Cold strawberry and mascarpone cake, a fresh and delicious dessert to serve at a dinner with friends and family. It’s nothing but a variant of the coconut cake, equally quick to prepare and without baking.
Unlike the coconut cake, for this no-bake dessert, I used cream and mascarpone. A combination we really like. I then added the liquid released by the strawberries after letting them rest for half an hour with sugar and lemon. To obtain a sufficiently firm cream that wouldn’t fall apart during cutting, I also used gelatin. You can omit it if you prefer. In this case, however, I recommend keeping the dessert in the freezer for a few hours before removing it from the mold and proceeding with the final decoration and cutting.
Anyway, for every dessert, but especially for these no-bake ones, I recommend always respecting the reported doses to avoid unpleasant surprises. A fresh and fragrant dessert that everyone, young and old, will like! Curious to find out how to prepare it? Then let’s go to the kitchen, because the cold strawberry and mascarpone cake will be ready in a click!
If you’re interested in other no-bake desserts, read also:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: No-bake
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 355.40 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 26.10 (g) of which sugars 18.29 (g)
- Proteins 4.40 (g)
- Fat 27.21 (g) of which saturated 8.79 (g)of which unsaturated 1.19 (g)
- Fibers 1.04 (g)
- Sodium 31.12 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 116 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 7 oz strawberries (weight of cleaned strawberries)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 8.8 oz mascarpone
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 0.2 oz gelatin
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2.5 oz ladyfingers
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- strawberries (as needed)
- dark chocolate (as needed)
- mint (fresh as needed)
Tools
- Cake Pan springform 8 inches
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- 2 Bowls
- Mixer
- 2 Large bowls
- Plastic wrap
- Small pot
- Spoon
- Spatula
- Strainer
Steps
First, clean the strawberries. Wash them well under water, pat them gently with kitchen paper, and remove the stem. Then cut the strawberries into slices and place them in a bowl. Separately, squeeze the juice of a lemon and add it to the bowl with the strawberries along with the sugar. Stir with a spoon, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then fill a large bowl with cold water and soak the gelatin for at least 10 minutes
Meanwhile, take care of the mascarpone and cream mixture. Place the mascarpone in a large bowl with the powdered sugar and also pour in the cold cream from the refrigerator. Start to mix the ingredients with an electric mixer until you get a smooth and fluffy cream. The cream will be ready when ridges start to form as in the last photo below.
Retrieve the strawberries and strain the juice through a strainer into a small pot. Put the strawberries back in the bowl and set aside; they will be needed later. Bring the small pot to the heat and, as soon as it reaches a boil, turn off the heat. Then add the well-stretched gelatin and stir until it is dissolved. If you do not intend to use gelatin, skip this last step. Then strain the strawberry liquid and add it directly to the mascarpone mixture.
Let it cool down and add the liquid to the mascarpone and cream mixture. Then mix with a spatula using upward movements to avoid deflating the mixture and set aside. Line a 20 cm springform pan with plastic wrap. This step will make it easier to unmold the cake.
Pour the milk into a bowl and dip the ladyfingers. Then place the ladyfingers on the bottom of the cake pan to form a base, trying to fill the holes well. At this point, place the sliced strawberries that you set aside on top of the ladyfingers. Spread well with the help of a spoon to form a single layer.
Then spread the previously prepared cream and smooth the surface well. Subsequently, place the cake pan in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour. If you have not used gelatin, place the cake pan in the freezer for at least 1 to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the decoration. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate and quarter a strawberry after cleaning it, lengthwise. After the dessert’s resting time, retrieve the cake pan and remove the ring. Then lay the plastic wrap on the surface. Gently place a flat plate and flip the cake. You will end up with the base of the ladyfingers on top. Now you need to repeat the same operation to have the cake facing the right way. Then place the serving dish on the surface and flip the cake again. Using the plastic wrap in these steps is essential to avoid ruining the surface of the dessert and making it easier to unmold the cake from the pan.
Gently remove the plastic wrap and decorate the cake with dark chocolate, strawberries, and a few mint leaves.
Storage and Tips for Cold Strawberry and Mascarpone Cake
The cold cake can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days at most, covered or in a container with a lid.
FAQ Questions and Answers for Cold Strawberry and Mascarpone Cake
Can I omit the gelatin?
Yes, it is possible to omit the gelatin. In this case, I suggest you add the strawberry liquid directly to the mascarpone and cream mixture and let the cake rest in the freezer instead of the refrigerator.
