This light-as-can-be buttermilk cake has an easy sophistication, its Sherry-spiked berries harmonizing with the tangy cream.
Learn the story behind this dish in our column, The Recipe.
2000s Recipes + Menus
Mascarpone-Filled Cake with Sherried Berries
Serves8 to 12
- Active time:45 min
- Start to finish:2 hr
July 2008
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 oz mascarpone (1 cup)
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
-
Garnish:
confectioners sugar
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.
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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.
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Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.
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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:
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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:
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Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.
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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.
- Keywords
- shelley wiseman,
- gourmet entertains,
- dessert,
- cake,
- fruit
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