Ingredients:
Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup water
¼ cup Sweet Butter Infused Olive Oil
3 eggs
Espresso Syrup:
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or granules
2 tablespoons Espresso Dark Balsamic
2 tablespoons masala wine
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Mascarpone Filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup masala wine
16 ounces mascarpone cheese
Frosting:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 packages (about 14 ounces) ladyfinger cookies
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F, line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and lightly spritz with cooking spray.
Place the cake mix, water, olive oil, and eggs in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Divide the batter among the three pans, then place them in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cakes are cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on wire racks.
While the cakes are cooling, make the syrup, filling, and frosting.
To make the syrup, place the espresso powder, balsamic vinegar, wine, and sugar in a medium bowl, whisking until the espresso powder and sugar dissolve. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the mascarpone filling, place the heavy cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until stiff peaks form; set aside. Prepare a double boiler and place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl, vigorously whisking to combine. Pour the wine into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking. Continue to whisk until the mixture doubles in volume, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold the mascarpone into the mixture, in batches, until thoroughly combined. Add the whipped cream to the bowl in batches, then fold until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the frosting, place the mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and whisk to combine. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble the cake, place one of the cooled cakes into the bottom of a springform pan. Poke the cake with a skewer and drizzle with 1/3 of the espresso syrup. Cover the cake with half of the filling, spreading it evenly, then repeat with another cooled cake. Place the third cake on top, poke, and drizzle with the espresso syrup. Cover the cake and refrigerate overnight.
Once refrigerated, remove the cake from the springform pan and coat it with the frosting (you can create a decorative pattern on top of the cake, if you’d like). Gently press the ladyfingers into the side of the cake (nestling the cookies into frosting) and secure with a decorative ribbon. Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder before slicing and serving.
