Il Cucinologo
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Mascarpone Cake

17/11/2023

I can provide you with a recipe for a delicious mascarpone cake. This dessert is creamy and rich, with a base of soft sponge cake or, alternatively, a crunchy biscuit. Below you will find the ingredients and the procedure for preparing the cake.

Ingredients

For the base (sponge cake or biscuit):

  • 200 g of 00 flour
  • 200 g of sugar
  • 4 eggs (if you choose to make the sponge cake)
  • A teaspoon of baking powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • (Alternative for biscuit base) 300 g of dry biscuits (such as Digestive)
  • (Alternative for biscuit base) 150 g of melted butter

For the mascarpone cream:

  • 500 g of mascarpone
  • 100 g of powdered sugar
  • 3 eggs (with yolks and whites separated)
  • 1 packet of vanillin or the seeds of a vanilla pod
  • A pinch of salt

For decoration:

  • Cocoa powder to taste (as needed)
  • Fresh fruit to taste (e.g. strawberries, raspberries, kiwi) or chocolate shavings

Preparation

  1. If you choose to make the sponge cake, start by beating the eggs with the sugar until they become frothy and pale. Then gently add the sifted flour with the baking powder and salt, mixing from the bottom up to avoid deflating the mixture. Pour into a buttered and floured cake pan and bake in the oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes.

    If instead you choose the biscuit base, crush the biscuits until you obtain a flour and mix with the melted butter. Press the mixture into a cake pan lined with parchment paper and let it rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the cream.

  2. Let’s prepare the mascarpone cream. Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with the powdered sugar and vanillin until you obtain a pale and frothy mixture. Then add the mascarpone and stir until fully incorporated.

  3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt until they are firm. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, being careful not to deflate it.

  4. Pour the mascarpone cream onto the biscuit base or cooled sponge cake and level the surface. Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

  5. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder and decorate with fresh fruit or chocolate shavings to taste.

The mascarpone cake is a classic Italian dessert that pairs the sweetness of mascarpone with the lightness of whipped egg whites; it can be adapted in many versions, such as adding coffee or liqueur to create tasty variations.