so awesome (not to mention talented) Joni from Chasing Arrows, whose own wedding you may have once spied here, has kindly stepped away from her usual day job as a stylist to give us the down-low on how to make our very own naked wedding cake – one that includes our favourite hazelnut spread!
DARK CHOCOLATE + NUTELLA LAYER CAKE
150 g butter
3 1/2 cups plain flour
400 grams Nutella
3 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
3 cups granulated sugar
4 medium eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
200 grams dark chocolate
1 cup boiling water
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
150 g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
200 g cream cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 175 C/350 F.
2. Grease and line three 18cm baking pans.
3. In a saucepan add the butter and dark chocolate, put on a low heat until completely melted then allow it to cool. 4. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the previously melted butter and chocolate and mix well. Add in all the remaining ingredients and beat until batter is completely smooth.
6. Divide evenly between the three pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Allow it to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack until completely cool.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1. Beat the softened butter until pale (about 2 minutes).
2. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until frosting is very pale and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
3. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. This icing tends to look a bit yellow so if you want your icing to be white add just the tiniest bit (start off with a very small amount, like the tip of a toothpick and then add more if needed) of purple/royal blue icing colour.
ASSEMBLY
1. Once all three cakes are completely cooled you can start to assemble the cake. To create a nice flat top on each layer, get a sharp knife and cut the uneven top of the cake off to make it level, that will make it easier to stack the layers.
2. Place the first layer on a cake stand, then spread a generous amount of the frosting on top. Add the next later and repeat this process for all cake layers. Finishing with a large amount of frosting on top, spread with a spatula and make the top even. Spread some frosting around the edge between each layer to create the illusion of thick icing.
3. Using fresh blooms is a stunning option to dress your cake, just make sure they’re food safe flowers! If you want to create a dramatic look with your floral topper it’s great to add varying shades of colour, different layers and textures. Place the flowers on top of the cake at different heights, in this case tulips were placed to add height at the back and in front a mix of orchids and blossoms were added to create variation.
CREDITS Photography, styling and recipe Chasing Arrows.