Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake

2 cups superfine sugar

3 cups cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup salted butter (room temperature)

1 cup whole milk (room temperature)

4 large eggs (room temperature)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste

1/2 cup lemon curd

1 large lemon (zest and juice)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 2 round cake tins. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift flour and baking powder. Combine milk and lemon juice. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon curd, and zest to combine followed by eggs one at a time, beating well in between. 

Add flour and milk mixture, alternately to the batter, making sure to start with flour end with flour.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a stick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans to cool completely. 

Mascarpone Lemon Frosting:

2 small tubs mascarpone cream (room temperature)

1 cup fresh lemon curd

1 32 oz bag powdered sugar

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat mascarpone and lemon curd until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium-high. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy.

Slice each layer in half. Place one cake layer (golden side down) on a cake platter. Spread a third of the filling evenly over the layer, leaving the outer edge of the cake bare. Repeat with another cake layer (again, golden side down), applying just a bit of pressure so the layers adhere, and then spread on another third of the filling. Repeat the process until you get to the final layer. Cover the cake in frosting. Enjoy!

Blackberry Passionfruit Butter Cake with Vanilla Cream

Butter Cake:

4 cups cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

250g unsalted butter, room temperature

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered/icing sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup passionfruit pulp

2 cups fresh blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease a round 9 inch springform cake pan with melted butter. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Beat butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour and add water. Gently fold to combine. Spoon batter into prepared cake tin. Push berries into the cake batter.

Bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into center. Remove from the oven. Leave cake in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out. Leave to cool completely in a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Serve with warm vanilla custard.

Vanilla Custard:

2 cups full cream milk

1/2 cup full cream

4 egg yolks, room temperature

1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoon good quality vanilla

1 tablespoon powdered/icing sugar

Whisk flour, cream, egg yolks, powdered/icing sugar and vanilla to fully combine. Heat milk on medium heat until just warmed through and whisk in the cream mixture. Continue whisking until custard is thick and shiny.

If you prefer a runny consistency add more milk and continue to whisk.