Red fruit summer naked cake

A few days ago I told you about the new trend in cakes: the return to traditional cakes or naked cakes . With the success they are having, a recipe could not be missing to encourage you to prepare one.

For this, we have a new guest on the blog: we are very happy that Rosa, author of the Pemberley Cup&Cakes blog, has agreed to come and give us her advice for making the most delicious cakes, and she shows us a very easy but highly delicious recipe for naked cake. Welcome Rose!

At this point, the appeal of these 'naked cakes' is undeniable. And it is that, in addition to its totally charming appearance, they are all advantages: simple and delicious, all in one. To begin with, we will only need a good sponge cake and a cream of our choice for the filling, therefore, with very little effort, we will obtain a spectacular result.

On this occasion, I have chosen a filling based on whipped cream and red berries, now that summer is here. I have also opted for a basic sponge cake, the classic Genoese sponge cake; soft and light, but resistant and with an authentic flavor of the biscuit of a lifetime. And simpler impossible; basically you just have to weigh the (whole) eggs together, divide the result in half and use the same amount of flour and sugar; no yeast or additional fats. Easy, right? This time, however, I have slightly increased the weight of these two ingredients with respect to that of the eggs to get a denser crumb, taking into account the degree of moisture provided by the cream and fruit juices.

In the photo, Birkmann ceramic stand

Some tips when preparing your cakes

It is more than likely that you already know that baking a cake is really a piece of cake. In any case, it doesn't hurt to review the most fundamental (and simple) issues to ensure that our biscuits —and most pastry preparations— are always perfect:

- We will always have all the ingredients prepared in advance: perfectly weighed or measured and at room temperature (about 20ºC approx.).

- It is vital to perfectly grease the mold to be used (especially in the case of using metal molds), both the bottom and the interior sides, before even starting to mix the ingredients. To grease a mold we can use different methods:
or a non-stick spray (special for this type of task),
or a thin film of sunflower oil or melted butter or
or the previous one plus a very light additional layer of flour (or cocoa, depending on the recipe) sprinkled evenly over the fat ingredient used. In this case it is very important to remove excess flour (or cocoa) by tapping the mold.

In any case, we must make sure that we do not overdo it when greasing and flouring the molds or the outside of our biscuits will show it, leaving them quite lackluster. Sometimes, it is also possible that the recipe requires that, in addition to greasing the mold, we line the inside with parchment paper or parchment paper. We must not forget that the paper must be greased on both sides.

- Although sometimes it may not be specified, it is highly advisable to always sift the flour (generally, together with the rest of the dry ingredients) before using it in the preparation of the biscuits. Not only is it thinner and more airy —which will give the cake a greater fluffiness once baked—, but we will also make sure to eliminate any impurities that the flour may contain.

- Despite what our instincts may lead us to believe, we will never mix flour excessively. It is not about leaving a perfectly homogeneous dough as if we were going to make bread, but about integrating the flour together with the rest of the wet ingredients just enough so that it is hydrated. In this way, we make sure to get a juicy and tender crumb.

- We will preheat the oven for at least 10 to 15 minutes before introducing our cake at the indicated temperature. For conventional biscuits, this temperature is usually 180ºC (temperature in an electric oven without a fan)* and with heat above and below. Generally, we will use the grid, which we will place in the central position. The temperatures indicated in the recipes are a standard reference and usually work without problem. But when it comes down to it, each oven is different and it is possible that ours does not really reach the temperature it indicates. In case of doubt, it is convenient to get an additional oven thermometer.

- We will never fill the mold to be used above ¾ parts of its capacity.

- In case of using more than one mould, when placing them in the oven we will place them as far apart as possible from each other, as well as from the walls of the oven, so that the heat circulates without obstacles and our biscuits are baked in the same way. homogeneous way.

- Although it may seem obvious, under no circumstances will we open the oven door during baking, except during the last few minutes to check that they are perfectly done inside.

- Once out of the oven and before unmolding our biscuits, we will leave them in their molds for about 10-15 minutes (before they are still very fragile and would break, but if we leave them longer, the heat will soften them). After this time, we carefully unmold them and let them cool completely on a rack , away from drafts and sudden changes in temperature to prevent them from losing their volume once out of the oven.

And from here to making a dream cake, only a few more minutes separate us and a little extra pampering. Don't tell me it's not perfect to enjoy in good company. Unforgettable evening guaranteed.

*155ºC (conventional oven)/4 (gas oven)/350ºF

In the photo, Le Creuset jam jar

INGREDIENTS (for 10-12 servings)

(All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated)

For the cake:

6 eggs (L)
210 g white sugar
210 g loose flour (normal wheat flour)
½ teaspoon salt

For the filling and decoration:

450 g assorted berries, fresh
50 g of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, red fruit jam, etc. (to taste)
200 ml of liquid whipping cream (min. 35% MG), very cold
1 teaspoon lemon juice
15g (2 tablespoons) icing sugar (plus extra sugar for dusting)

ELABORATION

From the cake:

1. Preheat the oven (electric) to 180ºC and place the oven rack in the central position.
2. Grease, line with baking paper and grease the inside of 2 non-stick round molds with a removable base of 20 cm Ø, like these from Le Creuset . We booked.
3. In a very large bowl, vigorously beat the sugar together with the eggs with the help of a whisk (if possible electric, for convenience) at high speed for about 10-15 minutes (longer if by hand) until a mixture is obtained. quite dense, much paler, spongy and very light. We will know that it is ready when the rods do not drip when lifted.
4. Next, we incorporate together the flour and salt in two batches, sifting them directly over the previous mixture and mixing after each addition just enough until the last trace of flour disappears. To avoid losing all the volume we have achieved, we will use very soft and enveloping movements, from bottom to top.
5. Next, we divided the dough into two equal parts, distributed it between the two molds that we had prepared and smoothed the surface with a spatula.
6. We bake for about 30-35 minutes until they get a nice golden color. Before removing the biscuits, we check if they are well done by inserting a skewer in the center; if it comes out clean of crumbs, we remove them from the oven, if not, we will check every couple of minutes until it does.
7. Once properly baked, let them cool in their molds on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. After this time, we unmold and let cool completely upside down on the rack before assembling our cake.

From the filling:

1. We carefully wash, drain and dry the fruit.
2. Next, in a medium bowl, mix 200 g of the fruit together with the jam, slightly warm, and let it cool (if we have used strawberries or cherries, it is convenient to chop them). We reserve the rest of the fruit to decorate.
3. Meanwhile, with the help of some rods (preferably electric, for convenience), we whip the cream together with the icing sugar and the lemon juice at medium-high speed until it acquires a firm consistency (the grooves of the rods should be marked in the cream when you stop beating). However, we must not overdo it either or the cream will end up cutting (and we will have made butter). It is to be used immediately; if not, we will keep it refrigerated.

Assembly of the cake:

1. If necessary, with a long serrated knife or a lyre, we will cut the upper part of the biscuits just enough to even out and level the surfaces. With the help of a pastry brush , gently clean the biscuits from any possible loose crumbs that may have remained.
2. We place the first cake well centered and face up (the base of the cake below) on the cake pan or plate in which we are going to serve our cake (it is advisable to use the cake that came out less "graceful" in the first place). Next, we spread a generous layer of whipped cream evenly over the entire surface of the cake, making sure that it reaches the edges well (it is not necessary that we take pains to leave a perfectly smooth surface). Reserve a couple of heaping tablespoons of cream to finish off the decoration.
3. With the help of a spoon, lightly drain the fruit that we had macerating with the jam and distribute it over the entire surface of the layer of whipped cream that we have just applied.
4. Next, we place the second cake well centered, this time face down, on top of the filling and press lightly so that it is well established.
5. Finally, we apply a light layer of whipped cream on the surface, decorate with the rest of the fruit that we had reserved and sprinkle a little icing sugar on top to decorate.

And our cake is ready to serve and enjoy!

Keeps refrigerated and well covered for 2-3 days. Before consuming, leave the tart for 20-30 minutes (depending on the weather) at room temperature outside the refrigerator to allow it to acclimate.

GRADES:

- To take into account: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml; 1 tablespoon=15 ml.

- If we had time, it is highly recommended to let the biscuits rest in the refrigerator, well wrapped in plastic wrap, overnight. In this way, we allow both the crumb and all the nuances of the different flavors to settle perfectly, thus resulting in a very tasty cake with an ideal consistency.
- As for the sides of the cake, we can leave them like this or pass a knife or spatula around to smooth and seal them, thus giving it a different touch.
- Since it is a base cake to make almost any type of cake, we can add nuances of flavor according to the final result that we are going to give it: extracts (vanilla, almond...), lemon or orange zest, spices (cinnamon type , cardamom…), etc.
- We can also play with the cake itself, substituting part of the flour for pure cocoa powder (15-20% max.), to turn it into a chocolate sponge cake or even for corn starch (of every 130g of flour we will substitute 10g for the same amount of corn starch), to give the crumb an extra tenderness.
- The MG index (fat matter) of the cream is very important to be able to mount the liquid cream without problem. To this end, we must always use liquid cream with a minimum of 35% MG. In addition, the temperature is vital; the cream should be very cold at the time of whipping it. And if we cool the utensils that we are going to use (bowl and rods), we will get it to be assembled more easily and in much less time.
- In case you prefer to use a single mold (deeper) and then cut it in two crosswise , keep in mind that it will require a little more baking time. Check from 45 minutes until it is fully cooked inside.

I hope these brief tips have been useful to you and, of course, that you liked the cake. A pleasure and bon appetit!

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