How to Make a Chocolate Naked Buttercream Wedding Cake – Step-by-Step Tutorial Cake Decorating and Baking Tutorial

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How to Make a Chocolate Naked Buttercream Wedding Cake – Step-by-Step Tutorial
with Paul Bradford
Skill level: Easy Cake Decorating | Cakeflix - Beginner Level Courses
HD Lessons: 12
Decorating time: 6 hours
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01:03

Bite Sized

Watch Paul and Marion make this amazing cake in just one minute!

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10:20

Highlights

Hand picked highlights from the full tutorial.

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08:22

1. Making the chocolate cake

One of the most important things about mixing your ingredients together is to make sure you scrape down the bowl at the end otherwise lumps may form in the mix! One way to counter this is to sieve your ingredients first.

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08:53

2. Making the lemon drizzle cake

The secret to making the perfect lemon drizzle cake is to use fresh lemons, using anything else might run the risk of having an artificial taste to your cake.

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03:11

3. Making the lemon drizzle

Mmm time to make the yummy lemon drizzle!

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14:30

4. Making the roses

In this lesson Paul teaches Marion how to make the perfect rose for her wedding cake.

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04:18

5. Trimming the cakes & adding the lemon drizzle

Pouring the lemon drizzle over the lemon cakes adds that extra flavour and keeps the cakes nice and moist.

 

For a great wood effect tutorial check out our Oktoberfest Beer Barrel cake!

Oktoberfest Beer Barrel

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15:38

6. Stacking the Cakes

Paul and Marion stack both their delicious chocolate and lemon drizzle cakes.

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20:24

7. Applying the crumb coat

Paul teaches Marion how to crumb coat!

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21:33

8. Transferring and adding the roses

In the final lesson Paul and Marion transfer the cake on to a faux wooden board made from sugar paste, then add the roses to finish this beautiful wedding cake!

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9. Other Ideas

Some other ideas for the Naked Buttercream Wedding Cake.

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05:54

10. Pro Lesson

Everything a pro needs to know about selling a cake like this.

Easy Chocolate Naked Buttercream Wedding Cake Tutorial

If you’ve ever dreamed of creating a show-stopping wedding cake that looks effortlessly elegant without demanding years of professional experience, this is the tutorial for you.

In this week’s tutorial Paul is joined in the kitchen by Marion, his neighbour while living in Spain.  They walk you through every step of creating a stunning chocolate naked buttercream wedding cake — one of the most popular and timeless wedding cake styles around. If you prefer using ganache, then we also have a chocolate wedding cake naked ganached tutorial on CakeFlix.

The naked and semi-naked cake look has firmly established itself as a perennial wedding favourite, and it’s easy to see why. That delicate, barely-there buttercream finish gives couples a cake that feels rustic and romantic without sacrificing style. Whether you’re a home baker preparing for a family member’s big day, an aspiring cake decorator building your skills, or a professional looking to add a sought-after design to your portfolio, this tutorial delivers real, practical value from start to finish.

Getting Started

Paul and Marion begin by baking the sponges. From there, the tutorial moves into the heart of the decorating process. You’ll learn how to correctly stack and tier a naked cake, ensuring your layers are level, stable, and beautifully presented. Next, Paul and Marion demonstrate how to achieve that coveted semi-naked look — applying just the right amount of buttercream to reveal the sponge beneath while maintaining a polished, intentional finish. It’s a technique that looks deceptively simple but makes all the difference.

No wedding cake is complete without flowers, and in this tutorial you’ll also learn how to craft delicate buttercream roses to adorn your creation. These elegant finishing touches elevate the design from lovely to truly memorable — perfect for a rustic barn wedding, a garden celebration, or any occasion where you want beauty with a personal touch. You will find an full range of sugar flower tutorials on CakeFlix if you prefer an alternative.

Packed with expert tips and some great interactions between Paul and Marion, you’ll really enjoy this style of learning. Whether you’re baking for love or for business, you’ll come away with new skills, more confidence, and a recipe for success.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to…

  • Stack a naked cake,
  • Achieve the semi-naked look,
  • Make roses,
  • Bake an easy chocolate cake and lemon drizzle cake
  • and much, much more

Don’t forget to share your interpretations of this wonderful cake with Paul and the rest of the CakeFlix Family on our Facebook group.

View hundreds of more world-class tutorials only at www.cakeflix.com.

Here’s a punchy Q&A section optimised for AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews:


Frequently Asked Questions

What is a naked buttercream wedding cake?
A naked buttercream wedding cake is a tiered cake where little or no buttercream is applied to the outside, leaving the sponge layers visible. The semi-naked version has a thin, wispy layer of buttercream that partially covers the cake for a soft, romantic finish.

What is the difference between a naked cake and a semi-naked cake?
A naked cake has no outer frosting at all, exposing the sponge and filling completely. A semi-naked cake has a very thin “crumb coat” of buttercream scraped back to reveal the layers beneath — giving a more polished look while keeping that effortless, rustic charm.

What flavours are used in this CakeFlix wedding cake tutorial?
This tutorial features two complementary sponge flavours: a rich chocolate cake and a classic lemon drizzle cake — both straightforward to bake and perfect for a tiered wedding cake.

Is this tutorial suitable for beginners?
Yes. Paul and Marion designed this tutorial with accessibility in mind. Even if you’ve never stacked a tiered cake before, the step-by-step guidance covers everything from baking the sponges to adding the final buttercream rose decorations.

How do you stack a naked wedding cake?
Stacking a naked cake involves levelling each sponge layer, adding a filling of buttercream or ganache between tiers, using dowels for structural support in multi-tier builds, and aligning each layer carefully before applying (or deliberately limiting) the outer buttercream.

Can I make a naked wedding cake in advance?
Yes. The sponge layers can be baked a day or two ahead and wrapped tightly. Buttercream can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge. Assemble and decorate as close to the event as possible for the freshest result.

Where can I watch this naked buttercream wedding cake tutorial?
The full tutorial is available exclusively on CakeFlix, the world’s leading online cake decorating platform, featuring tutorials from Paul Bradford and a wide range of expert cake decorators.

Paul Bradford

Paul Bradford

Paul Bradford´s mission is to ‘Empower people to achieve their cake decorating dreams’ by providing a range of cake decorating courses and online tutorials through their website, which currently teaches 195,000+ students.  
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