Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Cake

This is a Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Cake with Mascarpone Frosting.

Strawberry Rhubarb desserts back to back on the blog. (Yesterday I posted my Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes) Can you tell I went crazy with the rhubarb at the farmer’s market this week?

So, about this Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Cake… The sponge is Almond flavored. Filled with the light and sweet Mascarpone Frosting and the delicious tangy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.

I decided to make this a naked cake, because my mom LOVES naked cakes!

And you should know, this cake is dedicated to my mama, Regina! She is back in Brazil and can’t eat the cake that I made for her. But I had to make her a cake, since it’s her birthday! Feliz Aniversário, mãe!

Last year I also made her a cake she couldn’t eat. My dream is to make her a birthday cake once that she will actually be able to enjoy.

Well, that’s what living far from family is all about.

I moved from Brazil to the US in December 2011.

Gotta tell you, friends, it hasn’t been easy.

When I came here, I never planned on staying forever, or staying this long, for that matter. I won’t say forever, because who knows where I will end up. I am an open soul. Open to the world and to the possibilities!

Since I am always missing birthdays, special occasions, holidays, I like to try to celebrate them with my family somehow! We’ve sang many happy birthday songs over video chat in the past few years!

And this year, I made this Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Cake for my mama, so I could celebrate her! Really too bad she can’t eat it. Because it’s BOMB DIGGITY delicious!

This Strawberry Rhubarb Cake is just like my mom. Delicate, classic, stunning!

Here’s a picture of my sisters, my mama, and I, on my last trip to Brazil.

Tell me, isn’t she beautiful?

I hope she likes the cake I made for her! Hopefully someday I get to surprise her in person with a cake on her birthday! I am all about those surprises! Getting reunited with my family, when I go visit my country, is one of the happiest feelings I’ve ever felt.

Actually, one of the things that touches me the most, and 10/10 makes me cry, is watching people getting reunited after a long time, or a long distance. Have you ever watched those youtube videos where the military people that have been deployed surprise their loved ones? BAWLING! Those videos get me bawling!

So, yeah. I’d love to surprise her someday on her birthday!

That’s on my bucket list. Right next to spending Christmas with the fam, after so many years!

I want to talk about REAL FLOWERS on cake for a sec here!

How to decorate a Cake with Real Flowers

• Make sure the flowers are suitable for putting on top of cakes. Ask your florist about it! They can’t have any pesticides, because well, it’s going on top of food!
• Make sure to gently wash and dry the flowers. You can use a piece of parchment or wax paper to avoid the flowers from touching the cake, if you want to.
• I like to stick pieces of plastic straws inside the cake, this way I can insert the flower in the hole of the straw and it won’t be touching the cake or the filling inside.
• Leave the flowers in the water for as long as you can before placing them on the cake, so they won’t go wilted as fast. Some flowers will wilt faster than others. Roses usually keep pretty well for a few hours before starting to wilt. They will also keep well in the fridge!

Those are my quick and humble tips for putting real flowers on top of cakes.

Well thanks for reading about my sweet mama on today’s post! Hope you like my cake!

Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

This cake has an Almond sponge, Strawberry Rhubarb jam in the filling, and Mascarpone Frosting. Delicious, summery, light! This cake is flawless!

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

Almond Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened 4 oz
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

• 3 cups rhubarb sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces
• 4 cups strawberries quartered
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cut water

Mascarpone Frosting

• 5 oz mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To assemble

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

 

Almond Cake

• Grease and flour 4 6” cake pans, or 2 8” cake pans.
• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and cream for 3 minutes until mixture is fluffy and lighter in color.
• Add eggs to the mixture, one at a time, mixing on medium speed. Scrape bowl and add vanilla and almond extract. Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.
• Sift flours, baking powder and salt.
• Add half of the buttermilk to butter/egg/sugar mixture. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add half of sifted flour mixture. Mix on low for 30-45 seconds until almost entirely incorporated.
• Add remaining buttermilk and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add remaining flour and mix on low until incorporated.
• Divide batter evenly between your cake pans.
• Bake on pre-heated oven for about 20-25 minutes. Smaller cake pans will take less time to bake.
• Remove cake from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean once inserted in the cake.
• Let cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes and flip it over in a wire rack to let it cool completely before proceeding with frosting and filling.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

• Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, keep stirring and let jam reduce.
• Cook for about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• If necessary, turn the heat down or add a tablespoon or so of water.

Mascarpone Frosting

• Sift powdered sugar. Add half of the powdered sugar (1/4 cup) to the mascarpone cheese, in a small bowl.
• Add the other half to the heavy cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Whip cream, at high speed for 2-3 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
• While the cream whips, you can mix the mascarpone cheese and sugar with a spatula, until well incorporated.
• Add mascarpone cheese mixture to the whipped cream. Mix until incorporated.

To assemble

• Make your sugar water hours before assembling, this way the syrup will be cold before pouring it on the cake.
• The syrup will make the cake moist and fluffy, and it will ensure that it stays that way for a few days! Don’t skip the syrup!
• To make the sugar water, simply bring sugar and water to a boil together, and let them cool before using.
• To assemble this naked cake, simply place the bottom layer on your cake plate.
• Brush sugar water on the top.
• Top with some Mascarpone Frosting. Put a few tablespoons of jam on top of frosting. Place the next cake layer on top.
• Repeat until the final top layer.
• Top with Mascarpone Frosting. I chose to decorate mine with flowers. You can pour some jam on top of the final Mascarpone Frosting, that will be pretty too!
• Cake will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.