Strawberry, Mascarpone & Chocolate Cakelets ... attempted tryst with the RVC!!

“The secret lies in the love and the effort the maker puts into the creation. It really is a simple dessert to make. There's nothing to it.”

Maria Olivas

There comes a time when we heed a certain call ... 'We Are The World' the song plays in the background all the time. It's the recent remake for Haiti that the daughter loves to hear over and over again. It's amazing how a song sung for charity way back in 1985, penned by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, can be resung by a whole new star-caste after a gap of 15 years for Haiti and still evoke such tremendous passion ...

Similar emotions currently apply to my passion with strawberries, and it was time to heed a certain call to experiment with the red velvet cake (RVC) again. You may recall I reently posted a Red Velvet Roulade which achieved it's characteristic red colour from the red in a bottle,  although just 1 tbsp and not the whole bottle as many RVC's have. I've had it on my mind to try a natural food colour extract, and strawberries were something I wished to experiment with. Unfortunately, it was near impossible to get that deep red colour. So it ended up being a pink velvet cake!

A PINK VELVET SPONGE it was, and delicious in every bite. It was our 15th wedding anniversary on the 6th of March, and the last 2 weeks have been tiring beyond belief. To add to it, junior has had soccer for the last 2 weekends and somehow time has flown by in a tizzy. I did want to make a Chestnut Cake with the vital ingredients that Jamie had brought for me to the FBC in London, but woe begone me ... for once, I had no time at all. This was our first wedding anniversary when I didn't bake ourselves a cake!

I did make something sweet however! I had on hand my experimental PVC (eeeks, sounds like plastic!!) that I thought I would build into a dessert of some sort. I also had some homemade mascarpone which I tend to make sometimes just in case I need it; and I always do!! Actually I don't need it, but certainly want to use it! Strawberry season ensures plenty of fresh strawberries in the fridge all the time too. I have just finished bottling 3 jars of strawberry conserve, the recipe of which I have yet to share with you. We are now looking at the end of strawberry season hee, so I'm trying to make the most of it. No dismay to see strawberry season here end, because hot on it's heels are stone fruit! YES, I impatiently await them!!

Back to these sweet little cakes. The marriage of strawberries and mascarpone is a classic one, one that in beautiful in every respect. Place the sensual combination on a cut out strawberry sponge cake, paint it with some melted strawberry conserve (homemade),  grate some chocolate over ... chill for a few hours, and you've created magic! Yes, it was that good.

Strawberry, Mascarpone & Chocolate Cakelets
Makes 10-12 3" cakelets 
Sponge
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar + 3 tbsps sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
10-12 strawberries
Filling
250gms Mascarpone (made from 400ml 25% fat cream, recipe here)
1/4 cup strawberry preserves, heated with 1tbsp water and cooled
2-3 tbsps powdered sugar

200-250gms strawberries

Method:

Place the strawberries with 3 tbsps of sugar and reduce on simmer to a concentrate. Smoothen with back of a spoon, push through a sieve and cool. Should make 2-3 tbsps.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Reserve.

Beat the eggs with 1/2 cup of sugar till triple in volume, about 8-10 minutes.

Fold in sifted flour very gently so as not to lose volume, followed by strawberry reduction. (I did add 1/2 tsp red food colour to check if it would result in a deep red colour, which it didn't, so it's not required)

Turn into a lined greased jelly roll pan and bake at 180C for 15 minutes/ till done. Remove from oven and immediately turn over onto a tea towel dusted with powdered sugar, peel off the lining paper, and leave to cool. (This can be done a day in advance)

Once cool, stamp out 3" rings with lightly greased dessert rings, and leave the cut out sponges to line the bases of the rings. Paint each with the liquid preserves.

Smoothen mascarpone in a bowl lightly with a whisk. Add sugar and mix gently. Divide the mascarpone between the dessert rings, top with diced strawberries, grate chocolate over it. 

Cover and leave to set for 4-6 hours, or better still overnight. Unmold once set. (You might need to add some gelatin to stabilise the mascarpone if the weather is warm)

Serve chilled, garnished with fresh diced strawberries, slivers of pistachio, and a dusting of sugar.

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