Raspberry Mascarpone Naked Cake

This raspberry vanilla cake is simple and so elegant. It's filled with raspberry compote and frosted with mascarpone cream.

It's got a tender vanilla cake base, a homemade raspberry filling, and creamy mascarpone frosting. Nothing is too heavy or too sweet in this cake, so you can easily eat a slice (or two!) 

Jump to:

• A raspberry mascarpone naked cake
• The vanilla cake recipe
• Raspberry cake filling
• The mascarpone frosting
• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Method
• Layering the cake
• Serving
• Storing
• Full Recipe

A raspberry mascarpone naked cake

A naked cake is a cake that leaves off the thick outer layer of frosting. It's a pretty and rustic way to style layer cakes. Naked cakes celebrate their fillings as opposed to their coverings. It makes a beautiful cake that's not difficult to decorate.

This cake is filled using a tangy raspberry compote and a light and creamy mascarpone cream to fill the layers. The colors are beautiful, and the flavor combination is excellent.

The vanilla cake recipe

The delicious cake base for this raspberry mascarpone naked cake is using a recipe from Erin at the blog Cloudy Kitchen. It's a really nice vanilla cake that works very well as a layer cake. It's a moist vanilla cake that's tender but it still has some structure to it so it can be stacked and filled easily.

The cake uses a reverse creaming method which is where the butter is mixed into the flour to create sand-like crumbs. This method stops the gluten from forming the cake and it's what gives it such a tender crumb.

The vanilla cakes can be made well in advance (even weeks, months!) and refrigerated or frozen until you're ready to assemble. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap so they don't dry out.

Raspberry cake filling

Use frozen or fresh raspberries. Depending on where you live, frozen raspberries often are a lot cheaper. Frozen raspberries are picked at their prime size and sweetness too and make a wonderful compote.

A compote is a bit like a fruit coulis, except it's not smooth.

Leave the seeds in. They add a little texture, and it gives it that homemade raspberry jam look!

Simmer down the raspberries with sugar and lemon juice until thickened.

If you rather use strawberries, here is a strawberry cake filling recipe!

The mascarpone frosting

This is a creamy and light frosting that pairs wonderfully with the cake and raspberries. It's not overly sweet which makes a great contrast to the cake. It's super smooth and creamy and easy to apply to the cake.

Mascarpone cheese is a soft and mild Italian cheese. It's thick and creamy and so delicious. Whip it alongside powdered sugar, then whip in heavy cream. The mascarpone helps to stabilize the cream so it lasts on the cake.

This frosting is used in this lemon curd cake too!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients needed in this raspberry mascarpone layer cake. The amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Vanilla cake

• Eggs
• Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• Milk
• Greek yogurt
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter

Raspberry compote

• Fresh or frozen raspberries
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon juice

Mascarpone frosting

• Mascarpone cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Salt
• Heavy cream

Fresh berries make a pretty garnish at the end too, as do chopped pistachio nuts.

Substitutions

If you can't get your hands on mascarpone cheese, the mascarpone can be substituted for cream cheese. Cream cheese will make a more tangy frosting.

Raspberries could be substituted with fresh or frozen strawberries.

Equipment

You'll need 3 x 8-inch cake pans for this recipe. If you don't have 3 pans you can bake the cakes one or two at a time and reuse the pans.

A stand mixer with a paddle attachment to reverse cream the butter and flour.

A bench scraper and offset spatula to smooth out the frosting.

Method

Batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Grease three 8” cake pans, and line with parchment paper on the bottom. If you don't have 3 pans, you can bake the cakes one or two at a time and reuse the same pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, milk, and yogurt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix it briefly to combine the dry ingredients.

Now with the mixer on low speed, add the butter a cube at a time, until fully incorporated and the flour mixture looks like sand. This can take a while so be patient.

Add half of the wet ingredients into the mixer and mix until just combined, then add the second half of the wet ingredients.

Mix on medium speed until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give a few folds with a rubber spatula, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure that no dry ingredients remain.

Baking

Divide the cake batter between the three cake tins. Bake for around 30-35 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched.

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool for 15 minutes in their pans, then turn onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Compote

While the cake is baking, make the compote. Add the raspberries to a small saucepan over low heat along with sugar and lemon juice.

Cook over low heat while the raspberries begin to release their liquid. Stir occasionally as the mixture comes to a simmer.

Once simmering, over low heat, cook the raspberries for around 15 minutes until they break down and the mixture thickens slightly. Take them off the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Frosting

In a large mixing bowl add the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and salt. Using an electric mixer at high speed, whisk it until combined.

Slowly stream in the heavy cream and keep whisking as you do until it is thick and forms stiff peaks. This can happen quickly so take care not to over-mix it or it will split.

Layering the cake

Once the vanilla cakes have been baked and cooled, they'll need to be leveled in order to create an even cake once it has been stacked.

Let the vanilla cake layers cool to room temperature, then if you can, wrap them up in a plastic wrap and chill them in the fridge for a while before leveling. This tightens the crumb a bit and helps with slicing.

Use a serrated knife to level the cakes and make their tops flat and even.

Stack on another cake layer and repeat this process.

Pipe extra frosting in any holes, then smooth it out again.

The end cake should be smooth and have parts of the cake layers peeping through.

Decorating

Decorate the cake with edible flowers, fresh raspberries, chopped nuts, or whatever else you like. You can also pipe leftover frosting dollops on the top of the cake.

This is the perfect cake to serve on special occasions.

Serving

Refrigerate the cake until you're ready to serve. Remove it from the fridge about half an hour before serving.

Storing

Leftover cake can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.