We are celebrating strawberry season with this gluten-free and maple-sweetened strawberry almond flour cake that is flavored with mascarpone whipped cream. This easy-to-make and refined cake recipe is perfect for all your late-spring and summer entertaining needs. If you want to save time the day of, you can bake the cakes in advance, let them cool to room temperature, cover them tightly with stretch film and put them in the fridge until the next day. When you are ready to get to work, let your cakes come to room temperature and then assemble according to the instructions below.
Vibrant Food Celebrating Ingredients, Recipes, and Cakes of Each Season by Kimberley Hasselbrink.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 ounces) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pans
- Zest of an orange
- 2 cups fresh strawberries for topping
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease two 6-inch cake pans with oil and line them with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can use one 9-inch cake pan and make a single-layer cake. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
For the dry ingredients, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
For the wet ingredients, beat the eggs in a bowl and pour in the maple syrup and olive oil. Add the orange zest and whisk until everything is fully incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until a few lumps remain. Evenly divide the batter between the two 6-inch cake pans.
Place the cake pans onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes, making sure to rotate the pans halfway through for even baking. In the end, the cake should be golden brown with its center firm to the touch. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then gently tap cakes out of pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Make sure they are fully cooled to room temperature before assembling the cake.
All these ingredients should be brought to room temperature to keep the mascarpone from curdling. Place mascarpone cheese in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and whip it for 1 minute. Slowly add heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla extract in the bowl and mix until it turns light and fluffy.
Instructions
Slice 8–10 strawberries to use in between the cake layers. Place the first 6-inch cake on a cake dish. Top it off with half of the mascarpone whipped cream and decorate it with sliced strawberries. Place the second cake on top and spread the rest of the whipped cream on top. Decorate the top with the rest of the strawberries.
