This Layer Cake with Berries and Mascarpone is a perfect recipe for late summer days. Four layers of soft sponge yellow cake are filled with delicious, velvety mascarpone filling and raspberry marmalade. With a drizzle of white chocolate and lots of seasonal, fresh berries on top, this dessert will be perfect for any occasion!

Summer days are slowly passing by, and I must say that I am so happy about the season change. September came slowly and brought these autumn feelings, and I can't wait for warm sweaters, lots of pies, and warm drinks by the fireplace. Even though my mind is in full autumn mode, the summer in Italy is still present, with many sunny, warm days.

In the last two months, we have enjoyed a quiet life in the countryside, the summer harvest, and lots of seasonal fruit and veggies. To celebrate the summer days, I've made this spectacular soft layer cake, filled with mascarpone cream and raspberry marmalade, finished off with some buttercream, white chocolate, and an abundance of fresh, seasonal berries. It sounds like a dream dessert, doesn't it? 🙂

Even though layer cakes can seem like a lot of work, this cake is very simple as fillings whip immediately with no special ingredients or complex preparations. For easier and shorter baking, I highly recommend buying Wilton's five-layer cake pans (find them here) as you will be able to bake them all at once, and while your cake is resting, you can prepare all the fillings.

You can prepare the cake a day before, but I recommend cutting the fruit and decorating just before serving to preserve the freshness and taste of the fruit.

Just before the summer is entirely gone and we step into colder autumn days, I invite you to try this delicious berry cake and enjoy the rest of the summer! Let me know what you thought about the recipe by tagging me on Instagram @thehungryapron or leaving a comment below!

Summer Layer Cake
with Berries and Mascarpone
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8 

For the cake 

4 eggs, separated

1g salt

120g granulated sugar

120g all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

40ml melted butter (or margarine), room temperature

40ml milk, room temperature

FOR THE FILLING  

6 tbsp raspberry marmalade

250g mascarpone

200g heavy cream
 
60g powdered sugar

FOR THE BUTTER CREAM 

50g butter softened

80g powdered sugar 

FOR THE DECORATION

100g white chocolate

2-3 drops of red food coloring

fresh seasonal berries of your choice 

METHOD

Prepare the cake:

Preheat your oven at 170 degrees Celsius.

Separate the eggs carefully. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer until foamy. Start adding sugar 1 tbsp at a time and beat on high speed continuously, until the soft peaks form. Once the peaks are formed, add salt and egg yolks, one at a time without stopping to whisk. Sift in flour and baking powder and mix gently, from bottom to top, until all the flour is incorporated. It is essential to mix very slowly in order not to dissolve the egg whites.
In a small bowl, mix melted butter and milk. Add in a small portion of cake batter and whisk. Once all the ingredients are mixed, place them back to the rest of the batter. 

Grease and flour your pan (I used Wilton's 15cm round baking pans) and transfer the batter equally. I used four separate pans, but you can also use two pans and then divide the cake in half horizontally. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is set and golden, and the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before assembling.

Prepare the filling and buttercream:

Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add in mascarpone and powdered sugar, and mix well until combined.

Assemble the cake by placing the first layer upside down on a serving plate—Spread 2 tbsp of raspberry marmalade, followed by mascarpone filling. Repeat two more times. In the end, you should have a four-layer cake, and the top layer should be without the frosting. Put it in the fridge for at least two hours, so the cake layers stay in place. This will make decorating much easier.

Prepare the buttercream by adding softened butter to a medium bowl. Beat the butter with a hand mixer for 1 minute, then gradually add in powdered sugar until you get a smooth consistency without any lumps. Fill the buttercream into a piping bag, and place it on different layer cakes as well as on top. With the help of an icing scraper, spread the buttercream until you get even layers. The cake should be smooth. Place it in the fridge until you make the white chocolate topping.
Prepare a small pan of water and bring it to heat. Place a heat-proof bowl on top (make sure that the bowl is not touching the water) and add chopped white chocolate. Mix gently until all the chocolate is melted. Leave aside to cool, then add 2-3 drops of red food coloring and whisk. This will make your chocolate look bright pink and beautiful. Take out the cake and cover the top with the pink glaze, allowing it to make drops on the side. Put it back in the fridge until the glaze has firmed or until you want to serve it. Once the cake is ready for serving, decorate it with fresh berries of your choice. Enjoy!

NECESSARY OBJECTS
These items may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link.