The best Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake of your dreams, dressed with creamy layers of whipped mascarpone cheese, lemon curd, a lemon blueberry sauce and sprinkled with fresh blackberries. A Tiramisu like berry mascarpone cake but without coffee, simply Amazing!
Berry Mascarpone Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake
I present to you the first official cake recipe on CiaoFlorentina blog and the only cake recipe you need. It now goes by Florentina’s Cake and I’m so excited about this one which is big, because yours truly excited about cake just doesn’t happen.
Melt in your mouth layer cake, lemony and berrylicious, soft and rich with a custardy pudding like lemon curd layer.
Fuhgeddaboutit!
This Italian lemon berry mascarpone cake is also the most and greatest cake recipe ever stollen on the internet, and to that all I have to say is: I am flattered little ones!
It’s the perfect cake all year round, from summer garden parties to birthdays to the holiday table like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. If you aren’t in the mood for creamy lemony luscious layers and summer berries you can just bake the cake and enjoy with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Mascarpone Cake
Lemon Olive Oil Cake Ingredients
- Blueberry sauce – because lemon pairs amazingly with blueberries and blackberries I just had to make a quick stove top blueberry sauce that will ad tons of flavor and extra moisture.
- Mascarpone filling – basically I’m following the same principle for making authentic Tiramisu, whipped mascarpone cheese with sugar and egg yolks in which I fold stiff whipped cream. Out of this world!
- Lemon Curd – this homemade lemon custard is where the cake gets its bright and fresh lemon flavor. No extract, no limoncello, just pure zesty lemon.
- Olive oil – I prefer using a fruity cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for this but for a more neutral flavor use an extra light olive oil. In any case you won’t really be able to tell if the cake was made with butter or oil. You can’t really taste the olive oil itself, just a lovely aroma.
- Blackberries – fresh juicy blackberries are the perfect contrast to the cooked blueberry sauce and make a beautiful garnish as well.
Now close your eyes for a second and imagine taking a bite out of fluffy layers of lemon olive oil cake loaded with mascarpone, lemon curd and blueberry sauce. Then sprinkle blackberries all over the place, pretending you are the foodie Picasso or something.
Tell the truth! Can you even handle those luscious creamy layers?!
Italian Lemon Mascarpone Cake
It might seem like a very self involved recipe at first look, but it is really easy actually. There are a few simple steps you can do a day ahead:
- make the lemon curd.
- prepare the blueberry sauce.
- whip the mascarpone filling.
- bake your cake, cool it off then dress it nicely with all the goodies you prepared. EASY!
Garnishes – my lemon thyme was blooming so i just had to use the thyme blossoms for garnish; you can use pretty rosemary and even lavender flowers.
Storage – this cake must be refrigerated, ideally in a cake storage box if you have one. It taste better the second and third day so you can make it in advance.
Mascarpone Lemon Olive Oil Cake Variations
- replace the blueberries + blackberries with fresh strawberries, raspberries or cherries.
- cover with this blueberry glaze.
- use these balsamic figs as a sauce and decorate with fresh figs.
- make a chocolate glaze / frosting and sprinkle with coconut.
- garnish with candied oranges and rosemary blossoms.
- UPDATE 2019: you can now make this cake 100% Vegan, snatch the recipe from the VeggieSociety blog.
Italian Desserts
- Lemon ricotta cookies
- Blueberry ricotta muffins
- Cranberry bread
- Lemon blueberry bread
- Lemon muffins
- Sicilian ricotta cheesecake.
- Ricciarelli Almond Cookies.
Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe with Berries + Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 5 eggs organic pasture raised
- 1.25 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- Zest from 1 lemon
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 lb blackberries
- 1/4 cup edible flower blossoms
Blueberry Sauce
- 1/2 lb blueberries
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2-3 tbsp wild honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mascarpone Cream
- 4 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3/4 lb mascarpone cheese
- 1.5 cup whipped cream ( Stiff )
- zest from 1 lemon
Lemon curd
- 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 5 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp butter cut into 5 pieces.
Instructions
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.
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.
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. - Preheat your oven to 325"F.
- Prepare a 10 inch spring form pan by lightly buttering it with a dab of butter. Place on a baking sheet.
Make the Olive Oil Cake:
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and slowly mix or fold everything together until incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter into the buttered spring form pan.
- Bake the olive oil cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
- Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Make the Mascarpone Cheese Filling:
- Add the egg yolks and 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.
- Add the lemon zest and spoonfuls of the mascarpone cheese until incorporated.
- Using a spatula fold the whipped cream (must be stiff) 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.
Assemble the Cake:
- Once cooled off, remove the cake from the spring form pan by releasing the sides first, then remove the bottom.
- Very carefully slice a thin layer off of the top to remove the top crust and expose the inside of the cake.
- Extra carefully slice the cake in half using a serrated knife.
- Place the bottom part on a plate or cake stand.
- Using a small spatula spread the chilled lemon curd on top of the olive oil cake. 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.
- Add the next olive oil 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 olive oil cake.
- Garnish your lemon olive oil cake with edible flower blossoms and enjoy chilled.
Notes
- Make sure the whipped cream is Stiff not runny.
- If whipping your own cream, start with 1 cup of organic heavy whipping cream + 1 tbsp sugar. Whip with the whisk attachment until stiff, it should yield just about 2 cups of whipped cream.
Nutrition
You’ll Also Love:
Berry Tiramisu Trifle
Italian Tiramisu Cheesecake
Italian Wedding Cookies
That gorgeous cake looks like a summer wedding! Seriously, one of the best looking cakes I have EVER seen!
I’m so happy you love it, and thank you so much, that is a true compliment. Hope you give it a go soon ~Florentina Xo’s
The best cake ever and I have hadd plenty a share of it. Marvelous, magnificant, superb, all superlatves, thank you, I am ever so gratefull for the recipe.
Very beautiful looking cake! I want to have a piece right now!
This cake looks amazing! I had an olive oil cake in Italy and it was incredible. I need to try this out!
Oh yes you must! I bet you’ll fall in love with olive oil cakes and even more, bake with olive oil more often.
This recipe looks divine! Your pictures are amazing too. They really make this cake scream “MUST HAVE!”
awww thanks Michelle, you made my day. I’m just learning how to take good photos, so happy you like them! ~Florentina
OMG, this recipe sounds incredible. You had me at lemon and these berries and citrus with mascarpone has me wanting to make this right now!
Hope you do, I mean what can be a better treat than lemon olive oil cake? 😉
This cake is absolutely beautiful!! <3 I just love the blackberry/lemon combo too.
What a stunner!! Such a showstopping cake full of oozy amazingness. I love the sound of the sharp blackberries and lemon against the marscarpone.
Wow. This cake looks fantastic and so delicious. And it has all my favourite things! Lemon, mascarpone, blackberries. And those thyme blossoms are adorable too! I’ve never baked a cake using olive oil before and this is definitely the cake to try that on. Will let you know how it goes!
Thanks Jolina! Olive oil cakes are so special, I don’t even think I know how to bake anything good without olive oil and some ricotta in the mix. Let me know how it goes ~ Florentina
This isn’t a cake! It’s a dream!
I love this cake! It’s so beautiful with those lemon thyme flowers, now I have to grow some thyme, this is my kind of cake, it looks so delicious!
That is such a beautiful looking cake! A real show stopper and something to serve up to impress guests.
Hmm, I’ve never made a cake with olive oil, rather than butter! It looks and sounds almost like a rich sponge cake, would that be right? And then, of course all the fillings and such just are so lovely.
I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll start with how amazing this recipe looks. Your pictures are simply stunning. Just like I could reach threw to the cake! Wow, delicious!
Ok, this cake is GORG! Love all those fresh berries and of course LOVE mascarpone.
I’m making this cake for my birthday, but I have one question–should I cook the blueberries until thickened like pie filling? We don’t have access to fresh blackberries here, so mine is going to be decorated with mango 🙂
Hi MariLou! You only need to cook the blueberries a few minutes until the pop and release their juice. They will form a nice syrup together with the honey, no need to cook them down. You want rustic textures all through your cake. The mango sounds really good too, make sure to send me a pic of your olive oil cake with mango. I’d love to see it ~ Florentina
I see no ricotta cheese anywhere in the recipe ingredients but you do refer to it in #6 of the directions. I’m dying to try this cake but am afraid I’m missing something. Also, #11 refers to the whipped ricotta filling. Did you mean mascarpone cheese? Can ricotta be substituted? Thanks for your response. It looks like an awesome cake!!
Joyce
Oh Florentina!! Please forgive me! I found the ricotta cheese. I’m so sorry to bother you about this. Now, on to baking this gorgeous cake!
Joyce
Hi Joyce, no worries, I was just checking for errors and I see the Ricotta cheese is the second ingredient. It goes in the olive oil cake batter. And Yes, it is a whipped mascarpone filling, I hope you love it as much as we did ~ Florentina
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it today and it was super hit. I will for sure try again.
Hi Sangita, I am so happy to hear the cake was a Hit! Happy Dance haha! Definitely our favorite cake as well!~ Florentina
I have to make this, it’s stunning! I have lemon love oil (Roland citron oil), do you think using a little of it will intensify the lemon flavor or be just too much? Thank you
Hi Leslie, you can definitely use a little bit of it, just don’t replace the entire amount of olive oil in the recipe with it. Maybe about 2 tablespoons or so, depending on how strong it is. I would taste it first. I’d love to hear how it goes, please report back 🙂 ~ Florentina
i have a question on this step: Using a spatula fold the whipped cream into the whipped mascarpone cheese until combine. Make sure to not over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
is the whipped cream whipped or just poured out of the carton? i can’t find anywhere it says to whip it but i wanted to make sure. thanks! i want to try this asap but i am waiting to make sure i have this step correct. also, if you make this part ahead, you just cover it and leave it in the refrigerator overnight!
Hi Kris, you will need Whipped Cream so heavy cream that is already whipped. I hope that answered your question. If you make this part ahead then yes, cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to assemble your cake. Let me know how you liked it 🙂 ~ Florentina
I am so excited to make this. Am I supposed to make whipped cream use whipping cream or am I buying whipped cream pre-made? Please advise.
I’m so happy I found this recipe!!
Thanks Katie, you can use whatever you have. I usually whip my own cream with 1 tbsp of sugar. But you can just use pre-made whipped cream too. Your call! Let me know how you love the olive oil cake ~ Florentina Xo’s
I was searching for a special cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday….THIS IS IT! I can’t wait to put this together this weekend! Thank you for posting it, Florentina!
I’m so excited to see how it turns out! Enjoy!
The cake was a huge hit! My mother in law was very happy to receive such a beautiful cake. Thanks again for sharing!
I’m so doing the happy dance over here! My favorite cake ever too, nothing beats making cake with olive oil and mascarpone cheese hehe
This looks insanely delicious!
Thanks Kevin, It really was the best cake of all time. Hope you give it a go 🙂
Wow, what a gorgeous cake!
This cake is absolutely delicious!! Stunning cake to look at and my family was impressed with all of the different layers of flavor. I even used a GF flour blend to make it Celiac friendly and the texture was great.
I did have a little trouble getting the mascarpone filling thick enough, it ended up runny. Any suggestions??
Hi Ashley, so happy to hear everyone loved the cake. I suspect your whipped cream was not whipped enough. Sometimes If the cream or even the whisk is not cold enough it really won’t whip well. Which then in turn will make your mascarpone filling lose, since mascarpone cheese is super thick to start with. So i would definitely suggest to use already whipped cream or make sure the cream and wish are very cold. Then gently mix it with the msacarpone. ~ Florentina
So… I found this on Pinterest and thought” wow what a gorgeous cake ” seriously, gorgeous . I tried to find a review on how it tasted . I didn’t browse all the way through but didn’t see any, so I made the cake …. here is a review on how it tastes ……….
BEST CAKE EVER !!!!! Delish . The cake is perfect (although I didn’t realize I was out of vanilla so I used almond extract , highly suggest you try that. It was awesome ) absolutely perfect . And for the record the lemon curd is delish by itself and I have now saved it for my lemon meringue pies . Holds up perfectly !
Hi Summer! So happy you love the cake. It is my favorite cake ever too 🙂
Almond extract sounds fabulous, I’m going to update the recipe and add that as an option. Thank you for taking the time to write a lovely comment ~ Florentina
Ciao!
I was scrolling thru your cookie recipes and this stopped me dead in my tracks. Insanely gorgeous cake! Love how you decorated it too.. I don’t think I can wait until summer to try this … Being Italian and having been to Italy I truly appreciate your page and the authenticity with which your recipes are made… can’t wait to make it! Grazie mille!
awww thank you so much Gina! You made my day! We make this during the holidays as well so definitely no need to wait until summer Xo’s ~Florentina
I am excited to make this cake this weekend. I have a question. The recipe calls for 1/3 c ricotta cheese. I saw a post about the some sort of confusion. Does this recipe call for the 1/3 c ricotta cheese at all? If not, is 1/3 c mascarpone used instead? Also, I don’t have an electronic whisk for the lemon curd. Can I just use my hand mixer or a manual whisk? Thank you
Hi Karina, there is 1/3 c of ricotta cheese in the cake batter. The mascarpone cheese is for the filling only. The recipe doesn’t call for an electronic whisk. You will need a regular hand held whisk to make the lemon curd over a double boiler, so you should be fine. Also you can make the cake batter by hand, but you will need a mixer to whip the mascarpone filling. I hope that makes sense 🙂 ~ Florentina
I made this cake yesterday. OMG!!!!! This cake right here is by far the BEST cake I have ever tasted…. This cake has everything that I love and obsess about (lemon curd and blueberries). I will for sure be making this in my near future.. Thank you for such an amazing recipe. 🙂
I’m so excited! Thanks for taking the time to let me know how it turned out! Xo’s ~Florentina
Made this cake for Christmas Eve to end the Night of the Seven Fishes feast. Was delicious, my Italian husband loved it! I have never made a cake with olive oil, and a whole cup! Loved the flavor of the cake by itself and the lemon, berries and mascarpone make it a perfect dessert!
I did cheat and used a jar of lemon curd and a different mascarpone cream recipe that didn’t call for raw eggs but followed the recipe for everything else. Delicious!!!
When I baked the cake in a 10 in round pan, the cake was only about 1-1/2 inches thick. Then slice it into half’s. Was yours this thin? If not what did I do wrong? Thanks! Love the recipe!
Hi Emilia, mine wasn’t quite that thin so I suspect maybe the baking powder you use was not performing the best.So happy you loved the cake 🙂
Looks amazing. Do you know the carb count?
This is beautiful. I’m planning to make it tomorrow for thanksgiving and a baker friend I showed the recipe to is doing the same…. I’m planning to substitute raspberries though…
I have just one question… is the lemon curd only between the 2 cake layers or does it go on the top as well?
Thanks!
Also.. I don’t own a springform pan so I had intended to use 2 9-inch rounds… should I also trim the bottom off the round I’m using for the top? I’m assuming yes since I want the yummy sauce/filling to soak in?
Yes I would still lightly trim it so it soaks up that sauce 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Lins, yes you are correct, the lemon curd is only in one layer 🙂
This cake looks amazing!
Oh my goodness!!!! You should enter this beautiful, beautiful work of art in one of those $1,000,000 recipe contests.
Thanks so much for posting this.
Ha! Thanks Stephhy, I could sure use $1,000,000 right now! Let’s do it! ~Florentina
Hello! I have the cake baking in the oven as I type this message 😉 I have a question-in the directions it says use a spoonful of the mascarpone cheese when the recipe calls for 1 lb. the whole 1lb is used for the filling correct?
Thank you and I will send you a picture when it’s finished!! So excited to make this!!
Yes you are correct Cristal, you just need to add the mascarpone by the spoonful to mix it in 🙂 Hope you love the cake! ~Florentina
Thank you for this great recipe! I had so much fun making this cake and would like to make it again 🙂
Oh I’m so happy to hear Cristal! Hands down our most favorite cake ever!
Such a stunning cake. I do have a concern about the Mascarpone cream. It calls for 4 egg yolks. Could there be a concern since you are not heating the yolks? Hope to get a reply soon.
Thanks Patt. Using the raw egg yolks is a traditional thing for us, just like we do when making Tiramisu. It isn’t any different than eating sushi, however I strongly encourage you to use fresh, organic and free eggs from free range grass fed chickens. If you are concerned you can leave them out. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I made this, and I had the same concern about raw egg yolks because I am pregnant. I got an idea for a solution by looking at recipes for tirimisu: I cooked the egg yolks with the sugar and a few table spoons of unwhipped heavy cream whisking quickly in a double boiler until it was thickened, similar to the lemon curd in texture. Then I poured the cooked yolks into the mascarpone cream and whipped them together before combining with the whipped cream. While I didn’t try using raw yolks to compare, I can report that my mascarpone cream filling looks a lot like the pictures and tastes yummy! The cooking of egg yolks may even have helped to thicken it, although I did also overwhip my cream on purpose to follow Florentina’s advice, and I think that was enough to thicken it adequately already.
I am going to make this for my mother in laws birthday! She will love it. I really really hate ricotta cheese, any substitutes?!
Thank you!
Krista
Haha, you know the ricotta here is added to the batter to make it extra moist. You could get away with using a little bit less, but I wouldn’t leave it out. I promise, you won’t even be able to taste the actual cheese. Let me know how it goes 🙂
This cake was AMAZING!!!!! I made it for my Mom/Sister-in-law’s birthday, and it was perfect!! I did use a gluten free flour mix (Bobs Red Mill was what i had on hand, just be sure to sift before mixing it in!) and it worked perfectly!!! I had no thyme flowers to decorate with so I zested a lemon and lime on to the top of the cake with the blackberries.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!!
I’m so happy Janine! Wow, I’ll have to try it gluten free next time. I love seeing tiny specs of lemon and lime zest on desserts. You can also use any edible flowers to decorate as well, for Christmas last year I used orchids 🙂
I think I know the answer to this now. But you do mean two cups whipped cream for the filling not 2 cups cream then whipped? I did the latter and have 2 cups extra filling even after being very generous with it. Plus my filling doesn’t have mascarpone flavor. The cake is otherwise delicious and soo moist.
Hi Lisa, you are correct, 2 cups of whipped cream, so cream that is already whipped 😉 So glad you loved the cake! Xo’s ~ Florentina
Is the whipped cream heavy whipping cream???
It is heavy whipping cream that is already whipped, so whipped cream, the fluffy stuff 🙂
Heavy whipping cream or cool whip???
Whipped Cream, you can make it yourself by whipping about 3/4 c of heavy cream.
Hi there! This looks not only beautiful, but very delicious! I’m having an Italian night at my house and wanted to make this cake for dessert. My only concern is I am pregnant and worried about the raw eggs in the mascarpone and lemon curd. Do you know if this is safe or not to eat while pregnant?
Hi Deanna, I would say leave them out If you are worried. I am not a medical doctor so i can’t give advice, in your case better safe than sorry rule 🙂
Wow, wow, wow! Every single picture makes me want to try this cake more than the last. What a delicious looking combination of flavors and textures! Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks so much Rebecca, i hope you give it a try one beautiful spring day 🙂 ~ Florentina
Just made the cake using your recipe this Monday. Thank you for sharing! You made it simple to execute. Mine was not as beautiful but it was delightful to eat 🙂 🙂 Have gotten many compliments and shared this recipe to a couple folks who asked. Looking forward to trying more from your collection!
Woohoo! That is so exciting to hear! Try using a little less mascarpone filling next time, it will be much easier to work with 😉
Hello,
I want to make this cake, but will
Need to transport it to an office for a celebration. Should I just make it as directed and place in fridge overnight? Would it hold up?
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Angela, you can definitely make it the night before, just make sure to wrap it gently in plastic wrap. If you plan to decorate with the thyme blossoms, orchids or any edible flowers, just garnish with those the day of the event so they look at their prime. Enjoy! ~ Florentina
This was a hit at my Bunco party and I’ll be making it again for Easter! Even bought a domed cake stand to display this beauty! Now, mine looked a bit of a hot mess, but indeed was delicious! The whipped mascarpone looked more yellow than white, but again, was delicious. Thanks for the easy-to-follow directions for those of us who aren’t pros! This was my first layer cake and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Woohoo Samantha! I’m si happy you loved the cake! Try refrigerating the filling for a little bit next time before assembling the cake, or use less of the mascarpone filling. Also make sure the cake is cooled completely. It will be easier to assemble and not so messy. However, this is a rustic style cake so looks are not essential ~ Florentina Xo’s
What do I do if don’t have a double boiler? – Calle
Hi Calle, you can improvise one, simply use a sauce pan with water in the bottom, then place another sauce on top making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Make your lemon curd 🙂
Made this cake for my dad’s birthday – it was a HUGE hit. Wouldn’t change a thing about it, highly recommend everyone make it. It didn’t really take very long (despite having so many steps – they are not super time consuming). It’s also very well balanced – not super lemony and not super sweet. I made one addition – I didn’t have the thyme flowers but added little basil leaves throughout. Although it’s not AS pretty as the thyme, it added a really nice freshness to it. Mint could work as well, but the Basil was lovely.
One question – how did you put the layers together? My middle layers squished out so it didn’t look so well put together as yours. I have some ideas as to how to tackle the next time I make it but would love to hear how you went about it.
Hi Mariana, I’m so happy your dad loved the cake, Happy Birthday! The secret to getting the layers to stay together is making sure the filling is chilled and thick, including the lemon curd. Use less mascarpone if you feel it might be a little too much next time. Then refrigerate for a couple of hours for everything to kind of glue together. To make things easier you can place the Ring from a Spring Form pan around the cake stand/platter, assemble your layers, refrigerate then remove the cake ring gently before serving. Let me know If that works better for you ~ Florentina Xo’s
Hi! I made this beautiful cake for my dad’s 80th birthday! It was so delicious and *almost beautiful* …. The cream was overly abundant and it was oozing all over the place and the layers of the cake were sliding around! It didn’t matter, because it still tasted amizingly flavorful, everyone loved it, and the huge mess made the celebration more entertaining. I’d like to try again, and wonder if you could please tell me what I did wrong… pretty sure I measured exactly as instructed.
Thank you so much for this exquisite recipe!
Hi Janet! So happy you loved the cake. Sounds like the whipped cream was not as stiff as it should have been, or maybe the mascarpone filling not chilled enough. Depending on the room temperature where you are assembling the cake that might effect the textures. Same goes for the lemon curd, better to cook it a little longer to get it thicker than to have it runny. Was the cake cooled off completely before assembling ? If not, that could also make the filling loosen up. My advice would be #1 Make sure everything is cooled off/ refrigerated before putting the final cake together. #2 Try using less mascarpone filling next time and that will make it easier for you to work with. In my experience If the mascarpone is chilled and stiff as it should be, you can have a pretty thick layer in between as it will hold well. Also important to refrigerate the cake after assembling and before serving for at least a couple of hours. Hope that helps 🙂
Followed the directions to the letter, but my cake ran each layer that topped in the cake. Made for Easter, my only choice was to put in a triffel bowl to salvage it. Tasted good, but did not hold up.
Hi Chasity, sounds like the whipped cream wasn’t stiff enough, which i return made the mascarpone filling kind of runny. I would suggest making sure you use very stiff whipped cream that you fold into the mascarpone and refrigerate for about an hour or so. This filling should be thick and creamy and hold together well. Also make sure the lemon curd is also thick and chilled. Do not attempt to assemble your cake until cooled off completely. If your cake is still even a little warm, it will cause the filling to become runny. Alternatively, you can definitely assemble this into a large trifle dish and enjoy with a spoon 🙂 ~Florentina Xo’s
WOW!!! What a beautiful cake- it was the highlight of my dinner party. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe, it’s definitely in my top cakes of all time, wouldn’t change a thing.
I’m sooooo excited about this! Thanks for reporting back Xo’s ~ Florentina
This has now become my favorite cake of all time! I made it last week as a tasting option for my italian clients and they loved it. I will now make it again for my mother for mother’s day.
Followed to a T and the recipe and cake turned out just like yours.
thanks again!
Thanks Carmen, you made my day! So happy everyone loved the cake ~Florentina Xo’s
Hello! I’m looking forward to making this cake but wanted to know where you got your thyme blossoms? I’m not sure where to find edible flowers but I love the way they look. Thanks!
Hi Dee! I grow my own herbs so I use whatever blossoms are available at that time. I would try your local farmers market or just start growing some herb son your window sill 🙂
Don’t I have to worry about the egg yolks? They will be raw in the cheese mixture right?
If you are worried about the raw egg yolks just leave them out. I’ve been doing this all my life but only use organic free range eggs.
Is it alright if I use two 9” pans instead of the spring form pan?
It should be fine Hailey, just adjust for the cooking time. You’ll need to keep an eye on it and test it sooner, not sure exactly how long it would take since I haven’t made it that way.
Totally going out on a limb here. I’m making this recipe in cupcake form for a dessert bar at my granddaughters graduation. Her request! I think if I top the cupcake with the lemon curd and pipe a decorative dam with marscopone whipped cream then add the blueberry sauce in the center topping off with 1 blackberry, blueberries an a slice of candied lemon peel on top… any suggestions? I’ll try to get back to you with the results.. I’m excited to do this! Thank you for this beautiful recipe!
Hi Linda, that sounds really interesting and exciting! I would totally go for it! Just make sure you chill the mascarpone filling well before adding it to the cupcakes and that your whipped cream is beaten stiff before mixing it in with the mascarpone.
How did it go?! I’m dying to try in cupcake form too!
I searched high and low for mascarpone in my town with no luck. Any suggestions for a substitution? I was thinking a lemon whipped cream?
Use a regular cream cheese instead, the whipped cream alone won’t hold things together.
I just made this cake last night for a coworker’s birthday today, and it was a huge hit! So beautiful! There are a few components, but all of them come together quickly and easily. The cake itself is PERFECT! I will definitely make this cake again!
Woohoo! This makes me so happy to hear Kate! Thank you for taking the time to come back with your report, have a great rest of the week! ~ Florentina Xo’s
This cake is SUBLIME! Gorgeous (well, in the picture, although not mine) and so delicious. We loved it that it is not super sweet. The lemon flavor is just right, and complements the berries so well. The mascarpone filling is decadent. I found elder flowers for the decoration, very delicate and pretty, but mine did not look like the picture. 🙁 I am an experienced baker, and I was very careful to make sure the lemon curd and mascarpone were stiff, but against my better judgement I tried to use too much of the fillings, and the mascarpone especially sagged badly – cake wreck! I still had lots of filling (all 3) left over. All delicious, so not a problem, but I would recommend that you do not try to use more than half of each. I will make this cake again for a special occasion. It is definitely a celebration cake.
Hi Florentina!
I have to say that when I saw this gorgeous cake I just HAD to make it for hubby’s birthday this past weekend. I ran into the same problem with the mascarpone fillings someone else did. I did make sure my whipped cream was stiff (in a chilled bowl) after I made it, but my mascarpone was not super thick in the containers I purchased. It was too runny to apply a lot of the cream to the cake. Are there better brands of mascarpone to buy?
Otherwise, the cake turned out beautiful. After being in the refrigerator all night it held together better as well. Next time I make it should I leave it in overnight before serving?
Many thanks!
Liza
Hi Liza, I’m so glad you love the cake and sorry for the mascarpone troubles. The fact that the brand you purchased wasn’t super thick is a concern as mascarpone cheese should be thick like a regular cream cheese. I usually grab some from Trader Joe’s here in California and it is always smooth and thick. If you can’t find a different brand I’d probably still give this cake a go with regular cream cheese. Keep me posted 🙂 ~ Florentina!
Hi, when you say a cup of olive oil, do you mean a liquid cup? As in, 8 ounces Or a cup for dry measuring, like we would use to measure the flour????
I use whichever cup I have handy and even measured by pouring the olive oil from the liquid to the dry cup version and it is exactly the same for me.
Can’t wait to make this cake for Thanksgiving. I have a few questions. Should I assemble this cake day of or is make ahead ok…I want to do whatever makes it taste best.
Also we are traveling about 2 hours, will this cake be a mess by the time I get there?? I can possibly assemble when I get there.
Thanks for your help
The cake tastes great If you assemble it before as all the flavors get to mingle and make magic. However, If you plan to travel and might have a bumpy ride I’d probably wait to assemble it there. I wouldn’t want you having to carry the cake on your lap for 2 hours hahaha. Keep everything chilled and make sure to refrigerate it for about an hour before serving. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
The nutritional information says a serving size is 1g; is that accurate? Is that roughly a sixth or eight of the cake? Thank you!
Hi Amy, that is an error in the recipe plugin The serving size is meant to be 1 slice. I’ll reach out to the developer to correct that. Thank you, Happy Holidays!
This cake was fantastic and the recipe is a keeper! That said, I have a few recommendations. First, the cake does rise and I got a good sized mound at the top. I didn’t really want to trim off all that mound, so I only trimmed a little. I inverted the top half of the cake onto a dish with a bit of a well in it, and I used the bottom half of the cake (cut side up) for the top of the cake. This enabled me to have a flat cake, which is really important because assembly is TRICKY!
ASSEMBLY: I am an experienced and confident cake maker, and this cake almost caused me to panic when I followed directions exactly. The whipped cream and berries slid out from the middle layer as soon as I put the top layer on, overflowing beyond my cake plate. It looked a mess. (But it cleaned up OK and still tasted great!) Next time I will put the metal cake ring back on the cake while I assemble the layers and then refrigerate it for at least several hours. Then take the cake out and finalize by placing some blackberries into the edge of the middle layer. BTW, the cake looks and tastes even better on the second day, so don’t worry about assembling it early! Also, lemon curd was so yummy, if I didn’t go the route of using the cake ring for assembly, I’d consider doubling the lemon curd and using only lemon curd and blueberry sauce for the filling and saving the mascarpone for just the top.
THANK YOU, SO HAPPY YOU LOVED IT 🙂
If I make my own 1.5 cup whipped cream with the recipe you provided at the bottom, I would just fold that in to what I have already in my mixing bowl correct? I bought frozen cool whip last time to fold into the mascarpone filling and it didn’t turn out well at all! I assumed stuff meant frozen which obviously wasn’t the case! Lol
Oh yes, just make sure your whipped cream is stiff and chilled 🙂
I am SO excited! I made this cake a couple months ago for a dinner party, and I am about to make it again, this time for as a birthday cake for me and a couple friends! YUM, YUM, YUM!! This is one of the best cake recipes ever!
A great tasting cake that was a birthday hit! mine was not as pretty… but it being March in Canada, the fresh berries and flowers are limited. I made the blueberry sauce with the blackberries since they were not very sweet, I also made the mascarpone without the raw egg yolks and it was fine; I diluted the cheese with some un-whipped cream prior to folding in whipped cream. The curd layer is indeed slippery and I did make the mistake of assembling it before travelling to my destination and had to reconfigure it a bit after. Will make it again when berries are actually in season! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Is this regular olive oil or light olive oil? I know sometimes using regular extra virgin olive oil can leave a distinctive taste. Making this for my daughter’s birthday. Thanks!
Extra virgin olive oil but If you mind the flavor just use extra light olive oil.
Making this beautiful cake for the second time and found a great way to assemble it and keep it all together. After it cooled I put the bottom slice back i side the same springform pan which was rested on a cake stand. I then put it all together with the fillings, after completion I let it sit in the refridgerator for several hours. When it eas ready to serve I gently pulled the springform pan ring up to reveal the cake. I placed more blackberries between the layer. It held up perfectly and once again…this cake is delicious. Thank you for this recipe!
Thanks so much for this recipe, Florentina! I made it for Mother’s Day and it was great!
This cake looks so good. I’ve just finished making the blueberries and lemon curd and will do the cake and mascarpone tomorrow morning for father’s day here I the UK. Definitely the most intricate cake I’ve made and I can’t wait to taste it
Stumbled on this recipe by chance and made it yesterday. A lot of work but it was incredible! I used King Arthur gluten free flour which worked well. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hi Kyle–did you have to add anything else aside from the GF flour? I’d like to try this GF and have some King Arthur gf flour.
This cake looks absolutely gorgeous and delicious! I have a quick question though, can I substitute the blackberries for raspberries?
yes you can 🙂
I made this last week for a neighborhood Italian dinner and it was unbelievably delicious and looked amazing too! Definitely recommend if you are looking for a showstopper in both taste and appearance. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
Thank you so much for this great recipe. I made this last night to celebrate a friend’s birthday and got rave reviews. I’m not a baker but I loved this recipe because although there were a lot of steps, each step was easy. I prepared everything a day in advance and assembled it just before serving. I was wondering how much in advance you think it could be assembled? It’s not only a beautiful cake but it was so delicious.
So happy you loved it Karen, I’m working on the vegan alternative for this cake and I’m super excited myself. To answer your questions, I wouldn’t assemble it more than a day in advance. Enjoy!
For the blueberry sauce… when it says 1/2 lemon juiced… does that mean the juice from half a lemon or 1/2 cup of lemon juice?
the juice from 1/2 lemon 🙂
This is a phenomenal recipe with some caveats. First, the cake is insanely good. You could just make that and eat it alone. Right out of the oven. I accidentally used a 9″ pan and used convection, so had to adjust the schedule a bit as the surface cooked faster than the middle. I just reduced the heat to 300 and monitored the center, as guided, to take it out while the cake was still slightly moist on the tester. My mom made the cake later and had a more dry crumb which was less wonderful. Do take it out while moist.
The only issue we both had with this recipe is that the filling was more of a zabaglione than a custard. Just too runny to look good on a standalone cake. You could serve it in a trifle bowl and not change a thing. However, I’m making it again today with some modifications to ensure a slightly more firm texture – checked recipes for tiramisu, for mascarpone custard, and mascarpone mousse. Some combo of those should help.
Lastly, we have some great markets here so I cheated and bought some fabulous premade curd. While it’s not difficult to make, if you have it premade and good quality, it’s a nice time saver.
Definitely worth making.
PS: I used chocolate mint leaves (softer flavor than spearmint) rather than flowers, as I didn’t have any of those.
There is a man using the name Michael Meers on Facebook who is posting your recipes as his own. I’ve brought it to the attention of admins in the groups where I see it (he even has his own group, using your pictures and recipes, as well as those of other bloggers and sites), but he is tenacious. Good luck.
Thank you so much for letting me know!
WOW. This was sooo good. Now, my cake did not look nearly as pretty as yours did (though I also did not have any edible flowers to help me out), but it was my first layer cake ever. The mascarpone cream was pretty runny with mine, but I will say that I actually didn’t have enough mascarpone– it looked fairly thick in the bowl and tasted good, so I went with it. It definitely wasn’t as structurally sound as I would’ve liked, but didn’t completely run off the cake. Either way it tasted amazing and everyone really liked it!
Love this cake! Was wondering if you might have an eggless version?
I am working on my Vegan version right now, got the lemon curd down and will post on VeggieSociety.com asap!
This cake was an absolute hit. Your recipes are amazing and I LOVE watching your videos. What you do is inspiring, and makes me want to cook more, bringing me back to my rustic Italian roots. For mothers day this year, I made this olive oil cake, and also the pull apart rustic cheese bread with fontina. let me just say WOW !! with 2 recipes down and many more to go, I am looking forward to cooking Florentina style. Thank you all the way from Staten Island NY !!
I really enjoyed this recipe – the cake cake out beautifully and my very picky husband LOVED it. I agree. As the person following the published recipe, I have a few constructive comments.
1. The recipes and ingredients do not flow in the same order. It’s amazing and incredibly helpful that the recipe is segmented into discrete steps of what and how to make. However if you follow the recipe steps, the ingredients list isn’t broken sequentially to follow the instructions. I was constantly scrolling back and forth, regular page refreshes. Leading to……
2. The website is really creaky and outdated. It refreshes constantly to the top of the (long) page before the recipe without any shortcut to jump to recipe.
3. The recipe measurements alternate weight vs volume. 2 cups vs 3/4 lb. It should be majority one or the other, and at least consistent for large volume.
I think recipe substance is good. Just some UE issues that are easily overcome so that the recipes shine through.
I say this having made the cake beautifully. I was just irritated by technically issues throughout.
This cake is so beautiful! I’m going to make it for Mother’s Day. What size spring form pan should I use? So excited about this cake it looks so yummy!
Hi Lisa, I used a 9 inch springform pan for this.
Hi Florentina, I think the recipe says to use a 10 inch springform pan. But here you say you used a 9 inch. Which size should I use? So excited to make this!
Alyssa, I believe I actually used both at some point but just measured the latest one I used and it is a 9 inch. Either size will work great ~ Florentina Xo’s
How thick is the blueberry sauce? Is it jam consistency or looser like a syrup? I happen to have a lemon blueberry jam and am wondering if that can be used instead.
Hi Ayesha, the blueberry sauce is more like a rustic syrup with burst blueberries but still syrupy. If you have a jam you love i suggest thinning it out just a bit with some lemon juice. It won’t be quite the same but it can work. ~ Florentina
SUPERB! This cake is perfection, it’s really easy if you make your fillings the day before as suggested in the recipe. Not only is it obviously gorgeous but it tastes heavenly as well. You won’t regret making this for the most special occasions. WOW
I’d love to make this cake for my birthday but I’m leaving town the next day, and I know I’ll have at least half a cake left over. How do you think this cake would fare in the freezer? I don’t care about looks, it’ll just be me eating it for the next week 🙂
Or how long do you think this cake would last in the fridge?
Thanks!
It should be just fine to freeze it but might get a little messy when defrosted.
I made this cake 02/02/2022 and it is amazing! The lemon flavor is DELIGHTFUL!
is it possible to make this cake with gluten free flour 1 to 1 ratio flour?
I’m thinking bob’s red mill.
sorry Jenn, I have not made this glute-free so I would not want to suggest something that I’m not sure will work. Let me know if you do try it ~ Florentina Xo’s