Almond Mascarpone Cake

Amazing flavours that will impress anyone! Delicious on its own, this cake is also lovely paired with some flavored fruit, such as blueberries or slices of mango.

Ingredients

Serves 8

110g (1/2 cup) butter, melted
6 large eggs, separated
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
5 Tbsp ground almonds
100 g (1 cup) cocoa
180 g (1 1/2 cups) flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar

For the Syrup

1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp Almond Extract

For the Mascarpone Cream

227 g (1 cup) mascarpone
245 g (1 cup) heavy cream, chilled
30 g (1/4 cup) sugar

For decorate:

bluberries, chocolate and almond flakes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease and flour a 8 or 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Make the Sponge Cake

2. In a medium bowl combine the yolks, sugar, melted butter, ground almonds, cocoa, flour, baking powder, and vanilla sugar. Mix well to achieve a smooth consistency. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the above mixture. Pour it into the cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave the sponge to cool for 1 hour before removing it from the pan.

Make the Syrup

4. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar and Almond Extract. Bring the syrup to the boil. Set aside.

Make the Mascarpone Cream

5. In a large bowl, beat mascarpone, heavy cream and sugar until mixture holds stiff peaks.

Cake Assembly

6. Cut the sponge horizontally into 3 disks. Drizzle each disk with almond syrup. Spread the first layer cake with mascarpone cream, followed alternately with a layer of cake, a layer of mascarpone cream. finishing with the final layer of cake. Spread the remaining mascarpone cream over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with blueberries, chocolate and almond flakes.