Mascarpone-filled cake with sherried berries (visit site)

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising), like Swan's Down
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the berries:

• 1/2 cup Fino (dry) Sherry
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups mixed berries, cut if large

For the cream:

• 8 ounces mascarpone (1 cup)
• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar

Preparation

• For the cake
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with oven rack in the middle. Butter a 9" round cake pan (2 inches deep). Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter the parchment.
  
  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  
  Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, beat in the buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.
  
  Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap the pan on the counter several times.
• Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Discard the paper and reinvert cake onto rack to cool completely.
• Macerate the berries
  Bring Sherry and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Put berries in a bowl and pour hot syrup over them. gently tossing to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Make cream and assemble cake
  Beat mascarpone, cream, and sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.
  
  Halve cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Carefully remove top half and reserve. Put bottom half on a plate, then spread evenly with all of the cream and replace top half. Serve with berries. It's Fantastic!

Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe