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| Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Cake |
Spouse's birthday was yesterday, or as I like to refer to it, the anniversary of her 39th birthday. She is a big fan of a classic sponge cake so I knew that would be the base of the cake. She also loves strawberry shortcake and under the pink frosting this is very much like that classic dessert with the added luscious richness of mascarpone cheese added to the whipped cream filling.
The easy decorators buttercream uses all butter in the frosting and uses no artificial color to achieve the bright pink frosting. Instead a little strawberry puree is all that is needed to bring both flavor and color to the icing. The end result turned out beautifully delicious and would make a perfect celebration cake for kids or adults alike.
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| Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Cake |
Sponge Cake
Sift together and set aside:
1 cup flour1 tsp baking powder
For the meringue base of the batter you will need:
6 eggs separated, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup sugar, separated in 2 half cups
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon flavoring (optional)
Beat egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until foamy and thickened.
Fold beaten egg yolks into the beaten egg whites along with the vanilla (and lemon) for only a few turns before slowly and gradually folding in the flour and baking powder mixture very gently BY HAND using a rubber spatula until just incorporated into the meringue mixture. I mix in the dry ingredients in 3 equal portions. Do not over mix, you just want the flour to be incorporated; over mixing will deflate the egg whites and result in a tough textured final product.
Pour into ungreased 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with the bottoms lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until center springs back when touched. Cool completely in the pans before running a sharp knife around the edge to release the cakes from the pans and then remove the parchment paper from the bottoms. You can also bake this cake in a 9 inch spring form pan and slice it in half horizontally after it is completely cooled.
Filling
Whip together to firm peaks:
1 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Quickly beat in until smooth:
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Finally fold in:
1 1/2 cups quartered fresh strawberries
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
For the strawberry puree begin by tossing together:
3/4 cup sliced fresh ripe strawberries
4 tbsp white sugar
Cover and set aside for at least an hour. This step helps to remove some of the moisture from the strawberries and intensify the color. Drain the strawberries but reserve the syrup. Puree the strawberries until smooth.
Blend together:
8 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
2 cups butter
When the mixture becomes sort of crumbly and the butter is broken up add the strawberry puree along with
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
The frosting will be very stiff at this point so slowly add some of the reserved strawberry syrup , a tablespoon at a time and beating well until the frosting reaches a firm but spreadable consistency. Any leftover syrup can be brushed onto the cake layers before assembling the cake.
Fill the two cake layers with the cream and strawberries then frost with the strawberry buttercream.
|
| Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Cake |
Spouse's birthday was yesterday, or as I like to refer to it, the anniversary of her 39th birthday. She is a big fan of a classic sponge cake so I knew that would be the base of the cake. She also loves strawberry shortcake and under the pink frosting this is very much like that classic dessert with the added luscious richness of mascarpone cheese added to the whipped cream filling.
The easy decorators buttercream uses all butter in the frosting and uses no artificial color to achieve the bright pink frosting. Instead a little strawberry puree is all that is needed to bring both flavor and color to the icing. The end result turned out beautifully delicious and would make a perfect celebration cake for kids or adults alike.
|
| Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Cake |
Sponge Cake
Sift together and set aside:
1 cup flour1 tsp baking powder
For the meringue base of the batter you will need:
6 eggs separated, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup sugar, separated in 2 half cups
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon flavoring (optional)
Beat egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until foamy and thickened.
Fold beaten egg yolks into the beaten egg whites along with the vanilla (and lemon) for only a few turns before slowly and gradually folding in the flour and baking powder mixture very gently BY HAND using a rubber spatula until just incorporated into the meringue mixture. I mix in the dry ingredients in 3 equal portions. Do not over mix, you just want the flour to be incorporated; over mixing will deflate the egg whites and result in a tough textured final product.
Pour into ungreased 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with the bottoms lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until center springs back when touched. Cool completely in the pans before running a sharp knife around the edge to release the cakes from the pans and then remove the parchment paper from the bottoms. You can also bake this cake in a 9 inch spring form pan and slice it in half horizontally after it is completely cooled.
Filling
Whip together to firm peaks:
1 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Quickly beat in until smooth:
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Finally fold in:
1 1/2 cups quartered fresh strawberries
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
For the strawberry puree begin by tossing together:
3/4 cup sliced fresh ripe strawberries
4 tbsp white sugar
Cover and set aside for at least an hour. This step helps to remove some of the moisture from the strawberries and intensify the color. Drain the strawberries but reserve the syrup. Puree the strawberries until smooth.
Blend together:
8 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
2 cups butter
When the mixture becomes sort of crumbly and the butter is broken up add the strawberry puree along with
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
The frosting will be very stiff at this point so slowly add some of the reserved strawberry syrup , a tablespoon at a time and beating well until the frosting reaches a firm but spreadable consistency. Any leftover syrup can be brushed onto the cake layers before assembling the cake.
Fill the two cake layers with the cream and strawberries then frost with the strawberry buttercream.
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