White Chocolate Lemoncello Cake with Fresh Berries and Mascarpone Cream

• 3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Softened Unsalted Butter
• 2 1/ 4 cups Sugar
• 1 1/ 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 4 Room Temperature Eggs
• 2 Room Temperature Egg Yolks
• 1/ 4 cup Lemon Zest
• 4 ounces Melted and Cooled White Chocolate
• 3/ 4 cup Room Temperature Buttermilk
• 1/ 4 cup Lemoncello
• 1/ 4 cup Water
• 1/ 4 cup Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Lemoncello
• 1/ 2 cup Room Temperature Mascarpone Cheese
• 1/ 2 cup Sifted Powder Sugar
• 1 cup Cold Heavy Cream
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 10 pinches For Garnish Confectioners Sugar
• 1 Pint Hulled and Sliced Strawberries
• 1/ 2 Pint Blueberries
• 1/ 2 Pint Raspberries
• For Garnish: 6 Mint Leaves

Baking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with cooking spray with flour (ie Baker’s Joy). Set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed in an electric mixer, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the eggs and the egg yolks, 1 at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the lemon zest and white chocolate.

In a 1-cup glass measuring cup combine the buttermilk and lemoncello. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.   Once cooled, dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar.

To prepare the lemoncello syrup: Combine the sugar with water in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemoncello. Spoon the syrup over the warm cake.

To prepare the mascarpone cream: Whisk the softened mascarpone cheese with the lemon zest in a large bowl.  In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cold heavy cream on medium speed while slowly adding the confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form.  Fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten. Then fold the remaining whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Combine the strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serving Recommendations:
To serve: Cut a slice of cake and place on a dessert plate. Spoon some berries on the cake and top with a dollop of mascarpone cream.  Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve.

Why this recipe represents the holiday:
Five mom-friends and I are planning a trip to Italy in two years.  Our fantasy is to shop at farmers’ markets in Florence wearing pretty sundresses, scarves and big sunglasses. This year I made this cake for our Mother’s Day Tea in honor of our well deserved Italian holiday.