Strawberry Mascarpone Ring Cake

This is a perfect dessert cake, for a special occasion, but is just as good undecorated with an afternoon cup of tea. I love using ring tins. This is a very large cake, but I can see no reason why you cannot halve it and bake it in a small 6 or 7 inch ordinary cake tin. Reduce the baking time, then of course.

Grease well, with butter, then lightly flour, a large ring [Bundt] tin. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C

You can omit the Quick Gel, just adding more chopped strawberries, but it does add a moist dessert taste to the cake.

12 oz softened butter

15 oz caster sugar

8 oz soft cheese - I used Mascarpone

6 large eggs

1 lb plain flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

small teaspoon almond extract

1 pkt of Red Quick Gel jelly glaze mixed together with half crushed strawberry juice, 1 oz caster sugar, the remainder with water. [I used a total of 5 fl oz liquid to make it thicker]

Chopped Strawberries - lots!

Icing Sugar for the topping

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy! You know this routine. Add the cream cheese, beating until creamy. Then the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition - I often add a teaspoon of flour with each egg, to stop them curdling. Then the vanilla bean paste and the almond extract.

Gradually add the flour, mixing well. Pour one-third of the mixture into your Ring tin. Place about 10 teaspoons strawberry quick gel over mixture, then swipe with something pointy, but being careful not to mix it together too much. Add some of your chopped strawberries too. Repeat procedure once, then top with remaining third of the cake mix. Finally scatter your left over chopped strawberries over the top. But keep some back for the icing!!

Bake for 70 - 80 mins until firm to the touch and nicely browned. Cool in pan for 10 mins then on a wire rack. Decorate when cool, using fresh double cream or icing mixed with more crushed strawberries. Serve with clotted cream!! Very yummy, rich and moist.

I love using Mascarpone and it does give cakes a lovely texture and flavour. If you keep scrolling down you will find another of my cakes using this - the delicious Cherry Mascarpone Cake, posted some months ago.