This Frostbitten raspberry cake is the cake for any celebration in any season!
What is Frostbitten Raspberry Cake?
I love all cakes I bake but some more than others. This raspberry cake is off the scale magnificent! I can’t even begin to describe the greatness of this vanilla sponge cake filled with mascarpone and raspberry compote and frosted with white chocolate buttercream. It’s glorious.
After I took the first bite I was not at all resentful that I’d spent a good portion of Christmas Eve fussing over this raspberry cake to get it done in time for my birthday on Christmas.
I have to apologise for the lack of process pictures as this cake was made in the evening with no light available to take any decent pictures. I did make up for it in taking loads of the “final result” photos.
I like baking my own birthday cakes, partially because I am picky and won’t eat just any cake and it’s difficult to get a good cake on Christmas Day, and also because it’s just fun for me. Last year I baked Meringue Mascarpone Cake and LOVED it!
I agonised over what cake to bake this Christmas birthday for ages. I have hundreds of cakes pinned on Pinterest that are patiently waiting to appear on my table so zeroing in on “the one” is nearly impossible!
Making the decision was difficult, so even when I had all my ingredients out I was unsure on the details!
In the end I had to draw on my Russian roots and the cake I made was reminiscent of the ones I ate as a child baked by my dad.
That’s right, he was the cake maker in the family-an engineer by day and a baker and photographer by night, especially on holidays and special occasions. I guess this hobby does come from somewhere!
The recipe for this raspberry cake is a mix of things: the sponge is Russian “biskvit”- my dad’s recipe, the raspberry mascarpone filling was inspired by Sweetapolita.
And finally the white chocolate buttercream frosting was my own invention/experiment that tasted very similar to my dad’s frosting.
My children declared it “THE BEST RASPBERRY CAKE EVER” and I agreed. Make it for your New Year’s celebration and see for yourself.
It looks so wintery!
- Eggs room temperature- 5 large
- Sugar- 1 cup
- Vanilla- 2 tsp.
- Flour- 1 cup
- Raspberry liqueur- 1/4 cup
- Simple syrup-1/4 cup
- Mascarpone- 250 gr/ 1 cup
- Whipping Cream- 250 ml/ 1 cup
- Icing Sugar- 1/4 cup
- Gelatine- 2 tsp.
- Water- 2 tbsp.
- Vanilla - 2 tsp.
- Raspberries fresh or frozen (I used frozen)-1 1/2 cups
- Sugar- 1/2 cup
- Water-2 tbsp.
- Fresh Raspberries- 1 cup
- White Chocolate chopped (not chocolate chips)- 5 oz/150 gr
- Whipping/Double Cream- 1/4 cup
- Unsalted Butter softened- 4 tbsp.
- Rosemary sprig-1
- Raspberries- 1/4 cup
- Icing sugar for dusting
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Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
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Grease 3 8" cake pans and line them with parchment paper. (Russian sponge is very delicate so it's important to use parchment paper for easy removal.)
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Crack 5 eggs at room temperature to a bowl of a stand mixer and add sugar and vanilla, beat at high speed for 5 minutes until the mixture is pale and triples in volume.
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Fold in flour through a sifter in 5-6 additions blending it in gently after each addition. Your goal is to keep the volume of the egg mixture so be very careful in this step of the process.
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Divide your cake batter among 3 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until cake tester or tooth pick comes out clean and the cakes have risen to the top of the pan. (I baked 2 layers and then 1 later).
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Cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of your pans to release the cakes and flip them over on a wire rack to cool completely.
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(After your cakes have cooled you can individually wrap them in plastic wrap for later use. You can bake you sponge layers a day ahead.)
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Combine 1 1/2 cups of raspberries and sugar with water in a small saucepan and cook on low heat until thick and mixture coats the back of a spoon. It will take about 15 minutes.
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Remove from heat and process in a food processor or a blender until smooth.
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Push through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds.
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Combine the compote with fresh raspberries and set aside.
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Mix gelatine with water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it goes spongy.
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Heat the gelatine mixture in a microwave for 10 seconds until runny and smooth.
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Combine mascarpone, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl of a stand mixer.
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Start whipping on medium speed until combined.
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With the motor of a stand mixer still running drizzle your gelatine mixture over the cream and whip for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
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Combine raspberry liqueur with simple syrup (water and sugar mixed in equal parts).
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Drizzle over the cake layers. (Russian sponge really benefits from being drizzled with a flavoured syrup since there is no fat mixed into the batter and it can taste on the dry side without the syrup.)
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Load your mascarpone cream in a large piping bag with a plain round tip.
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Pipe a border around the first drizzled with syrup layer, it will keep your raspberry compote from leaking out of the sides.
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Fill with half of your raspberry compote. ( It won't cover the entire layer, the berries will be spread sparsely.)
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Then pipe in the mascarpone cream in the empty spaces and smooth it out with a spatula. You shouldn't have any gaps.
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Top with another layer and repeat the process.
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Finish with the third layer.
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Heat 1/4 cream in a saucepan until it just simmers but not boiling.
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Take off the heat and pour over chopped white chocolate in a medium sized bowl.
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Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then stir until chocolate is melted into the cream.
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Cool for 10 minutes and then start whipping in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. (Hand mixer works better here because of the small amount).
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Mix for 10 minutes until light and fluffy, then start adding softened butter by a tablespoon, mix well until entirely incorporated into the frosting after each addition. (You will have enough frosting for a thin layer around the cake. If you like more frosting on your cake simply double the recipe but it will make a very sweet cake.)
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Spread 1/2 of the buttercream over the cake and let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
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Coat your chilled cake with the other half of the frosting and decorate with rosemary and raspberries.
What would be a substitute for the mascarpone cheese ? Like exact measurements per 1 cup ?
The only substitute I would use is cream cheam but it will not have the same lightness as mascarpone. I would use the same measurement as in the recipe.
I’m going to try this recipe today. I expect it comes out as well as everyone else’s appears to have. I’m very excited. I’ll keep you posted!
Sounds great!
Just made this today! It was a hit (my 11 year old said, “This may have been the best cake I ever ate!”). Delicious!
When kids approve my recipes, it’s the most satisfying thing ever! Thanks for sharing, Carla!! 🙂
Hi, I have question. Y haven’t you added baking powder to the cake batter
Hi Sunita, as I have replied to other commenters with a similar question, this particular sponge, known as Genoise, relies on eggs beaten for at least 5-7 minutes at high speed until they triple in volume, all that air that you beat into them will be responsible for a rise once the sponge is in the oven. This cake takes a little bit of effort but it is well worth it as you get a light and airy sponge that is basically a blank canvas and is a starting point for hundreds of flavour combinations. Its origin is in Italy and nowadays is used as a building block in French patisserie. I haven’t added any baking powder to the cake simply because this classic sponge recipe doesn’t need it.
Thanks for the great recipes! I confess I didn’t make the cake itself since I was crunched for time and wouldn’t have had the time to make another cake should the first one not have risen. I still used a sponge cake, but I whipped the egg parts separately. I admit, I was uncertain that the white chocolate buttercream was going to work, but it was delicious. Definitely requires a very high quality of white chocolate, or it would get cloyingly sweet very fast. My mascarpone filling “broke” the first time I tried to make it, but I think the cheese might’ve been old. It got all chunky and gross. I also made more of the compote so that there could be a solid layer of filling. I wasn’t able to try the finished product, but the mini trifles I made with the scraps of cake and the leftover fillings and frostings were delicious. Thanks again.
Thanks for reporting back, Julia!
I love your cake! I made it for my daughters birthday. It was a huge hit. I loved the masacarpone filling and white chocolate frosting. It’s nice and creamy opposed to overly sweet as I find with most frosting. I will be making this many more times.
As a matter of fact I am making it right now for Eid celebration. Just don’t have mascarpone at home, so either I will use cream cheese paired with strawberries or run to the stores to get Mascarpone.
Thank you for your recipe!!!!
Thank you for your feedback, Humach. I am so pleased to hear you loved the cake. Happy Eid!