Buttermilk Cake with Sherried Berries and Mascarpone

This light-as-can-be buttermilk cake has an easy sophistication, its Sherry-spiked berries harmonizing with the tangy cream.

Cake:
2 cups cake flour, sifted before measuring (not self-rising)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken

Berries:
½ cup Fino Sherry (dry)
½ cup sugar
4 cups mixed berries, cut if large

Cream:
1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup sugar

Garnish:
confectioners’ sugar

Make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) with rack in middle. Butter a 9” round cake pan (2” deep). Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35-40 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.

Macerate the Berries:
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. Let stand 15 minutes.

Make the Cream and Assemble Cake:
Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.

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. Serve with berries.

Makes 8-12 servings.

Cooks Notes: 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.