(Image courtesy of Tanya Knight)

A wedding cake trend that has risen in popularity in 2016 is the naked cake, which is a layered cake that is served with little-to-no frosting on its sides. In order to make up the difference in flavor, extra filling is added between tiers.

Many are doing this to give cakes a “fresh” look. While the trend has been around for years, it hadn’t gained in status until the past year, when its technique had been refined on a grand scale.

Bakers began offering them when more and more brides requested the look. Requiring less icing, these cakes take on a more basic, or rustic feel. The rustic trend is more popular than ever, as weddings everywhere have incorporated elements of it.

The appreciation of the naked cake trend, however, is not universal. In fact, there is a widening difference in public opinion on the technique. Earlier this year, Brides.com named it one of the worst wedding trends according to planners. For many, the early novelty of the naked cakes has worn off. If not done well, they can appear very sloppy.

Another complaint about them is their dryness. Without frosting to seal in the moisture, the cake layers can dry out quickly. Wedding cakes typically need to be made and refrigerated several days before to ensure there's enough time for them to be delivered to the venue, which is a lot of time for an unfrosted cake to get stale.