The Mary Ann cake with strawberries is a “clever” dessert, a soft tart that holds a delicate custard, fresh strawberry cubes, and then a sponge cake “mimosa.” Beautiful, scenic, and delicious! Mary Ann is the name of the mold. It’s unclear why it’s called that. Perhaps after its creator? Or maybe a housewife who had the idea of a mold with a raised edge to achieve a perfectly hollow cake to hold the cream without cutting and layering? The Mary Ann mold is a bit taller than what you commonly find as a “clever mold.” I have both but prefer this one. Without further ado, let’s head to the kitchen to prepare this delightful Mary Ann cake with strawberries!
Not to be missed
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8 servings
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- as needed butter (for the mold)
- as needed rice flour (for the mold)
- 3 eggs
- 3/8 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups milk
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanillin)
- 5 tbsp cornstarch
- 10.5 oz strawberries
- a few tbsp of milk
Tools
- 1 Mixer Kitchen Aid Artisan
- 1 Mary Ann Mold
- 1 Flour Sieve
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 18 cm Springform Pan
- 1 Cooling Rack
- 1 High-Sided Saucepan
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
Steps
In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and frothy. Add the flour with the potato starch and baking powder and mix well. Gradually add the rice oil or another vegetable oil of your choice and the milk while continuing to beat. Also add the vanilla extract or vanillin. Pour the mixture into the Mary Ann mold, greased and floured with rice flour, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for 20/25 minutes. Always do the toothpick test to ensure the cake is cooked as oven times may vary. Once baked, remove from the mold and let it cool.
Beat the eggs with the sugar for at least 10 minutes (beating the eggs and sugar for a long time incorporates air: just enough to make it soft and spongy) until you get a fluffy mixture that “writes.” It is said to “write” when dropping a bit of the mixture in a thin stream, it stays on the surface like writing. If it doesn’t write, it means you need to continue beating. In theory, you could omit the baking powder. Usually, in classic sponge cake, I don’t add it. Beating the eggs well with sugar makes it unnecessary, but to make your work easier, add a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour. The flour should be sifted through a sieve, a little at a time, and gently mixed with a wooden spoon using movements from bottom to top to avoid deflating the mixture. Pour everything into an 18 cm mold, greased and floured, and bake in a hot oven at 350°F (175°C) for 25/30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let it cool inside for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven, remove from the mold, and cool on a wire rack.
Pour the milk into a saucepan with two teaspoons of vanilla extract (my recipe is HERE) or, if you prefer, you can use the pod, and bring to a boil. Then turn off and let it cool slightly. Beat the eggs with the sugar until smooth. Gradually add the cornstarch to the eggs. Then slowly add the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Return the cream to the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly until the cream thickens: cook for a couple of minutes, and the cream is ready! Let it cool slightly, covered with plastic wrap before using.
Wash the strawberries, remove the hull, and cut them into cubes, setting aside one or two for decoration. The Mary Ann cake usually doesn’t need soaking, but with a few tablespoons of milk (or if there are no children, limoncello is great) distributed on the base, it’s perfect. Add the cream. Distribute the strawberry cubes over the cream. Remove the outer skin from the sponge cake and cut it into cubes (you won’t need it all) and distribute it over the cake. Decorate with the reserved strawberries and sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. Keep the cake in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
