Lemon Cake with Berries and Mascarpone Frosting

Photo and styling by Béatrice Peltre

I grew up in the countryside in eastern France, where summer meant hot afternoons spent doing nothing but picking berries in my mother’s and grandmother’s gardens and making wildflower bouquets (hello, red poppies and buttercups!) gathered while walking through the fields by the village. These memories inspire this berry cake—it’s got SUMMER written all over it.

Makes 1 (8-inch) cake

FOR THE CAKE BATTER:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup almond meal*
½ cup sorghum flour*
½ cup tapioca flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup + 2 tablespoons blond cane sugar
1 pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon finely grated zest from an organic lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup plain Greek yogurt (whole milk or low-fat)

* Replace with the same amount (1⅔ cups) of regular all-purpose flour, if you prefer.

FOR THE MASCARPONE FROSTING AND DECORATING:

1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, softened slightly
½ cup heavy cream, cold
⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons (or more) milk, to thin the frosting if necessary
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract fresh berries of your choice (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
edible flowers of your choice (borage, chamomile, elderflower… )
unsalted shelled pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350° F and butter an 8-inch cake pan with a removable bottom if you have one. Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. Clip and secure the ring around so that only the bottom is covered with overlapping parchment; set aside. In a bowl, combine the almond meal, sorghum flour, tapioca flour** and baking powder; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, add the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt and whisk until creamy. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. While the mixer is running, add the first egg and wait until it is well incorporated before adding the second. Add half of the flour blend, and continue with half of the yogurt.

Add the rest of the flour and follow with the rest of the yogurt. Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the blade of a sharp knife inserted in the middle comes out dry. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before flipping onto a cooling rack. Remove the cake pan’s ring and bottom, and peel off the piece of parchment paper. Flip again on the other side and let cool completely while you prepare the frosting.

** Or replace the 3 flours with the all-purpose flour, if using.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, add the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar. Beat on low speed, and slowly increase the speed, watching the frosting as it thickens. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat until creamy. Don’t go too long or it may start to curdle, in which case you need to reheat it lightly in a double boiler while whisking to remove lumps.

Using a flat spatula, spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake and decorate with berries, edible flowers and chopped pistachios as you fancy. Place the cake in the fridge until ready to enjoy. Take the cake out of the fridge an hour before serving.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2020 issue as part of a larger story on At-Home Birthday Cakes.