Vanilla Blackberry Mascarpone Cake

Melt in your mouth flavors.

I made this little cake for my dad’s birthday for two reasons. The blackberry compote filling, because he will always choose a fruit dessert over a chocolate one; and the quaint 6-inch size of the cake, because once he got his hands on it, I knew his willpower would be donezo (and let’s be honest. Not even the birthday boy needs a whole 9-inch layer cake to himself.) I’ve actually never been a huge fan of mascarpone before. I think it’s too rich to frost an entire cake, and although I like the tangy flavour of it, it doesn’t fluff up as nicely as cream cheese. As a filling for this cake, though, it works perfectly! The richness is offset by light-as-air whipped buttercream and juicy blackberry compote, and with the touch of cinnamon I added, it’s reminiscent of a blackberry tiramisu. Seriously, so good.

Vanilla Blackberry Mascarpone Cake

Vanilla Cake:

Adapted from Sweetapolita

1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature (I used 2%)
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 3 tbsp cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour two round 5-inch pans.

*Note: I used a 7-inch pan. However, both 5-inch and 7-inch are slightly unusual cake pan sizes. 6-inch is more standard, so that would work fine as well.

2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine the egg whites, egg, 2 tbsp of the milk, and vanilla. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar, on low speed for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the butter and blend on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining milk and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1-1/2 minutes.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg/milk mixture in 3 separate batches. Beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Firmly tap the pans on the counter top to release any air bubbles and flatten any bumps or lumps in the batter.

7. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes clean when inserted into the centre.

8. Let cool for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a small metal spatula or knife, and invert onto greased wire racks. (I actually lined the cooling rack with a sheet of parchment, because the cake was quite sticky.) Gently turn cakes back up, so the tops are facing up. Cool completely.

Blackberry Compote:

Adapted from Sweetapolita

2 cups fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1-1/2 cups of the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt, until the berries start to break down, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

2. Lower the heat and simmer until compote coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool down slightly. Using an immersion blender, pulse until smooth. Push compote through a fine mesh sieve and into a clean glass bowl, discarding the seeded pulp from the sieve. Stir in remaining fresh blackberries. Cover and chill.

Cinnamon Mascarpone Filling

1/2 cup mascarpone
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp milk

In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together until uniformly combined. If consistency is too thick, add more milk, 1 tbsp at a time, until spreadable, but not runny.

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream

Adapted from Sweetapolita

3 sticks + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
3-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp water
Pinch of salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed. Butter will become very pale and creamy.

Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy, and fluffy. Best used right away.

Assembling the Cake:

Cut your 2 cake layers each once horizontally with a long, serrated knife, so you have a total of 4 layers. (*Note, I did this, but as you will see in the photo, I only used 3 of my 4 layers. I liked the height, but the more layers, the merrier!)

Place your first cake layer, face-up, onto a small plate or cake stand. Fill a pastry bag (or, in a pinch, a plastic bag with the corner snipped off) with about a cup of the buttercream and pipe a dam around the perimeter of the cake layer. This will keep the compote and mascarpone filling in place. Spoon a few tablespoons of the mascarpone filling, spread, top with a few tablespoons of the compote, and spread.

Repeat until you come to your final cake layer, which you will place face-down. If any compote starts to drip out from between the layers, plug the opening with a touch of buttercream from the pastry bag.

Cover the entire cake gently with plastic wrap, and then, once covered, use your hands to gently ensure that the cake is lined up straight. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once cake is chilled, apply a crumb coat – an even layer of frosting over the entire cake. Chill again until the crumb coat is firm, about 30 minutes.

With the crumb coat in place, you can frost however you wish! This buttercream is incredibly fluffy and easy to work with, so have fun experimenting.

Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to make a mess…