It is definitely summer right now and while it is way too hot to have my oven running right now, I still want need dessert, so we are making one of my favorite icebox cakes…. this berries and mascarpone icebox cake….
This beauty make look similar to a tiramisu, but aside from the lady fingers and mascarpone (both of which are negotiable in this recipe), it is not. There are no eggs or espresso in this one, just a whole bunch of berries and a beautifully fluffy cream. This cake is light and refreshing and just perfect for summertime.
Let’s get started…
This cake is made with 3 main elements – the cookies, the berries and the cream and all three elements are negotiable. Let’s break it down…
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- The cookies – I am using ladyfingers and they are my favorite option here, but you could technically use any cookie with a similar texture like, vanilla wafers, madeleines or Nilla wafers
- The berries – I am using all the berries today – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries – but, you can use some of each or all of your favorite berry in this cake
- The cream – I think mascarpone is perfect in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, don’t love it or just want to try something else you can use cream cheese
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Prepping the elements…
- Step #1 is to combine all of your fruit in a large bowl, mix in 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, cover the bowl and chill for 2 hours. This will give the fruit time to release most of its juices and we need those juices to soak the ladyfingers in later.
- Step #2 is to transfer all of that fruit juice into a separate bowl (the easiest way to do this is to pour the berries into a strainer placed over a bowl) and add as much water as you need to get about 2 cups in total. Today, I got about 1 1/2 cups of fruit juice out of my berries, so I needed to add about 1/2 cup of water.
- Step #3 is to make the mascarpone cream by whipping 1 1/2 cups of cold heavy cream with 1/3 cup of confectioners sugar until you have firm peaks. In a separate bowl, whip 16 ounces of mascarpone with the remaining 1/3 cup of confectioners sugar and teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth and then combine the whipped cream with the mascarpone mixture gently until well combined.
Time to assemble…
- Step #1 is to quickly dip the ladyfingers in the berry juice and place them in a single layer in the base of a 2 quart or similar size deep baking dish. I am using this Staub 7″x11″ dish, but any 2 quart dish with deep sides will work great!
- Step #2 is to spread about half of the berries over the ladyfingers…
- Step #3 is the top the berries with 1/2 of the mascarpone cream mixture.
- Step #4 is to repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, the rest of the berries and then rest of the cream.
Cover the icebox cake and chill for a minimum of 2 hours (the more you chill, the better the cake gets) and then prepare yourself for a truly fabulous sweet treat experience…
This cake is so summery. The combination of berries and cream is bright, cheerful and inviting. Just looking at this slice makes me want to make it all over again and thankfully, the process is pretty simple, so it is never a bad idea.
If you are looking for a great make-ahead no-bake dessert then I would love for you to give this berry mascarpone icebox cake a try.
You are going to love it!
Berries & Mascarpone Ice Box Cake
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of strawberries
- 1 pint of blueberries
- 12 ounces of blackberries
- 12 ounces of raspberries
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2-3/4 cup of water
Mascarpone Cream
- 16 ounces of mascarpone
- 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, cold
- 2/3 cup of confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Assembly
- 7 ounces of lady finger or similar cookie
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash all of the berries and combine them in a large bowl *reserve some of the best looking berries for topping the cake later on
- Mix in 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- Chill the berries for about 2 hours
Make the mascarpone cream…
- Use an electric hand mixer to whip 1 1/2 cups of cold heavy cream with 1/3 cup of confectioners sugar to firm peaks
- In a separate bowl, combine 16 ounces of mascarpone with the remaining 1/3 cup of confectioners sugar and teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Gently fold the whipped heavy cream into the mascarpone mixture until just combined
Assemble the icebox cake…
- Pour the juice from the berries into a shallow bowl and add enough water to make about 2 cups of liquid
- Quickly dip ladyfingers one at a time into the juice and arrange in a single layer in a 2 quart or similar deep dish
- Spread half of the berries over the ladyfingers
- Spread 1/2 of the mascarpone cream over the berries
- Repeat with a second layer of the ladyfingers and the remaining fruit
- Spread the remaining mascarpone cream over the top
- Cover the dish and chill for several hours before serving
- Garnish with fresh berries and enjoy!
