Description
Italian Love Cake is a romantic, elegant dessert featuring moist layers of almond and chocolate cake, filled and frosted with a luscious mascarpone cream, and accented with fresh berries or chocolate shavings. Perfect for anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Mascarpone Filling & Frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Decoration
- Fresh raspberries or strawberries
- Chocolate shavings or curls
- Optional edible flowers
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually add dry ingredients alternated with buttermilk until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Prepare mascarpone cream: Beat mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.
- Assemble cake: Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half of the mascarpone cream over the top. Place second layer on top and spread remaining cream evenly over top and sides.
- Decorate with fresh berries, chocolate shavings, and optional edible flowers.
- Chill for 30 minutes before slicing to set the cream.
Notes
For a richer flavor, you can lightly brush the cake layers with a simple syrup before frosting. Use room-temperature ingredients to ensure a smooth mascarpone cream.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 390
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
Keywords: Italian Love Cake, mascarpone cake, chocolate almond cake, romantic cake, holiday cake