Strawberry and Mascarpone Cake

17/11/2023

The strawberry and mascarpone cake is a delicious and fresh dessert, perfect for spring or summer. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

250 g of fresh strawberries
200 g of mascarpone
150 g of powdered sugar
3 eggs
150 g of all-purpose flour
100 g of soft butter
1 packet of baking powder
Grated zest of 1 untreated lemon
1 pinch of salt
Granulated sugar for finishing
Some strawberries for decoration

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Wash, dry, and cut the strawberries into pieces. If you prefer, leave some whole for the final decoration.
In a bowl, cream the soft butter with the powdered sugar until you have a smooth mixture.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well.
Incorporate the mascarpone into the mixture of eggs, sugar, and butter, then add the grated lemon zest.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and gently fold into the mixture.
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt and fold them into the batter with upward movements to avoid deflating them.
Gently fold the cut strawberries into the mixture as well.
Pour the mixture into a previously buttered and floured cake pan, or lined with parchment paper.
Bake the cake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
When the cake is cool, sprinkle it with granulated sugar and decorate with the reserved strawberries.

For an even more Italian touch, you could garnish the cake with mascarpone cream whipped with a little powdered sugar and vanilla, spreading it on the surface before decorating with strawberries.

Curiosity

Mascarpone is a fresh cheese typical of Lombardy, particularly from the areas of Lodi and Abbiategrasso. It is internationally known especially for its role in the preparation of tiramisu, but as you can see, it is an extremely versatile ingredient that pairs well also with the fresh and light flavors of strawberries.