Flaky Cake With Mascarpone Cream

Jan 8

This recipe for a flaky cake with mascarpone cream topping sounds simple but with the light, delicate, flaky texture of the cake combined with the rich mascarpone and just a hint of cognac, it’ll be a dessert that will be a delight to anyone you serve it to. The key to this cake is that instead of flour, the majority of the dry components for this cake will be in the form of potato starch.

As the name implies, potato starch is the dehydrated starch from potatoes and can be found in the baking aisle near gluten-free products. It might sound very odd to think about potatoes in your cake, but what the potato starch does is make for a very light, very airy cake with a uniquely flaky texture.

Flaky Cake with Mascarpone Cream

Serves 6

Recipe courtesy of Stanley Tucci

For the Cake:

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) of softened unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of potato starch
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of Cognac or rum

For the Mascarpone Cream:

8 ounces of mascarpone cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of Brandy or Cognac

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric beater for about 5 minutes, or until the butter is pale and creamy.
Add the potato starch and salt, then beat until combined. (I know it sounds very odd to add the dry ingredients this early when mixing a cake, but keep in mind that potato starch has no gluten whatsoever, so you can mix the batter as long as you wish, and it won’t become dense.)
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition, then add the baking powder and Cognac and beat until smooth. Spread the batter into an even layer in the prepared pan, then bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Do not open that oven door for the first 40 minutes of baking, or your cake will never rise. Once baked, let the cake cool completely before inverting it onto a wire rack.
When you’re almost ready to serve, beat the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and Brandy together until smooth. Slice the cake like you’d slice a loaf of bread, then serve with the mascarpone.