Fresh Strawberry Pie

Fresh Strawberry Cake is so fresh and delicious, a quick and easy dessert made with a creamy mascarpone and cream filling, then topped with fresh strawberries. The perfect way to welcome the beautiful season!

So yes, strawberry season is in full swing here in Italy. And my youngest daughter couldn’t be happier! I love making strawberry bread, pectin-free strawberry jam or our favorite strawberry mousse!

I love shortbread crusts, so I really had no desire to make a cookie crust for this no-bake filling. And I also decided not to add gelatin to firm up the filling. I did it my way, making a stabilized whipped cream that includes a little mascarpone.

Why we love this strawberry cake

• No jelly – there is no need for gelatine in this filling, it is thick, creamy and not too sweet! Just the way we like it!
• Crumbly crust – I used my mom’s pie crust recipe, although I made it even quicker and used store bought crust.
• Berries – we are strawberry lovers but if you prefer you can use your favorite berries.

Recipe ingredients

• Pie Crust: You could use a homemade or store-bought crust for this recipe.
• Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are best.
• Cream: full cream, heavy or whipping, with at least 30% fat, other creams cannot be whipped.
• Mascarpone – known as Italian mascarpone, a creamy, fatty cheese.
• Sugar: Both granulated and icing sugar are used in the recipe.
• Vanilla – vanilla extract.

How to prepare a fresh strawberry cake

This no-bake mascarpone pie filling is so creamy and delicious that it’s perfect as a topping on fruit or even on a slice of pie. For full recipe instructions and ingredients, scroll to the bottom for the recipe card.

Start by making pie dough or use a store-bought crust. Place the dough in the prepared cake tin, prick the bottom of the dough with a fork, then cover the dough with baking paper, place the dried beans or cake weights on top. Cook until golden brown. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling.

In a large bowl, add the cold cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth, then increase the speed to high and beat until very, very thick.

Fill the cooled crust with the filling, freeze the pie for about 15 minutes, slice the strawberries and season them with granulated sugar. Remove the strawberry cake from the freezer, garnish with strawberries and serve.

Recipe tip

If you are not serving the cake immediately, refrigerate it until you do. It’s also a good idea to place the cake in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before serving, this will help it firm up even more.

How to make a thick and creamy filling without gelatin:

To get a really thick creamy filling without gelatin, you need to combine the whipped or full cream, mascarpone and a little icing sugar, beat everything until extremely thick. And this is all.

It’s so good that I use it all the time now for cakes and to garnish everything.

How to clean fresh strawberries:

To clean fresh strawberries make sure to leave the stem on the strawberries when washing, it helps the strawberries absorb less water (and make sure you never submerge the strawberries in water).

Then place the strawberries in a large strainer and rinse them under cold water, moving them gently with your hand to remove any traces of dirt. Then dry them gently with a paper towel.

Variations and substitutions

Instead of strawberries you could replace with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches or even apricots. Instead of the classic tart, you can replace it with a chocolate tart, an almond tart or even an Italian tart.

How to blind bake a cake

• Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick
• place it in the prepared cake plate,
• prick the bottom with a fork.
• Cover with baking paper and add dried beans or pie weights on top, bake for about 20 minutes (if the pie is not baked, bake another 5 minutes without the beans).
• Remove from the oven, remove the paper and beans and leave to cool.

What are the best cake mixes to use for a cream filling?

1. Italian Pie Dough – I love the taste of Italian pie crust, the eggs give it a delicious flavor and flaky texture.
2. Easy homemade pie dough – This was my mom’s pie crust recipe and it is one of the best.
3. Homemade brown sugar pie crust – Adding a little brown sugar gives this dough the perfect sweetness and delicious flavor.
4. Easy Nutella cake dough – This is the perfect crust for any Nutella lover, and it would be amazing as the crust in this fresh strawberry pie.

Most tart recipes, including the ones above, make 2 pies, so if you don’t plan to use the dough immediately, wrap the extra dough tightly in plastic wrap, place in an airtight freezer bag, and freeze. The dough will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer.

If you plan to make another cake or tart with the extra dough, keep it tightly wrapped in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

How to store Strawberry Cake

Any leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated, it will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing it except to firm it up for 10-15 minutes.

One of the best reasons to look forward to spring and summer are all the wonderful fresh fruits and berries. I hope you enjoy this fresh strawberry cake with mascarpone filling.

Updated as of April 20, 2018.

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