When I left for college mom gave me a gift that has served me deliciously ever since: a recipe book from renowned Paris pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre. Over the last thirty years I have made countless mouth watering desserts from this wonderful book, adapting them to suit my tastes, dietary needs and local ingredients.
This raspberry mascarpone cake has become my family’s traditional Easter cake, as well as our cake of choice for special occasions such as baptisms, first communions, or even birthdays.
Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy recipe. There are many steps but they are simple and the results are well worth the effort.
The base is a traditional génoise, which is essentially a delicious sponge cake used in many french desserts.
I suggest you prepare and measure all of your ingredients before you start so you’ll just flow from one step to the next with ease.
Bon apétit!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- 1 génoise
- Dessert syrup
- 1 cup organic raspberry preserves (no sugar added)
- 16 oz heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp organic sugar
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup organic granulated sugar
- 16 oz raspberries
- mint leaves for decoration
For the Génoise
- 1/3 cup organic granulated sugar
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup (generous) flour *
- 1 tsp. vanilla
*For a gluten free cake I use 1/4 cup Bob Red Mill’s All Purpose Gluten Free flour mixed with 1/4 cup Amaranth flour.
Making the Génoise
Preheat your oven to 350.
Place the eggs and sugar in a glass mixing bowl and set over a pot of boiling water, making sure the water does not touch the bowl (1 inch of water is plenty)
Using a wire whisk, beat eggs and sugar for 1 minute. Remove bowl from heat and beat eggs and sugar mixture with a mixer at high speed for 2 minutes. Beat for an additional 5 minutes at low speed or until mixture forms a smooth ribbon as it falls from a wooden spoon. Your mixture will be a very pale yellow, almost white.
Sift the flour and carefully fold into eggs and sugar mixture. Clarify the butter. Add vanilla extract to warm butter and fold into mixture. Stop mixing as soon as all ingredients are well blended. Whatever you do, do not over mix!
Pour the batter into a buttered and floured 8 inch cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the génoise to cool for 10 minutes before turning it over onto a wire rack. Cool completely before using.
While cake is baking make your dessert syrup.
For the dessert syrup:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 2-3 tbsp Chambor or other liqueur of your choice. You may also use vanilla extract.
Making the syrup:
Place sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add Chambor or desired flavoring.
Preparing the Filling:
In a mixing bowl add vanilla to heavy cream and whip until stiff, adding tablespoon of sugar halfway through. In another bowl whip masarpone and sugar. Fold into whipped cream and mix until well combined. Don’t over mix as you want to keep this cream light and fluffy.
Assembling the Easter Cake:
This is my favorite part as this is where your cake really comes to life. Use your creativity and have fun!
Using a serrated knife carefully slice the génoise into 2 equal layers and place one layer on a cardboard disk or your serving dish.
Brush both layers of the cake with the dessert syrup.
Spread raspberry preserves evenly on the bottom layer.
Reserve 1/2 of your filling for later use. Spread remaining filling over raspberry preserves. Press half of the fresh raspberries (8oz) into filling.
Spreading the mascarpone cream and adding the berries
Cover with second layer of cake.
Divide remaining filling in two. Spread a thin layer of filling over entire cake including sides.
Using a piping bag trace a beautiful edge all around your cake with the rest of the filling.
Fill the circle with the remainder of the fresh raspberries.
finishing the raspberry mascarpone cake with cream and berries
Decorate with mint leaves or any other way you wish.
Voila! Your cake is ready to wow your guest and be savored by all!
This cake is best when made a day ahead of time to allow all the flavors to blend beautifully. Keep refrigerated until about one hour before serving.
Scrumptious Raspberry Mascarpone Easter Cake on silver platter
Raspberry Mascarpone Easter Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 génoise
- Dessert syrup
- 1 cup organic raspberry preserves no sugar added
- 16 oz heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp organic sugar
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup organic granulated sugar
- 16 oz raspberries
- mint leaves for decoration
For the Génoise
- 1/3 cup organic granulated sugar
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup generous flour *
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- *For a gluten free cake I use 1/4 cup Bob Red Mill's All Purpose Gluten Free flour mixed with 1/4 cup Amaranth flour.
For the dessert syrup:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 2-3 tbsp Chambor or other liqueur of your choice. You may also use vanilla extract.
Instructions
Making the génoise:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Place eggs and sugar in a glass mixing bowl and set over a pot of boiling water, making sure the water does not touch the bowl (1 inch of water is plenty)
- Using a wire whisk, beat eggs and sugar for 1 minute. Remove bowl from heat and beat eggs and sugar mixture with a mixer at high speed for 2 minutes. Beat for an additional 5 minutes at low speed or until mixture forms a smooth ribbon as it falls from a wooden spoon. Your mixture will be a very pale yellow, almost white.
- Sift the flour and carefully fold into eggs and sugar mixture. Clarify the butter. Add vanilla extract to warm butter and fold into mixture. Stop mixing as soon as all ingredients are well blended. Whatever you do, do not over mix!
- Pour the batter into a buttered and floured 8 inch cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the génoise to cool for 10 minutes before turning it over onto a wire rack. Cool completely before using.
- While cake is baking make your dessert syrup.
Making the syrup:
- Place sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Add Chambor or desired flavoring.
Preparing the Filling:
- In a mixing bowl add vanilla to heavy cream and whip until stiff, adding tablespoon of sugar halfway through. In another bowl whip masarpone and sugar. Fold into whipped cream and mix until well combined. Don't over mix as you want to keep this cream light and fluffy.
Assembling the Easter Cake:
- Using a serrated knife carefully slice génoise into 2 equal layers and place one layer on a cardboard disk or your serving dish.Brush both layers of cake with the dessert syrup.Cover the bottom layer with the raspberry preserves. Cover with 2/3 of the marscapone filling and about 1 cup of raspberries. Place the second layer of cake on top cover completely with about 2/3 of the remaining filling. Pipe the rest of the filling into a ring around the rim of the cake. Fill that space the remaining raspberries. Decorate with fresh mint and raspberries. Refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight. Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!
Have a blessed and happy Easter!
Valerie
I love that you have incorporated gluten free alternative! I am gluten free and I am so happy to have the chance to make this!
I have been following a gluten free diet for two and half years now and refuse to give up special treats such as these simply because of that choice. So I play around with different gluten free flour combinations until I find the one that works the best. Enjoy and have a splendid Easter 🙂
It’s always nice to follow an old family recipe, and this one looks particularly scrumptious!
Thank you Karen… It is!! I’m not sure who loves it the most, my girls or my husband, but I can assure you there are never left-overs 🙂
Looks yummy! I want to make something like this. I love the presentation
Thank you! Presentation is so important when it comes to the whole experience of savoring a dish, savory or sweet… and a lot of fun to execute! Happy Easter!
Ahhh! Wow- gorgeous cake!
Thank you Sophie.. It’s pretty yummy too 😉
This looks like a dose of heaven in your mouth. Thanks for sharing . 🙂
I love the way you phrased that Crystal… and I think my husband would have to agree with you 🙂
That looks amazing. I can see why it would be a family favourite.
Thanks Debra. I’ve even been asked by friends to make it for special occasions 🙂
Yummy. Will have to make your raspberry mascarpone cake!
Enjoy Catarina! It’s as much fun to make as it is to observe your loved ones savoring it.
This cake looks amazing. My oven doesn’t stay on temperature right now and until I get that under control I can’t use it for cakes, which as you know, need an even temperature. As soon as its fixed though, I will be back to make this. I can see why it would be a family favourite.
Lenie
Good luck with your oven Lenie, that is no fun at all and yes, not a good option for baking. You need too much trial and error to get the right results and it’s much too frustrating. Enjoy this recipe when you do get your oven fixed. Have a blessed Easter!
This looks like an amazing cake, but I’m afraid it’s too fussy for me to make. I sure would enjoy eating it, though! Have a Happy Easter!
Thank you Doreen and a happy and blessed Easter to you as well. It really is not as complicated as it looks 🙂 Maybe you have a close friend who’d enjoy making this and you can volunteer to get all the ingredients and the sampling 😉
Happy Easter!! I cannot make this cake for Easter, but I am totally making it at some point VERY soon, it looks phenomenal!! Thank you so much for the recipe, I am totally asking my husband to “surprise” me by making it for my birthday next month 😉
You are most welcome Gina! And a happy early birthday to you 🙂 This year I’m actually experimenting a little as I have been hard pressed to find organic raspberries anywhere! So I’m trying it with Strawberries and praying it turns out just as delicious. Have a blessed Easter!
yum! this looks so delicious!(:
It’s become our family dessert for all special occasions Alicia, and I’ve had several friends beg me to make one for them for a birthday or other special event 🙂
This looks so delicious I would love this for my birthday cake 🙂
Thanks Maria. It’s always much in demand for birthdays around here.
That cake looks so good, thanks for sharing.
Oh it is scrumptious Terry! A favorite among family and friends.
This looking so good. I make a similar strawberry kind for my mother in law on her birthday.
Yum Stephanie. that sounds scrumptious!