A naked cake with flowers makes a stunning centerpiece for any celebration. This three-layer stunner is filled with luscious whipped cream, fresh fruit, and crisp meringues, creating a delicate balance of flavors and textures. Topped with fresh strawberries, edible flowers, and more meringues, it’s as beautiful as it is delicious. Serve it at a wedding, birthday, or any occasion that calls for something special.
The Eton Mess cake
Around here, we like to call this the Eton Mess Cake because it sounds fancy and maybe we like to pretend we’re British sometimes.
Regardless of what you call it, this cake is gorgeous and also delicious! It’s easier than it looks, because the fruit and edible flowers are just placed on top. And since it’s a naked cake, you’re only using filling in between the layers and not frosting the whole thing.
Testing and variations
We tested this cake with different variations of edible flowers and fruits and it’s easy to give it a completely different look depending on the occasion or the season. We’re presenting it here with our favorite variation of fresh strawberries and spring-colored flowers.
This cake is perfect for Mother’s Day, weddings, bridal showers, Easter, or a special birthday celebration.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Ingredient notes for naked cake
This recipe calls for standard cake ingredients, along with a few special ingredients. We’ve got a few notes for you to be aware of.
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Heavy whipping cream: This is for the filling in between the cake layers. Do not get regular whipping cream.
Meringues: You can purchase small meringues at most grocery stores, but we encourage you to make your own (use our recipe for Meringue Nests). They will be delicious without the artificial flavor often found in the store-bought meringues.
Edible flowers: Edible flowers really make this cake stand out. They can be hard to find but we usually order them from Amazon or another online seller and sometimes find them in Whole Foods. And of course you can grow your own!
How to make a naked cake with flowers
There are quite a few steps to this recipe but don’t be scared away. We’ve broken it down into easy-to-follow instructions, which makes it look more complicated than it actually is. You can make this cake!
Prepare the oven and cake pans.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and line three 8-inch baking pans.
Begin mixing ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and softened butter and beat together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Add the vanilla extract and beat again to combine.
Add dry ingredients.
Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and beat at a very low speed until just combined.
Bake the cake layers.
Divide the cake batter between the three baking pans and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes have slightly shrunk away from the edges of the pans, are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (The cakes took exactly 22 minutes in our test oven.)
Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare Eton mess filling.
While the cake layers are cooling, make the Eton mess filling: Combine the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until the cream holds its shape and forms peaks. Remove one-third of the whipped cream and set aside for later.
Use your hands to crush the eight meringues, and then add them to the remaining whipped cream along with the chopped strawberries and raspberries. Gently fold everything together.
Decorate the cake.
When the cake layers have completely cooled, place one on a serving plate or platter in front of you. Spread half of the strawberry jam over the entire surface of the cake. Next, add half of the Eton mess filling and use a palette knife or spoon to spread it into an even layer. Repeat these steps for the second cake layer.
Place the final cake layer on top and press down gently to stabilize the cake. Spread over the whipped cream you reserved earlier, then add the rest of the toppings: meringues, berries, mint, thyme and edible flowers, if using. Slice, serve and enjoy!
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Eton Mess Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the filling
- 1 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 8 small store-bought or homemade meringues
- 2 cups strawberries, chopped
- 2 cups raspberries
- ½ cup strawberry jam
To decorate
- 6 small store-bought or homemade meringues
- strawberries
- raspberries
- mint
- thyme
- edible flowers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and line three 8-inch baking pans.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar and 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and beat together until light and creamy. Add 5 large eggsone at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat again to combine.
- Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and beat on a very low speed until just combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the three baking pans and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Eton mess filling
- Put 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream and 4 tablespoons powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat until the cream holds its shape. Remove one third of the whipped cream and set aside for later.
- Use your hands to crush 8 small store-bought or homemade meringuesthen add them to the remaining whipped cream along with 2 cups strawberries, chopped and 2 cups raspberries. Gently fold everything together.
Decorate the cake
- When the cake layers have completely cooled, place one on a serving plate or platter in front of you.
- Spread half of 1/2 cup strawberry jam over the entire surface of the cake. Next, add half of the Eton mess filling and use a palette knife or spoon to spread it into an even layer.
- Repeat these steps for the second cake layer.
- Place the final cake layer on top and press down gently to stabilize the cake. Spread over the whipped cream you reserved earlier then add the rest of the toppings: 6 small store-bought or homemade meringues, strawberries, raspberries, mint, thyme and edible flowers.
Notes
- Storage: This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing this cake.
- To make an impressive three-layer cake, we used three 8-inch baking pans. If you prefer, you could make this in two 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans. However, the cake layers will be thicker than those photographed. Note: the baking time will vary if you use fewer/different pans.
- When you whip the heavy cream, it’s important not to whip it to very stiff peaks as whipped cream tends to curdle if it’s over-whipped. The cream should be softly whipped but able to hold its shape so it doesn’t run off the cake.
- Crushing the meringues and incorporating them into the filling is a wonderful way of getting an authentic Eton Mess taste and texture into the cake. However, the nature of meringues means they will dissolve eventually, and so for that reason, this is a cake best eaten within a day or two of baking.
- We used edible flowers to decorate this cake as they really encapsulate the summery vibes. Please ensure any flowers you use are indeed edible.
Nutrition
Tips and questions for Eton mess cake
- To make an impressive three-layer cake, we used three 8-inch baking pans. If you prefer, you could make this in two 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans. However, the cake layers will be thicker than those photographed. Note: the baking time will vary if you use fewer/different pans.
- When you whip the heavy cream, it’s important not to whip it to very stiff peaks as whipped cream tends to curdle if it’s over-whipped. The cream should be softly whipped but able to hold its shape so it doesn’t run off the cake.
- Crushing the meringues and incorporating them into the filling is a wonderful way of getting an authentic Eton Mess taste and texture into the cake. However, the nature of meringues means they will dissolve eventually, and so for that reason, this is a cake best eaten within a day or two of baking.
- We used edible flowers to decorate this cake as they really encapsulate the summery vibes. Please ensure any flowers you use are indeed edible.
This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
We do not recommend freezing this cake.
You can find edible flowers on Amazon or other online flowers and at specialty grocers like Whole Foods.
