I’m of the opinion that everyone should have a dessert on hand that looks like you spent hours slaving over a hot oven. That way, when your friends ooh and aah over it, you can tell them it came out of a box and delight on the surprise on their face. If you don’t have such a recipe, I’ll share mine, and promise I won’t tell anyone it came out of box…unless you want me to.
This is a deliciously delicate cake. You can make the chocolate cake ahead of time, but, make sure and put the mascarpone cream and cherries on the cake within a few hours of serving for the most visual impact.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
Make your favorite boxed chocolate cake. I especially like a dark chocolate cake mix, if you can find it in your grocery store. You’ll need to fill two cake rounds with the cake batter. For the cake above, we used a six inch round, but, feel free to use what you have on hand. Let cake cool to room temperature before putting on the frosting.
MASCARPONE CREAM
8 oz mascarpone cheese chilled
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream chilled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place the mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and start beating on medium speed. While beating, add the vanilla followed by the confectioners sugar. Scrape sides and continue beating until light and fluffy. Be sure not to over mix as it will cause the frosting to curdle.
With the mixer running on high speed, slowly add the whipping cream until frosting is light and fluffy. Again, be sure not to over mix.
ORASELLA MARASCHINO CHERRIES
1 jar Orasella Maraschino Cherries
Spread the mascarpone frosting on the first layer of cooled chocolate cake decorating with a half a jar of Orasella cherries that you have de-stemmed. Make sure to put some on the inside of the cake as well. Add the second layer of chocolate cake and, again, decorate the top of the cake with mascarpone frosting and the remaining cherries. Just before serving, drizzle some Orasella cherry syrup over the cake. You can reduce the syrup slightly over medium heat on the stove for a thicker syrupy look, if desired. Cheers!