Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Cake (or Ice Cream Cake)

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've rarely made dishes that require multiple steps. The main reason is simply that I hate washing dishes. For this cake, however, I'd wash all the dishes and scrub the kitchen floor, because it's worth it.

A simple sponge cake is prepared in advance, split in half, then gets reassembled with a mixture of mascapone cheese and cream. Fresh strawberries are used here, because they're in season, but you can use any fresh firm-flesh fruit (say that five times fast). The cream filling is soft, fluffy, and delicate. It does not firm up to the consistency of cheesecake. Keeping the cake chilled until serving time helps prevent the filling from being too runny.

The instructions explain to you how to make the cake the simple way. The result is a low-rise sponge cake that's a tad on the dense side which I prefer. But if you like your sponge cake lighter and more airy, you want to separate the eggs first then mix all the cake ingredients, except the egg whites and sugar, together in one bowl. Then in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and sugar together until stiff peaks form. The egg white mixture is then to be folded into the yolk mixture. The rest of the procedure is the same.

[Added 8-26-10: A couple of you have had a problem with shrunken cake. This means the finished cake won't fit inside the spring-form pan in which it was baked, which also means the filling will go over, instead of be flush with, the edge of the cake. There are many reasons for this. If you grease the side of the pan, this could happen. If the cake is baked too long, this could happen too. (The baking time is the best estimate, but all ovens are calibrated differently, so use the suggested time as a guide. Check the cake about 5-8 minutes before the estimated time and see if the top springs back when lightly pressed with your finger. If so, the cake is done.)


Yet, even when the cake has shrunk, it can still be salvaged. Find a cake ring or a deep cake pan which the same diameter as the finished cake or a bit smaller. Trim the edge of the cake just so it can fit snugly inside the cake ring or pan. Before placing the bottom layer of the cake on the bottom of the cake pan, line it with a piece of plastic wrap, pressed as flat against the inside of the cake pan wall as possible. Make sure the plastic wrap is big enough so that its corners hang over the top of the pan after the cake has been assembled. Then proceed as instructed and chill the cake. At serving time, grabbing on to the corners of the plastic wrap, pull the cake out of the pan and carefully remove the wrap before placing the cake on a serving platter. You may have to clean up a bit of cream smudge on the surface of the halved strawberries before serving. But that's just for aesthetic reason.]

[Added 11-8-10: For those who are not used to working with gelatin-stabilized whipped cream filling and fearful that your filling may not set properly, turn this into an ice cream cake! Forget the mascarpone-cream filling. Fold chopped strawberries into about 2 quarts (half a gallon) of softened vanilla ice cream. Then fill the cake cavity with it as instructed below. Freeze the assembled cake instead of chilling it in the refrigerator. Let the ice cream cake soften up just a tad before you cut it into pieces. You won't get the flavor and texture of fresh strawberries, but this is a good variation which some people have tried and liked.]

Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Cake (or Ice Cream Cake) Recipe
(Makes one 8-inch cake)
Downloadable Version


For the cake:
(This quick method makes a cake with a bit denser texture. If you like your cake fluffier and lighter, follow the instructions above.)
3 large eggs, room temperature
Zest and juice of one medium lime
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose or cake flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch spring-form pan with a piece of parchment paper, cut into a circle to fit perfectly on the bottom of the pan. Grease the bottom pan very well, but not do not grease the side.

With a hand-held or stand mixer (attached with the balloon beater), beat the eggs on high speed until fluffy. Add the sugar to the eggs, gradually, and continue to beat on high until they triple in volume and forms a slowly disappearing ribbon on the surface when some of the egg mixture is lifted with a utensil and allowed to fall back into the bowl.

Fold in salt, lime juice, and lime zest.

Fold in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, alternately with the melted butter, one tablespoon at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when pressed with a finger.

Loosen the cake from the pan around the edges with a butter knife and let it cool completely inside the pan.

Slice the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife; set aside.

For the strawberry-mascarpone cream:
One pound fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, keeping 6-7 whole (more if your strawberries are tiny and try to choose strawberries of the same height for they serve as your "pillars")
4 ounces of mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
1 envelope (7 grams) of unflavored gelatin powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 fl. oz. heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1/2 cup sugar

Or for the strawberry-ice cream filling:
One pound fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, keeping 6-7 whole (more if your strawberries are tiny and try to choose strawberries of the same height for they serve as your "pillars")
2 pints vanilla ice cream, or any pale-colored ice cream the flavor of which goes well with strawberries

For the cream filling - Sprinkle the gelatin powder on the surface of the chilled whipping cream. Once the gelatin is softened, whisk the mixture just to get the gelatin to disperse; set aside. (If you want a firmer cream filling, separate out ¼ cup of the cream, sprinkle the gelatin on the surface, wait until it’s softened, and heat up the mixture in the microwave just until the gelatin is dissolved. Then mix the cream-gelatin mixture into the remaining cream.)

With an electric mixer with the balloon beater attached, whip the cheese, sugar, and vanilla until creamy and lump-free.

Add the cream-gelatin mixture to the cheese mixture and beat on medium-high just until fluffy and somewhat stiff, being careful not to beat the cream to the point where it turns into butter.

Fold in the diced strawberries.

For the ice cream filling: Fold the diced strawberries into the softened ice cream and proceed as instructed below.

Assembly:

Place one half of the cake on the bottom of the same spring-form pan in which it was baked, cut side up.

Cut the whole strawberries in half and stand them, cut side pressed against the side of the pan, around the edge of the cake.

Spoon the strawberry cream mixture into the middle of the pan, pushing the strawberry halves more closely against the side of the pan as you go. The halved strawberries should be completely buried once all the cream has been spread into the middle.

Smooth out the surface of the cream and place the other half of the cake on top. Press lightly. Cover the pan with a piece of foil and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours.