Italian Lemon Berry Cake

Directions

• 1)

  Make the Blueberry Sauce: Start by adding the blueberries with the lemon juice, vanilla and honey to a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the blueberries burst. Remove from flame and adjust sweetness to your taste with more honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.

• 2)

  Make the Lemon Curd: To make the lemon curd, prepare a double boiler with 2 inches of water in the bottom pan. Bring to gentle simmer.

• 3)

  Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the top pan. Whisk together over the steam until combined well. Keep whisking for a few minutes until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. About 5 to 10 minutes or so. Turn off the flame and whisk in the butter until melted. Transfer the curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled completely. It should be very thick at this point.

• 4)

  Make the Cake: Preheat your oven to 325°F.

• 5)

  Prepare a 10 inch springform pan by lightly buttering it with a dab of butter. Place on a baking sheet.

• 6)

  In the bowl of a mixer add the eggs, lemon zest and sugar and using the whisk attachment beat them together until well combined. A few minutes.

• 7)

  Pour in the olive oil and continue whisking on medium low speed until all incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and sea salt and whisk till combined.

• 8)

  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and slowly mix or fold everything together until incorporated.

• 9)

  Transfer the cake batter into the buttered spring form pan.

• 10)

  Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

• 11)

  Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

• 12)

  Make the Mascarpone Cheese Filling: Add the egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer with a whisk attachment to cream the sugars and egg yolks until fluffy and pale in color.

• 13)

  Add the lemon zest and spoonfuls of the mascarpone cheese until incorporated.

• 14)

  Whip the heavy whipping cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar together until stiff.

• 15)

  Using a spatula fold 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream into the whipped mascarpone cheese until combined. Make sure to not over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. It should not be runny, it should be thick and creamy.

• 16)

  Assemble the Cake: Once cooled off, remove the cake from the spring form pan by releasing the sides first, then remove the bottom.

• 17)

  Very carefully slice a thin layer off of the top to remove the top crust and expose the inside of the cake.

• 18)

  Extra carefully slice the cake in half using a serrated knife.

• 19)

  Place the bottom part on a plate or cake stand.

• 20)

  Using a small spatula spread the chilled lemon curd on top of the cake.

• 21)

  Spoon half of the mascarpone filling on top, or as much as you feel comfortable working with. If it seems like too much for you, simply save some for later use. Then top it with half of the blueberries from the blueberry sauce and some of the fresh blackberries. Reserve as much of the liquid from the blueberry sauce as possible for the next layer.

• 22)

  Add the next cake layer and spoon all the remaining blueberries with the sauce on top. Add the remaining whipped mascarpone (or however much you feel comfortable working with) and with the back of a spoon or spatula rustically spread it over the top. Place the fresh blackberries all over the top, reserving some to decorate the sides of your cake.

• 23)

  Garnish your cake with edible flower blossoms (optional) and enjoy chilled.