Strawberry Mascarpone Ladyfinger Icebox Cake
- Sweet
- No cook
Layers of ladyfingers soaked in lemon syrup with whipped mascarpone and fresh strawberries. A no-bake dessert that needs a few hours in the fridge to soften into a spoonable cake.
- Total
- 4 h 25
- Prep 25 · Rest 240
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Whisking · Zesting
Instructions
-
Stir 120 ml water with 40 g sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the zest and juice of the lemon. Let the syrup cool completely.
~8 min
Dissolving the sugar while the liquid is warm and cooling before dipping keeps the syrup thin enough to soak in evenly without turning the ladyfingers to mush.
Zesting Zest only the yellow outer peel, avoiding the bitter white pith beneath. Use light pressure and turn the lemon as you go.
-
While step 1 waits
While the syrup cools, hull the strawberries and slice them about 5 mm thick. Set aside a few slices for the top.
~5 min
-
Whisk the mascarpone with the remaining 30 g sugar until smooth and slightly thickened.
~4 min
Whisking the mascarpone with sugar lightens it and firms it slightly, so it spreads in an even layer instead of sliding off the ladyfingers.
Whisking Whisk the mascarpone just until smooth and slightly thickened; overworking it can make it grainy or split. Stop as soon as it holds soft peaks.
-
Dip each ladyfinger briefly into the cooled lemon syrup, about 1 second per side so it is moist but not falling apart, and line the bottom of a 20 cm square dish with a single layer.
~5 min
A quick dip lets the sponge absorb just enough syrup to soften; over-soaking makes it disintegrate and the cake collapse when sliced.
Dip the ladyfingers quickly, one at a time. A long soak makes them soggy and the cake will collapse when sliced.
-
Spread half the mascarpone over the ladyfingers, then add half the sliced strawberries in an even layer. Repeat with a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, the rest of the mascarpone and the remaining strawberries.
~3 min
-
Cover the dish and chill for at least 4 hours, until the ladyfingers are soft and the layers hold together when cut.
~240 min
Chilling gives the ladyfingers time to absorb moisture from the syrup and cream, softening them while the cold sets the layers so they slice cleanly.
Slice the cake with a warm knife, wiping it clean between cuts, for neat layers.
