Anisette Mascarpone Cake Recipes

ITALIAN-STYLE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Set aside a few pretty strawberry slices for garnish; sprinkle remaining strawberries with sugar in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes for juice to form.
• Mix mascarpone cheese and whipped topping together in a separate bowl. Place torn pieces of angel food cake into a trifle dish; spread strawberries and their juice on cake pieces and top with mascarpone mixture. Decorate with retained strawberry slices. Refrigerate until serving time.

ITALIAN SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 320F.
• Beat eggs with a pinch of salt until foamy. Start adding sugar a few tablespoons at a time. Add next portion once previous sugar has been dissolved.
• Continue beating egg and sugar mix for 10 more minutes (should take around 15 minutes total).Stand mixer will be really handy.
• Mix corn starch with flour.Start sifting in corn starch and flour mix into the beaten eggs. Fold it gently moving your spatula from the bottom to the top. Once first portion of flour mix is incorporated, add in another portion. Continue until you have used all the mix.As a result you should get very light and airy batter.
• Grease and flour the baking pan, remove access flour.Or use a parchment paper liner instead.
• Pour in the sponge cake batter into the pan. Level with a spatula if needed.
• Bake in a preheated to 320F oven for 40-50 minutes.
• Do a toothpick test at 40 minute mark. If toothpick come out dry (not sticky and without any crumbs stuck to it) sponge cake is ready. Otherwise leave for another 5-10 minutes.Of course, look for nice light golden brown color as well.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let the cake cool before taking it out.Dust with powdered sugar and serve or use further in the other recipe.

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Make crust:
• Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk, vanilla, and lemon juice and pulse just until mixture begins to form a dough. Spread dough with a small offset spatula or back of a spoon over buttered bottom of a 24-centimeter springform pan and prick all over with a fork. Chill 30 minutes.
• Bake crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes, and cool on a rack.
• Increase temperature to 375°F.
• Make filling and bake cake:
• Discard liquid and cheesecloth and force drained ricotta through sieve into bowl. Beat yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale, then beat in ricotta, flour, and zests. Beat whites with salt in another bowl until they hold soft peaks, and fold into ricotta mixture.
• Butter side of springform pan and pour filling over crust (pan will be completely full). Bake in baking pan in middle of oven until cake is puffed and golden and a tester inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on rack. Chill, loosely covered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

ITALIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
• Butter and flour a 9-by-2-inch springform pan and tap out excess flour. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, sift sugar and flour.
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta and zest and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and flour mixture and gently mix to combine.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla and salt.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a light golden color. Make sure the center is fairly firm and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 2 hours.

ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 inch round springform or regular pan.
• Combine the ricotta, confectioners' sugar and eggs. Blend well. Stir in vanilla, almond extract, rum extract, lemon juice, lemon zest and orange zest. Beat by hand until smooth and creamy. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 40 minutes, until golden. Place on a rack and cool.

ANISETTE-MASCARPONE CAKE

Steps:

• MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Line a 13x9" baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
• Whip the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium-high speed.
• With the mixer running, drizzle in the vegetable oil, then the vanilla.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together; add to the egg mixture alternately with the milk, mixing after each addition, just until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan; bake until firm and springy to the touch, and a toothpick tests out clean, 35-40 minutes.
• Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack.
• MEANWHILE, MAKE THE TOPPING: Whip the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy and the sugar is almost dissolved.
• Add the mascarpone cheese and Sambucca; whip just until stiff and frosting-like, being careful not to overmix.
• (Overmixing may cause the mascarpone to separate.) Chill until ready to use.
• MAKE THE ANISETTE SYRUP: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Remove pan from heat and add the Sambucca; set aside to cool slightly.
• Invert the cake; peel off the parchment paper.
• Brush the surface of the cake with the syrup until it is all absorbed.
• Cover with the mascarpone topping, using all the cream.
• Chill, lightly covered, at least 2 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle with the grated chocolate, cut into squares, and serve cold.

SPICED BAKED FIGS WITH GINGER MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lay the figs in an ovenproof roasting dish, dot over the butter and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon, then pour over the orange juice and mix lightly. Nestle the star anise amongst the figs and roast for 15-20 minutes.
• When ready to serve, mix the ginger and syrup through the mascarpone. Place 4 fig halves, drizzled with syrup, on a plate with a dollop of mascarpone and some shortbread fingers.

ANISETTE TOAST

Steps:

• 1 Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper. Tap out the excess flour. 2 In a large electric mixer bowl, combine the eggs, liqueur, and sugar. Begin beating the eggs on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to high. Continue to beat the eggs until they are very light and foamy and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. 3 Place the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in a fine-mesh strainer. Shake the strainer over the egg mixture, gradually folding in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to deflate the eggs. 4 Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm when touched lightly in the center and golden brown. Have ready a large baking sheet and a large cooling rack. 5 Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven turned on. Run a small knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cutting board. 6 Raise the oven temperature to 375°F. With a long serrated knife, cut the cake into 3-inch strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 3/4-inch- thick slices. Place the slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake the slices 7 minutes or until toasted and golden. 7 Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in a tightly covered container up to 2 weeks. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.