Happy Birthday! {naked cake}

Did you know that September 16th is the most popular birthday??  In honor of everyone who is lucky enough to celebrate this awesome day as well as all the September birthdays, I am sharing a fun “naked” cake!

Calm down now, this is a G-rated post.  A naked cake simply refers to the fact that the sides of the cake are left bare, or free from frosting.

Pink, Orange & Yellow Naked Cake Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

chilling 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Did you know that September 16th is the most popular birthday?? In honor of everyone who is lucky enough to celebrate this awesome day as well as all the September birthdays, I am sharing a fun “naked” cake!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 package 2-layer size yellow cake mix
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks butter, softened
• ▢ 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract
• ▢ McCormick® Assorted Food Colors & Egg Dye
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Orange Extract
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Imitation Coconut Extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pineapple juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour batter evenly (about 1 1/4 cups each) into 3 (9-inch) round cake pans sprayed with no stick cooking spray.
• Bake 25 to 29 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
• For the Frostings, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition and scraping sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
• Add water; beat until light and fluffy.
• Divide frosting evenly among 3 bowls.
• Tint and flavor each bowl of frosting.
• For Pink Lemonade Frosting, stir in lemon extract and 7 drops red food color.
• For Burnt Orange Frosting, stir in orange extract, 36 drops red food color and 30 drops yellow food color.
• For Piña Colada Frosting, stir in coconut extract, pineapple juice and 30 drops yellow food color.
• Place a cake layer on serving platter and spread with Pink Lemonade Frosting.
• Top with second cake layer and spread with Burnt Orange Frosting.
• Top with remaining cake layer and spread with Piña Colada Frosting. Do not frost sides.

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Pink, Orange & Yellow Naked Cake Recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Amanda Rettke

Did you make this recipe?

Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.

How to create the perfect Naked Cake:

Make sure your layers are level prior to assembly. (more info on how to bake a level cake here)

Chill the cake layers in freezer for at least 1 hour prior to assembly.

Make sure your frosting is quite creamy and spreadable.  A stiff frosting will pull at your cake and potentially break it. (The perfect spreading buttercream? Whipped Buttercream!)

Be very intentional on how you spread your icing onto each layer.  A piping bag works great here! (See: How to Build a Layer Cake)

Have fun!  Mix up the cake colors and flavors as well as the frostings.  Add fruit or a decorative pastry tip to add texture.

Achieving the “perfect” colors in icing is often complicated and difficult to replicate.

With the help of charts, the recipe is specific down to the very last drop.  If you decide to try this cake, you are destined to get the exact same results that I did!

Another reason to celebrate!  What do you think of the fun design?  Two cakes, one with pink, orange and yellow and the other with green, blue and purple.  A Rainbow!

Recipe shared from McCormick with permission.

There is a complete chart with all the frostings as well as a very detailed recipe you can download for both cakes!  I can’t help but be impressed with the level of detail they have provided.

It really takes all the stress out of baking and leave you with all the FUN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all the September Birthdays!!

It was an absolute delight to create these Naked Cakes with McCormick. Thank you so, so much for supporting the brands that support this blog. I only work with the best, and am thankful that McCormick is willing to partner with me! <3