Strawberry Macaron Cake

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So it’s midsummer tomorrow in Sweden. And it’s a day where the price of strawberries goes up triple and sometimes even more! Outrages I tell ya! I mean they’re good strawberries but not like amazingly super duper?! .. so that’s why I thought of trying to create something cheaper and easier for midsummer.. and yes macaron isn’t hard it just takes a bit of patience.

So this recipe is a macaron cake, larger three discs of macaron shells with whipped cream and mascarpone which is mixed with a strawberry coolie. Plus some strawberries on the side just to give it a little more bite. The strawberry coolie can be made with frozen strawberries. YES FROZEN! So you don’t need to break your bank for a midsummer cake anymore.. just buy a pack of frozen and bobs your uncle! 🍓😉🥳

Here’s how you bake it!

For the Macaron Shells –

150 g sugar
150 g egg whites (keep in fridge until use, they are better when cold)
187 g almond flour
225 g icing sugar
A few drops of light pink color

For the strawberry mascarpone whip-

200g mascarpone (chilled)
240g (1 cup) whipping cream
200g frozen strawberries (or fresh if you prefer)
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp water

For the Macaron Shell –

In a stand mixer – I use Kenwood Chef XL (or using a hand held electric mixer) – whisk the egg white, while slowly adding in the sugar bit by bit. Let it whip until a medium merengue. Add your pink gel color and whip until properly incorporated.
In a separate bowl, sieve the almond flour and icing sugar together. Once the merengue is ready, then pour half of the dry ingredients into the merengue and using a spatula, fold gently until fully incorporated. Then add the remaining half, and fold until shiny and smooth. The best way to know its ready when you lift you spatula with some batter on, and it falls down creating a layered ribbon effect.
Then pour the batter into a piping bag, and pipe onto a tray (lined with baking paper or silpat) three discs (mine were roughly 12cm in diameter)
Leave them to rest for 25 min. We do this so that the shells/discs have a thin ‘skin’ ontop (i.e when u touch gently with you finger nothing sticks).
Turn the oven on to 140C (300F).
Bake in the oven, each tray separately, for 24 min. NOTE : every oven is different, so the bake time could be anything between 18-25 min, just make sure that when you push the macaron a little with your finger that it doesn’t easily move or jiggle. That’s when you know it’s ready). Once ready take them out and leave to cool COMPLETELY before trying to remove them off the paper. Keep on the side until time to fill.

For the strawberry mascarpone whip –

In a saucepan add in your frozen strawberries along with sugar and water on medium heat. Break down the strawberries and mix. Once the strawberries have broken down and can easily be mushed remove from the heat.
Use a blender to blend the strawberries until they become smooth.
Then bring back onto the stove and simmer until you get a thick paste. You know it’s ready when you put a spoon into the sauce and it coats the back of the spoon without all dripping off.
Remove and cool completely before using (I do this by placing it into the freezer for 5-10min making sure it’s cooled but is no ice bits in.
Then whip your cream till stiff peaks and then whip in the mascarpone and cookies strawberry coolie.

Assembly –

Take one disc and pipe on half of the strawberry cream place the second disc and pipe the remaining cream and place the third disc on top. OPTIONAL : you can use fresh strawberries as decoration on the sides around the cake or ontop.

Enjoy immediately. Will only keep in the fridge for a day.