Mascapone-Filled Cake with Fresh Berries!

Gourmet's Mascapone-Filled Cake with Fresh Berries!

I sooooo love blogger scheduling! I was able to sit down and write before we left for vacation and schedule it to post today...how cool is that???? We are going on an epic drive from one of the southern most areas of the country (South Florida) to the Pittsburgh Area of Pennsylvania and then onto Toronto, Canada. Yep were driving. Along with 2 kids and 2 puppies???!!! I can't wait to be in one of my favorite foodie cities again...my hometown of Toronto!!! Anyway onto the post...

This was a cake that I knew I just had to make. The only thing was I was going to make it for my daughter's sleep over so I couldn't do it the way they did it in Gourmet Magazine now could I??? So sadly I had to do an alcohol free cake but...I will make this again!!!

This was the recipe as written but here's what I did.

• I used some of the mascapone filling to top it as well as fill it (there was plenty)
• I used fresh berries and 1/4 cup of sugar which I allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to help sweeten them up instead of macerating them in Sherry.
• The next time I make this I will be using Limoncello to sweeten the berries and the mascapone!
  

Mascapone-Filled Cake with Sherried Berries

Ingredients:

For cake:
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For berries:
1/2 cup Fino (dry) Sherry
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups mixed berries, cut if large

For cream:
8 ounces mascarpone (1 cup)
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

Garnish: confectioners sugar

Directions:

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Discard paper and reinvert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Macerate berries:
Bring Sherry and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Put berries in a bowl and pour hot syrup over them, gently tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. make cream and assemble cake: Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.

Halve cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Carefully remove top half and reserve. Put bottom half on a plate, then spread evenly with all of cream and replace top half. Serve with berries.

Cooks notes:
•Cake, without cream, can be baked 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap once cool and keep at room temperature. •Berries can macerate at room temperature up to 2 hours.

Would I make this again? This cake was incredible!!! I served it with more of the berries and some of the sugared juice on each slice. My girl's loved it...so did we!!! I would definitely and can't wait to try it with Limoncello!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com