A single layer, summer berry cake with a thick layer of whipped mascarpone and double cream, topped with your favourite fresh summer berries.
The inspiration for this summer berry dessert, came when I had some leftover ingredients after making sweet pastry tarts with fresh fruits and cream. I'd made the tarts as part of Leith's Cookery School Essentials Cookery Course that I am taking online.
I didn't want to make too fancy a cake, and thought one layer of vanilla sponge cake would be enough. You could always make it into a two layered cake using this simple Easy Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe. There should be enough Mascarpone and Double cream filling from this recipe to fill and top a two layered cake without having to make more.
How to Make this Summer Dessert
Preheat the oven to 180 deg Fan assisted. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8 inch (20cm) spring form cake tin with baking parchment. If using baking bands, start soaking them in a bowl of cold water or use to manufacturer's instructions. See my note below about baking bands
Using an electric mixer, beat together the Margarine/Butter, sugar and Vanilla extract until soft and fluffy.
Add and mix in the eggs one at a time adding a little flour to avoid any curdling. Add the remaining flour and mix until well combined.
Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake tin. If using them, place the soaked baking bands around the outside of the tin.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until baked, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Leave in the tin to cool a little before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.
If you have used the soaked baking bands, you should have a nice light coloured edge around your cake that is soft to the touch.
Decorate a Summer Cake with Fresh Berries
While the cake is baking, in a large bowl, mix together the mascarpone and double cream until it reaches a thick spreading consistency. Add the sieved icing sugar and vanilla extract. Mix together until well combined. Leave in the fridge to keep cool until needed.
When the cake as cooled completely, spread ⅓ of the mascarpone & cream mixture evenly over the top of the cake. If you wish, you can spread a little down the sides of the cake. It's your choice.
Using a piping bag with your favourite rosette nozzle, decorate the edges of the cake with swirls of rosettes.
Arrange the fruits on top in any way that you like. If using large strawberries as I did, it's best to slice them in half. I've given you just one idea of how to decorate a summer berry cake. Pile it high with fruit if you wish, or serve leftover fruit and cream on the side.
Optional Jam Glaze
Although not essential, it is sometimes nice to coat the fruit with a jam glaze. To do this, simply heat the jam with a dash of water in a medium sized pan until well combined and slightly runny but not too thin. Leave to cool a little before coating the fruit with a pastry brush.
If using a lot of fruit, increase the quantity of jam and water. You could also drizzle the jam glaze over the top of the whole cake.
Tip's and FAQ's for a Summer Berry Dessert
This cake will keep for a couple of days, but because of the fresh fruit and cream, it will need to be kept in the fridge.
Use any variety of soft fruit such as Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries
A note about Baking Bands. I find that using baking bands soaked in water and wrapped around the outside of the cake tin, helps keep the sides of some cakes really soft and moist with no crispy edges. This is ideal when making naked style cakes that you don't plan on covering with fondant or icing.
Frozen berries will not keep the same firmness once they are thawed and will often have additional juices that may pour over the cake and leach into the cream. But this should be fine if you are serving straight away.
You can replace the Mascarpone with more double cream. Make sure that you do not over beat or it will go grainy and eventually turn into butter.
If you want to add an additional layer of sponge, make this Easy Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe and fill with some of the cream mix filling, you shouldn't need to make any more. Then decorate the cake as suggested in this recipe.
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Summer Berry Cake
Equipment
- 8 inch springform cake tin
- Baking bands (Optional)
- Baking Parchment
INGREDIENTS
- 120 g Margarine or softened butter
- 120 g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 medium eggs
- 120 g Self Raising Flour
For the topping
- 130 g Mascarpone
- 220 g Double cream
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar sieved
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200 g fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.
For the Glaze (optional)
- 1 tablespoon thick seedless jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 deg Fan assisted. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8 inch (20cm) spring form cake tin with baking parchment. If using baking bands, start soaking them in a bowl of cold water or use to manufacturers instructions.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the Margarine/Butter, sugar and Vanilla extract until soft and fluffy.
- Add and mix in the eggs one at a time adding a little flour to avoid any curdling.
- Add the remaining flour and mix until well combined.
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake tin. If using them, place the soaked baking bands around the outside of the tin.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 to 30 Minutes, or until baked, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
- Leave in the tin to cool a little before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.
- If you have used the baking bands, you should have a nice light coloured edge around your cake that is soft to the touch.
- While the cake is baking, in a large bowl, mix together the mascarpone and double cream until it reaches a thick spreading consistency. Add the sieved icing sugar and vanilla extract. Mix together until well combined. Leave in the fridge to keep cool until needed.
Decorate the Cake
- When the cake as cooled completely, spread ⅓ of the mascarpone & cream mixture evenly over the top of the cake. If you wish, you can spread a little down the sides of the cake.
- Using a piping bag with your favourite rosette nozzle, decorate the edges of the cake.
- Arrange the fruits on top.
Optional Glaze
- To give the fruit a shiny glaze, heat the jam with a dash of water in a medium sized pan until well combined and slightly runny but not too thin. Leave to cool a little before coating the fruit with a pastry brush. If using a lot of fruit, increase the quantity of jam and water.
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