Vanilla Sponge Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Serves: 6 to 8
This light and fluffy Vanilla Sponge Cake with Mascarpone Frosting is elegant and simple, and the cake itself is dairy-free. Top with any seasonal fruits of your choice, such as strawberries, raspberries, or even a mix of fruits.
Ingredients
For the Sponge Cakes
- 6 eggs
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 200 g (7 oz) caster sugar, (superfine sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g (7 oz) plain flour, (all-purpose flour) sifted
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
For the Mascarpone Frosting
- 250 ml (1 cup) double cream, (heavy cream)
- 250 g (9 oz) mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Decorate
- berries, such as strawberries, raspberries or Physalis berries, or simply use sprinkles
Instructions
To Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (without fan).
- Butter and line two 20cm/8 inch round cake pans with baking paper.
- Separate the eggs.
- Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer, and place the egg yolks into a separate mixing bowl (preferably a second bowl of a stand mixer).
- Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Add the sugar and vanilla to the egg yolks and beat gently.
- Fold the flour and baking powder through the egg yolk mixture.
- Gently fold through the whisked eggwhites into the batter, a few large scoops at a time.
- Pour the batter into both cake tins evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before removing them from the cake tins.
- Let the cakes cool completely before icing the cake.
To Make the Mascarpone Frosting
- Whisk the cream until it is softly whipped.
- Add the mascarpone and vanilla extract.
- Continue whisking until the mixture is thick enough to ice the cake.
To Assemble to Cake
- Place one cake on a serving plate or cake stand.
- Place four thick strips of baking paper underneath. The baking paper is to keep the serving plate or cake stand clean whilst you frost the cake.
- Generously spread about ⅓ of the frosting over the top of the cake.
- Place the second cake on top.
- Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
- Carefully remove the strips of baking paper.
- Decorate the cake with fruit of your choice. The cake is also lovely simply decorated with coloured sprinkles.
Kitchen Notes
- OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer's handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.