A friend asked me to create a cake for a 6-year-old with a fondness for tiaras and all things sparkly. As the mother of two boys who were never that into sparkles, I jumped at the chance to play with rolled fondant and make something worthy of a princess party. I knew exactly which recipe would suit the occasion, since I’ve been reading through Abby Dodge’s newest book, the EVERYDAY BAKER. Abby has a gorgeous pink cake with layers of strawberry mascarpone icing and tender white cake, which struck me as a perfect base for a pink fondant crown, but also sophisticated enough for all the adults at the party.
Abby Dodge has been sharing her knowledge of baking for years in her many books, in national magazines and in her Baking Boot Camp Craftsy class. The EVERYDAY BAKER is no ordinary baking book, it is a full education in the art of pastry making. Abby lovingly takes you through the techniques of baking wonderful cookies, cakes, breads, pies, and more. She’ll guide you through with such grace and joy that none of it will seem intimidating for even the novice bakers. She has been an inspiration to me as a baker and cookbook author and I am thrilled that she has joined me in a giveaway of her essential book.
Strawberry Mascarpone Cake with Raspberry Cream and a Fondant Crown
Lemon flavored White Cake from the Everyday Baker by Abby Dodge
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 lemon, zested
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (click here to make your own)
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
3/4 cup egg whites (about 5 extra large)
For the Strawberry Mascarpone frosting:
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups mascarpone
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla (click here to make your own)
1 1/2 cups strawberry purée (cook about 1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen berries until soft, then purée. If they are watery, continue cooking until thickened.)
Raspberry cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 cup defrosted frozen raspberries
2 pints fresh raspberries
Fondant crown:
Fondant – click here to make your own fondant
Egg white
Colored sugar
Dragées
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter and flour two 8×3-inch cake pans
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Cream the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar lemon zest and vanilla and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed.
Add a third of the flour and beat on low speed until combined. Add half the milk and mix until blended. Continue with another third of the flour and then the rest of the milk, finish with the final third of flour.
Put the egg whites in a very clean bowl and whip until foamy. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until medium-stiff peaks.
Add 1/4 of the whites to the cake batter and mix together well. Add another 1/4 whites to the batter and fold gently until mostly combined. Continue in the same way with the remaining egg whites.
Divide the batter into the two prepared pans and smooth with a spatula.
Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Allow to cool.
Make the strawberry frosting:
Put the cream and mascarpone in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-low speed until well blended and smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks. Add the strawberry purée and mix on medium speed just until well blended.
Make the raspberry cream:
Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks, then fold in the frozen raspberries and then the fresh berries.
Follow my instructions (see videos) on cutting, filling and crumb coating the strawberry mascarpone cake.
Then you can smooth the remaining icing on the strawberry mascarpone cake.
You want a nice smooth surface to perch your crown.
To make the fondant crown:
Create a template for your crown out of paper. This way you can make sure it will be the right size and use it to cut out the fondant.
Roll out the fondant to about 1/16-inch thick. Here is a video that will show you how to roll the fondant.
Use an X-acto blade to cut the design.
After I cut out the template, I wanted to let the crown set up slightly before I shaped it into a round crown, otherwise the tips of the crown would droop down. I hung the tips of the crown over the edge of the pan, so they would end up tilted down slightly once it was shaped. You’ll see what I mean as we progress. I covered the bottom of the crown, so that I could shape it later without it cracking.
Once I shaped it, pressing the seem shut, I hung it over the base of a vase, so the crown could set without losing its shape or drooping. Once the crown set, I lightly brushed it with egg white and sprinkled it with the colored sugar and dragees. Place the fondant covered vase in a dry spot and allow to sit until completely dry and stiff.
The fondant crown will stay stiff as long as it is not placed in a humid environment.
Don’t place the crown on the cake until you are ready to leave the cake at room temperature.
I put more pearled dragées around the base of the crown to finish it off and then put a ring of raspberries on the inside to give it color and let everyone know what lays inside.
I would like to thank my amazingly talented husband for redesigning my site after several years. I loved the first design he created for me, but it was time for a fresh look. Not only is it a cleaner design, but I also think it will be easier to get around in the site. Please let me know as you wander around the site if it is working for you.
LOVE this cake! My almost 4 year old would die for it – very impressed.
This is so cute! I love the idea of the raspberries inside the crown too. Great work!!
Gorgeous cake! Hope to see the book in person!
Zoe – the site re-design is spot on. Great job!
This is so beautiful! And strawberry mascarpone sounds delicious!
I definitely need help with pies, the crust in particular.
Looks gorgeous!
I’d like some help with pies.
great job on the cake!!! absolutely adorable!
The cake is cute and having fruit inside the tiara such a fresh idea and a nice suprise 🙂
The book sounds lovely
Thanks for the contest!
Yum! I always crave this combination of raspberry lemon in the springtime after the long winter.
I definitely could use help when it comes to frosting and decorating cakes!
What a gorgeous cake! Sounds delicious, too.
I need to learn more about EVERYTHING! Does that count? I especially am interested in her English muffins!
I need a lot of help in the pastry department! Cookies, pie crust, the list goes on. This cake looks amazing – my favorite flavors all in one!
I think for me what is most daunting are really basic doughs like brioche. It has to be right or your pastry is ruined. You can’t cover up a flaw or flavor because it is basic.
I love Abby Dodge’s recipes in Fine Cooking…. this cake is beautiful! I would love to try fondant – a new adventure.
Such a pretty cake with the pale pink frosting! I have many of Abby Dodge’s books, but I don’t have this book yet, so I’m thrilled for the giveaway. I’d love to learn how to make a croquembouche. Not sure if that’s in this book, but, I love all of Abby’s recipes!
What a cute cake! The strawberry + raspberry flavors in here sound delicious, and the fondant crown is so charming–I imagine the birthday kid was thrilled!
I would definitely love to learn how to make a really good pie!
I would like to learn more about breads. Yeast bread is so rewarding, but can be fickle. I would also like to learn more about caneles.
Hi Alexandra,
If you haven’t tried our Five Minute a Day method of baking bread yet, you may want to check out http://www.breadin5.com. The joy of baking bread without all the time and intimidation!
I just recently did a post on Caneles, so tasty! http://zoebakes.com/2015/10/18/caneles-de-bordeaux/
Cheers, Zoë
That cake is so cute! I don’t bake cakes often, but I do love baking pies and tarts because they’re such a great dessert that’s easy to make without being too sweet for those who aren’t huge on desserts (:
I would like to make vegan and nut free cupcakes that taste good!
Because so many of my friends have gone gluten free — I would like to learn more about gluten-free baking.
Your cake looks delicious and I just love the crown.
So cute, I wish I had princess’ to bake for. I want to become more proficient in frosting, fondant and fillings for cakes, also cupcakes. I would love to have Abbey Dodge’s book
Oh my! I think I’d attempt . . . hmmm . . . chocolate croissants. Or maybe just brownies to get started! hahaha
Only sons, but I would make that cake for me!
What a FUN cake! And it looks like an awesome recipe! How fun for a girl party, or for a “princess” of any age!
I’d like to learn how to bake croissants.
The recipe says 1/2 lemon tested. Should that say zested instead?
Hi Deborah,
Yes, thank you for catching the typo!
Zoë
Pastries!! I especially want to learn more about making/using puff pastry dough.
would love to learn more about pastries!
This sounds/ looks absolutely
Delightful!!! I want help with
Cakes and frosting but I
Love to Bake! I Have all of your books and love them!!!
I love to bake but never could get my head wrapped around de orating cakes. Any help would be welcome.
I would like to learn how to make an edible pie crust. Just can’t get it right.
Great job.. and nice web design. When I clicked on the recipe I had to go up and check did I read your name right 🙂
I have to do something like this for my daughters birthday
I love to bake but I really am not proficient at decorating. I’d love to get better.
Thanks for the great cake idea. LOVE this cake!
That’s a lovely cake! Thanks for the giveaway.
The cookbook sounds like a great resource for those of us who haven’t been baking for awhile to touch up our skill base. Love love the cake!
This tiara cake looks amazing!! For whatever reason, I can’t seem to get a handle on making a moist and tender muffin. I’ve tried numerous recipes but mine for whatever always come out tough and dense. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Beautiful cake!! A moist scratch cake is the hardest thing for me to bake. Would love to try the recipes in this book.
Oh this is the loveliest of loveliest cakes, I would have died for this when I was little… well, and now too. Love the fruit inside. (Love Abby Dodge.)
I have read so many wonderful reviews about The Everyday Baker. Baking is relatively new to me, but I want to learn every trick in the book! I want to be able to learn to bake cakes that my daughter would love to cut every year and enjoy with her friends!
Beautiful, and knowing you I’ll bet it’s delicous!
I’m confused tho, in the ingredients there’s a raspberry cream. But I see no mention of raspberry cream in the instructions or assembly of the cake. ????
Thanks Helen,
I will add it to the instructions. It is sandwiched between the layers of cake.
Enjoy, Zoë
Hi Zoe,
Just found your site and I couldn’t believe my eyes! It.was one of those “Ah – ha” moments- my daughter is turning 16 in a couple of weeks and I want to make her something special and this is perfect. I have been looking for a cake and hadn’t had any luck, I found you looking for bread making advice and now I also found the perfect cake, thank you!
As for the contest, I can’t make an edible pie crust. I would also love to learn to make tarts, ones with yummy almondy pastry cream and beautiful nectarines and berries glistening on top.
I love pink frosting and raspberries!! I’d like to learn more about puff pastry. Jean
That is an awesome cake!
This is lovely!
I’d love to learn to make great donuts!
I’d love to make her Caramel Velvet Apple Pie or Caramel Apple Bourbon Pie
That cake looks so delicious!
This is so cute!
Hi, I have plans to make this cake this weekend but am confused, there are no instructions on how to make the raspberry cream, did I miss it? Any help would be great!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for letting me know, I added the instructions.
Enjoy, Zoë
I’d like to learn better decorating techniques, particularly with royal icing.
I sent a reply, hope you received it!
Hi Shirley,
Thanks for letting me know, I haven’t received an email from you yet!? Would you mind trying again, I just checked all the junk and spam boxes and nothing there??
Thank you! Zoë
I sent two emails already – one the day you sent the first and again earlier today 🙁 Is there another email I can send to?
Hi,
I’m a little bit confused which one is used to fill in between the cake layers, strawberry frosting or raspberry cream?
And which one is used to ice all over the cake?
Please explain, Thank you!
I actually made this cake for my daughter’s birthday and it turned out amazing. I did double the strawberry mascarpone cream and used it as both icing and filing (not enough time for too many moving parts, so it had to be simplified). I made the mistake of not pureeing the strawberry (I quickly mushed it with a fork) on my trial run, and the difference was quite drastic from the 2nd and final frosting. Definitely puree it properly.
This was one of the fluffiest frosting I’ve had and everyone loved it! Thank you!
Are baking times different for high altitude? I started at 35 minutes- and have added 15 more minutes- it’s still not done.
Hi Catherine, baking at high altitude will likely require some changes. Zoe does not live at high altitude, but she does know some tips and tricks and has shared them in this post: https://zoebakes.com/2021/08/31/baking-at-high-altitudes/ I hope this helps!