Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake (video)

 This light and delicate lemon berry mascarpone cake recipe is just what you need to make for your next special occasion! It’s elegant and simple, yet full of incredible flavors! The mascarpone cake layers are made with lemon zest, berries and mascarpone; then the cake is frosted with a fluffy, lemony mascarpone cream frosting and garnished with more berries. Every bite of this cake is tender and packed full of lemon and berry flavor! If you’re a fan of light and fruity cakes – this recipe is for! Plus, this cake isn’t too sweet and you can further adjust the amount of sugar in the frosting recipe to your taste.

Important recipe update! I’ve had many reviews about the instructions for this cake recipe. I have updated the recipe below to make sure your cake turns out perfectly! Please make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature to ensure that the batter does not curdle, especially the milk. I recommend heating the milk in the microwave for a minute until it’s warm, then adding it! If your batter does curdle, don’t worry!! This will not have an effect on the final cake layers; bake the batter anyway!

Ingredients 

US Customary - Metric

For Cake Layers:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white granulated sugar

8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

6 large egg whites, or 4 whole eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

lemon zest from 2 large lemons

1 cup fresh berries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

For Frosting:

24 oz mascarpone cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

zest from 1 large lemon

3 cups fresh berries, for filling and garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/177C. Line three, 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pans and grease the sides.

Prepare the cake batter first. In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, softened mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Add the egg whites to the batter and fold them in gently.

Pour in the milk but do not mix; you will mix it in along with the flour. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter, then whisk gently but thoroughly, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.

In a small bowl, toss the mixed fruit with the cornstarch until the fruit is well coated. Add the fruit and lemon zest to the batter and fold in gently. Divide the cake batter evenly between the three pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the comes out clean. Remove the cake layers from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Once layers are cooled, prepare the cream frosting. Place the softened mascarpone cheese and vanilla into a mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for a few minutes, until the cheese is smooth and creamy. In a separate mixing bowl, prepare the whipped cream. Pour in the chilled cream into a mixer bowl and add the confectioner's sugar. Whisk on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until stiff peaks form. Add the cheese mixture and the lemon zest and whisk for about 30 seconds, just until combined. Do NOT overmix! This will cause the frosting to separate!

To assemble the cake, spread a very generous amount of frosting between each layer and add mixed berries and fruit between the layers and on the top. Smooth additional frosting over the top and sides. Cake can be enjoyed right away, or refrigerated for later.

Share this post