In Praise Of Rustic Looking Cakes

It's summer and we have better things to do than slave over decorating a cake for your next weekend get together or outdoor party. It's often easier to think about doing desserts that don't require quite the same fuss, but in all honesty, cake is cake, it doesn't have to look perfect or prim and proper. That's why we're big fans of slapping on the frosting, swirling it around and heading to the table...

It's easy to get caught up in the logistics of cake decorating. There's books upon books of ideas on how to make your,cake look like a smooth, perfectly constructed work of art.

But that's just not our style. We like things that look like they came from our kitchen. We like things that taste of quality ingredients and look amazing, even if they aren't smoothed out and slaved over for hours. Most of all, we like spending time with our guests, or relaxing before they arrive instead of crumb coating, chilling and frosting.

That's why we like the slap, slathered and smooshed look when it comes to our icing. It takes the stigma out of baking a cake and allows it to be a quick and easy dessert, once again, without all the fuss and muss!

Are you a fan of rustic looking cakes? Let us know in the comments below!

(Images: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (12)

I like rustic cake presentation but that one looks kind of sad. It isn't the frosting, which is fine, but the sad looking cake which has lost half of its delicous crusty bits.

How are you preparing your pans. I find it helpful to thickly grease with butter, add a parchment round, grease, and flour. If the bottom releases easily than the sides do as well.

I agree with Judi -- I acutally prefer to sugar my pans instead of flour them though -- it makes a little crunchy yummy crust on the edges of the cake, and comes out of the pan beautifully.

So what kind of cake is that, anyway? It does look delicious.

If someone is actually making a cake that I am invited to partake of, it's always beautiful. As far as I'm concerned that goes for everything homemade, always appreciated to fullest!

I like this. As long as the cake tastes good.

While i like rustic, that's a bit too slap dash for me. I'd have to smooth that frosting out a bit and, like my pals above, I'd like to see the crust more even.

I'm such a Felix Unger. I know.

That looks seriously yummy. Recipe?

Absolutely! As long as its a big piece. I won't have time to admire it since it will already be in my stomach.

I'm not a fan of fondant or perfectly iced cakes either (they always seem to be trying too hard, or something), and while I like the aesthetic alternation of a cake that's frosted leisurely, I think the above application works better with WHIPPED CREAM. Or as I like to call it, summer frosting.

The bare walled cake with the high pile up there seems like it would make for some dry bites, so I'd just try to get it a bit more evenly thick. Or opt for the sugar crusted trick mentioned by Judi.

I prefer the rustic look too. Plus I don't have the time, patience, or skill to perfectly decorate. But I also agree with other posters, that cake looks a bit TOO rustic. I like mine a little bit smoother!

I need to eat that cake, recipe please?

Agree with @JudiAU about needing to have a crust on that to complete the look. It also lets you keep the cake layer nice and strong to have that intact layer, which is important if you're doing a rustic look and, say, filling the layers with fruits as well as frosting.

I use Baker's Joy or Crisco with Flour Spray instead of buttering and greasing. It's so much faster. To make the liners, just place your cake pan on the parchment, trace a line in pencil around it, then cut it out. I like to make multiples at one time so I have the rounds on hand. Make sure you grease both under and over the round.

Maida Heatter lines her cake pans with finely processed bread crumbs rather than flour. I didn't like the result myself (I prefer finer textured cakes), but I could see that it would make a rustic cake taste rustic too.

As far as the general look of the cake goes, it depends on the recipe, the season, and the event. If I have lovely fresh berries, you bet I'll let them shine through and not deal with frosting the sides. But if it's in the middle of winter, I will stand in front of a cake for an hour to get a perfect snowy coat of white frosting.