Mascarpone Cake with Vanilla Bean and Orange Mascarpone Gelato

From: Pastry Chef John Hui, Pebble Beach Resorts, CA. Yield: 12 servings.

Cake:
1 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
6 oz. Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature
4 eggs
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. butter, melted

Vanilla Bean Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean, cut and seeded

Orange Mascarpone Gelato:
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. glucose powder*
½ cup powdered skim milk
6 oz. Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics Mascarpone Cheese
¾ cup whipping cream
3 fresh oranges, zested and juiced
Warm Strawberry Compote:
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
5 fresh strawberries, quartered
20 fresh strawberries, medium size, cleaned and topped
1 lemon, juiced

For cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. In mixer bowl, add first 3 ingredients. Slowly add mascarpone cheese and egg; mix. Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract; mix. Add butter; mix. Spray cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour into two 4” round cake pans. Bake for about 18 minutes or until done. Allow to cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove cake from pans, invert and place on wire rack. Poke holes with toothpick on top of cake. Pour vanilla bean syrup over top of cakes.

For vanilla bean syrup: In a small saucepan, add all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.

For orange mascarpone gelato: In a 2-quart nonstick saucepan, add milk. Bring to a boil; turn down to a simmer. In a mixing bowl, add sugar, glucose powder and powdered skim milk. Mix together. Add dry ingredients to simmering milk; mix until ingredients dissolve. Add mascarpone cheese and cream; mix. Chill over ice bath. Add orange zest and juice; mix with a stick mixer until smooth. Pour into ice cream machine and follow manufacturer instructions, or pour into bowl and place in freezer. Stir every 15 minutes for a total of 45 minutes.

For warm strawberry compote: In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water and quartered strawberries. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute. Remove from heat; cover. Strain after 30 minutes. Return syrup to heat, add fresh whole strawberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for about 1 minute, just to warm the berries. Serve with cake and gelato.

To serve: Place cake on serving dishes, top with gelato and drizzle compote over gelato. Serve immediately.

*Glucose powder can be found in the cake decorating section of most supermarkets.

PHOTO: CRAVE BROTHERS FARMSTEAD CLASSICS