Mascarpone-Filled Cake with Sherried Berries

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 cup buttermilk well-shaken
• 2 cups cake flour sifted (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
• 12 servings powdered sugar 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 cup cup heavy whipping cream chilled
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese 
• 4 cups berries mixed
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 cup cooking sherry dry ()
• 0.3 cup sugar 
• 1 stick butter unsalted softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• baking paper
• oven
• knife
• blender
• plastic wrap
• hand mixer
• cake form
• serrated knife

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter parchment.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.
4. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined.
5. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.
6. Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.
7. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Discard paper and reinvert cake onto rack to cool completely.
8. Bring Sherry and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Put berries in a bowl and pour hot syrup over them, gently tossing to coat.
9. Let stand 15 minutes.
10. Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.
11. Halve cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Carefully remove top half and reserve. Put bottom half on a plate, then spread evenly with all of cream and replace top half.
12. Serve with berries.
13. •Cake, without cream, can be baked 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap once cool and keep at room temperature.•Berries can macerate at room temperature up to 2 hours.