Give this scrumptious strawberry mascarpone cake a whirl for your next birthday bash! It's a breeze to whip up, bursting with flavor, and no buttercream in sight. The vanilla cake is tender and delightful, filled with juicy strawberries, all crowned with a fluffy mascarpone frosting.
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Treat yourself with this strawberry mascarpone cake recipe, tender and brimming with the sweetness and fruity flavor of fresh strawberries. This light and delightful cake, with its smooth covering made without buttercream, making it perfect for special occasions.
A soft and moist vanilla cake, layered with my vanilla mascarpone whipped cream frosting, filled with sweet strawberry filling, all topped with a firm and creamy mascarpone covering frosting.
This strawberry layer cake is more than just dessert—it's a celebration waiting to happen! Whether it's a birthday bash or a simple get-together with friends and a perfect way to enjoy the strawberry season!
Why you'll love this cake
Craving for more strawberry recipes? Give these French desserts a try, Strawberry macarons, Strawberry whipped cream cake, Strawberry filled cupcakes, French strawberry Fraisier cake, Vanilla cake with strawberry filing. French strawberry tart, strawberry mascarpone tart.
Ingredients you need
You will need these ingredients to make this strawberry and mascarpone cake:
- Vanilla Cake: My Molly cake made with whipped cream instead of butter, cake flour, baking powder, room temperature eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Mascarpone cream frosting: Cold mascarpone cheese blended with heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, in different proportions for a light cake filling and a firm cake covering.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries mixed with sugar are best, but you can also substitute pureed strawberries made from frozen strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice cook in a small saucepan for about 5 minutes.
How to Make The Best Strawberry Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember, the full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the main recipe card below!
Step 1: Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they double in volume.
Step 2: In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and salt, then fold in the flour mixture using a spatula until you get a homogeneous cake batter.
Step 3: Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the batter using a rubber spatula.
Step 4: Divide the cake batter into 3 round baking pans greased with baking spray and lined with parchment paper. Bake the cake layers in the preheated oven at 329°F/165°C for about 40 minutes, until they are golden brown and fully baked in the center.
Let cool: Allow the cakes to cool completely before carefully removing them from the pans by running a knife along the edges of the cake, then letting them cool upside down on a wire rack.
Step 1: Place the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
Step 2: Beat with an electric whisk at medium-low speed for 2 minutes until you get soft peaks form and a thick frosting.
Step 3: Place the sliced strawberries in a small bowl and mix them with a little granulated sugar and let it rest for a few minutes.
Assembly
- Place the first layer of sponge cake in a deep cake pan or in an adjustable pastry ring (to ensure straight assembly).
- Spread a border of mascarpone frosting, fill the center with the fresh strawberry mixture, and cover with another layer of mascarpone frosting.
- Place the second cake layer and repeat until the final cake layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the layered cake for about 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge or in the freezer.
- Unmold the cake and place it on a rotating cake stand (use acrylic disks for a perfect smooth finish).
- Cover with a thin layer of mascarpone covering frosting and smooth using an offset spatula to seal in the crumbs.
- Immediately cover with another thicker layer of covering frosting and smooth with an icing smoother for a perfectly smooth finish.
- Let the cake rest in the freezer or refrigerator before decorating the top of the cake with the remaining frosting using a pastry bag fitted with a 1M tip.
- Decorate with whole strawberries and serve with a strawberry sauce.
Tips for this recipe
Storage instructions
In the fridge: Cover the leftover cake with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container for about 4 days in the fridge.
Freezing: Freeze the frosted cake for up to 3 months whole or cut into slices and tightly wrap with plastic wrap or place in a storage container.
Variations & Substitutions
More Strawberry Cakes
I hope you love this mascarpone strawberry cake. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
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Strawberry Mascarpone Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
Description
Strawberry and Mascarpone Cream Cake, a decadent and light treat, featuring a vanilla molly cake sponge, mascarpone frosting, and sweet strawberry filling. (for a 6 inch/15 cm cake, serves 10-12)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 3 medium eggs - at room temperature
- 190 g (1 cup) fine granulated sugar
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 190 g (1 ½ cups) cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder (7 g)
- ½ tsp salt (3 g)
- 190 g (¾ cup) cold heavy cream - full fat
Mascarpone Frosting
- 150 g (5.3 oz - about ⅔ cup) cold mascarpone cheese
- 150 g (¾ cup) cold heavy cream - full-fat
- 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean
Filling and Decoration
- 400 g (about 2 ½ cups) fresh strawberries
- 1-2 tbsps granulated sugar
Mascarpone Covering Frosting
- 450 g (15 oz) cold mascarpone cheese
- 225 g (1 cup) cold heavy cream - full fat
- 100 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar - sifted
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 329°F/165°C and line the bottom of three 6 inch/15 cm diameter cake pans with parchment paper (or a deep pan lined with parchment paper on the sides for no spillage).
- In a large bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla, and beat at medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture doubles or triples in volume.
- Meanwhile, whip the cold heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture using a flexible spatula until you get a homogeneous batter.
- Then, fold in the whipped cream with circular movements until you get a well-blended batter.
- Weigh the batter and distribute it evenly among the 3 prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 - 40 minutes (about 1 hour if using a single pan for baking) without opening the oven door until they are well risen and cooked in the center. (5 minutes before the end of baking, insert a toothpick into the center of the cakes; it should come out clean, if not, extend the baking time)
- Let cool for a few minutes in the pans before carefully running a knife around the edges, then unmold and let cool completely upside down on a cooling rack.
Strawberry Filling
- Cut the strawberries into small pieces and mix them with powdered sugar in a bowl, let them sit for a few minutes.
Mascarpone Frosting
- In a bowl, whip the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at low-medium speed until thick.
Assembly
(Assemble in a deep cake pan or in an adjustable pastry ring)
- Trim the tops of the sponges and remove the crust if necessary with a small knife to achieve perfectly white sponges.
- Place a first layer of sponge at the bottom of the pan previously covered with plastic wrap for easy unmolding.
- Using a piping bag and the mascarpone frosting, apply a layer onto the sponge, fill the center with the strawberries, and cover with the second layer, repeating until the 3rd layer of sponge.
- Close the plastic wrap over the top layer and place the cake in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes.
Mascarpone Covering Frosting
(Use acrylic disks for a perfect smooth finish)
- Unmold the layer cake and place it on an acrylic disk on a rotating cake stand.
- Apply a thin layer of mascarpone covering frosting to seal in the crumbs and smooth with an offset spatula.
- Then cover the top of the cake with a smooth layer of frosting before placing the second acrylic disk.
- Cover the entire layer cake with the mascarpone covering frosting, smoothing with a steel frosting smoother until you achieve smooth finishes.
- Place the cake in the freezer for 1 hour before carefully running a knife between the cake and the top acrylic disk to detach it.
- Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining covering frosting and a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip.
- Decorate with strawberries and place back in the fridge for 1 hour before serving with a strawberry coulis.
Notes
Storage: Up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap, and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Replace the mascarpone covering frosting with Swiss meringue buttercream, American buttercream, or Russian buttercream.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: cake, dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 700
- Sugar: 38.9 g
- Sodium: 186.9 mg
- Fat: 49.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 56.6 g
- Protein: 9.4 g
- Cholesterol: 190.1 mg
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