Honey Polenta Shortcakes with Mascarpone Cream and Fresh Summer Berries

Honey Polenta Cakes

Y= 3- 8" cake layers

3 ½ oz All purpose flour

3 ½ oz Corn meal

1 tsp Baking powder

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Ginger

8 oz Butter

4 oz Sugar

4 oz Honey

4 ea Eggs

6 oz Egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugars together till very light. Mix eggs and yolks and vanilla. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add eggs very slowly on medium speed, alternating with a little of the dry ingredients. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. Split between three parchment paper lined pans. Bake 325 degrees till tester comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from pans. Cool completely.

Mascarpone Cream

1 # Mascarpone Cheese

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

2 cups Heavy Cream

½ oz (to taste, optional) Grand Marnier

In a mixer, with a whisk, whisk together all ingredients until light and creamy. Be careful not to over mix. Use immediately for assembly of cake.

Mixed Berry Filling

3 pints mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and/or blackberries)

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients except berries. Gently toss berries in syrup. Use immediately for assembly of cake.

To assemble cake:

Level cakes by cutting off the domed top of each cake. Using a piping bag fitted with a large fluted tip, pipe a 1" ring of mascarpone cream around the outer edge of the bottom cake. Giving yourself about an inch of blank space, pipe more concentric rings until reaching the center of the cake. Fill in the space between rings with berry filling, so rings of cream and berries alternate.

Place second cake on top of bottom layer. Repeat process above. Place third layer of cake on top and pipe a pretty border around edge. Pile remaining berries in the center.