Naked Cake

A three-layer naked cake with mascarpone cream and fresh fruit, with no added sugar, sweetened with OK Gold.

Procedure

1. 01

   Stage 1 — Basics

   Grate the lemon zest into a bowl and squeeze the juice into another bowl. Mix the lemon zest with OK GOLD, then add the lemon juice and oil, stirring continuously.
   Combine the sifted flours with the baking powder, alternating with the milk and mixing well with a whisk until the mixture is quite thick and sticky.
   Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the mixture until it is smooth and even.
   Divide into 3 batches to be baked separately.

   Prepare a baking tin lined with baking paper (approx. 20 cm in diameter).
   Pour in 1/3 of the mixture, level it off well and bake in the oven at 170°C for 60–70 minutes, adjusting the time according to your oven.
   Remove from the oven, wait about ten minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack and repeat with the remaining mixtures.
   Leave the three cake layers to cool completely before proceeding with the filling. They can also be prepared the day before.

2. 02

   Stage 2 — Cream

   Whip the fresh cream until stiff peaks form, without adding anything else.
   Keep in the fridge.
   Spoon the mascarpone into a bowl (taking care not to include the whey at the bottom of the tub), add OK GOLD and mix briefly with a spatula.
   Beat the two ingredients together until creamy, using an electric whisk.
   Gently fold in the whipped cream by hand using a spatula, with upward movements to incorporate air and prevent the mixture from deflating.
   Leave in the fridge until ready to use.

3. 03

   Stage 3 — Assembly

   Take the three cake layers and turn them over so that the side that was facing down during baking is now facing up.
   Moisten the layer with milk (previously sweetened with OK GOLD) using a pastry brush or a spoon.
   Place the cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1.8 cm plain nozzle and begin piping tufts of cream onto the surface of the first cake layer (decorate every two tufts of cream with a raspberry; this not only makes the cake look more attractive but also helps to hold everything together firmly, so that the cake remains perfectly upright).
   Continue until the entire surface is filled, then place the second cake layer on top of the filling, brush with milk and repeat the same process as before, until all the cake layers are used up.
   Do not place any raspberries on the top layer; instead, decorate the surface with blueberries, whole and sliced strawberries, raspberries and a few cherries.