Description
A luscious, layered dessert featuring a moist vanilla cake soaked in blackberry syrup, topped with blackberry compote and a silky mascarpone cream, garnished with fresh blackberries—perfect for summer gatherings.
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 1⅓ cups (167 g) all‑purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- For the Blackberry Syrup:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- For the Blackberry Compote:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water (optional, for thicker compote)
- For the Mascarpone Cream:
- 8 oz (226 g) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Garnish: Extra blackberries, lemon zest, mint leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease and line an 8″ round cake pan.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk in three stages, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into the pan. Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool; then invert onto plate.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup: combine blackberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Simmer until sugar dissolves and mixture is vibrant (about 8 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve, discard seeds, reserving syrup. Cool slightly.
- Prepare compote: in a small saucepan, combine blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until berries soften (5–7 minutes). Stir in cornstarch slurry if thicker texture is preferred. Remove from heat; cool.
- For mascarpone cream: beat mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and slightly whipped.
- Spoon blackberry syrup over the cooled cake to moisten evenly.
- Top with a generous layer of blackberry compote.
- Spread mascarpone cream over compote smoothly.
- Garnish with fresh blackberries, lemon zest, and mint. Chill 20 minutes before serving for best texture.
Notes
- The cake and syrup can be prepared a day ahead and assembled before serving.
- Use gluten‑free flour blend to make it gluten‑free.
- Substitute Greek yogurt for part of the mascarpone for a tangier cream.
- Swap blackberries with raspberries for variation.
- Store leftovers refrigerated up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.