Citrus Shortcake (Eggless)

Happy 2023! This dessert blog is officially 6 years old! I cannot believe it. A lot has changed over the past 6 years, but my love for desserts definitely haven’t. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is staying warm in this crazy cold! Today is actually in the 50’s so we may venture outside for a little bit.

I have been very busy with my now 18-month old boy! He’s looking more and more like a little boy these days and less like my baby, but he’s happy, healthy, short like his mama, and an absolute joy to be around. He’s walking, climbing, talking, and it’s just awesome to watch. I thank you all for sticking around even though I don’t post recipes as much anymore. I am having so much fun just enjoying life with my little family!

I think we’ve all seen an increase in egg prices these days, so I wanted to share an eggless recipe in case you wanna save those eggs for omelets! Baby Frank gets all the eggs in this house, it’s one of his favorite foods. So when I have to use them in baking, my wallet can definitely feel it. This cake is light and gave me strawberry shortcake vibes so I decided it needed a winter shortcake topping. Right now is the season for all things CITRUS! So many beautiful varieties of citrus, I had to highlight them. For this cake I used Cara Cara Oranges, Blood Oranges, and Sumo Mandarin. I love using different types because each one has such a unique flavor. The mandarin is a little more tart and vibrant orange, where as the blood orange is a deep dark color and sweet! Cara cara oranges have a beautiful pink hue and are kind of in the middle. You can mix and match any variety of citrus you like!

Shortcake is best with a whipped topping, so this cake is sandwiched with a super creamy mascarpone whipped cream. I love mascarpone, and use it frequently, but especially when I’m using citrus. This flavor due tastes like an orange creamsicle to me, and I hope you get to try it for yourself! Happy baking, friends.

Citrus Shortcake

Yield 1 8” cake

Eggless Vanilla Cake

Flour 3 cups

Baking powder 4 ½ tsp

Salt ¾ tsp

Milk 1 ½ cups

Sugar 1 ½ cups

Butter, soft 12 Tbsp

Vanilla 1 tsp

Apple cider vinegar 1 ½ Tbsp.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Mascarpone 1 cup (8 oz tub)

Cream 1 ¼ cup

Sugar ¼ cup

Citrus fruit 6-8 pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the sides with baking spray.

Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add dry ingredients to a separate bowl and stir with a whisk. Measure out milk and add vinegar to the milk. Alternate adding wet and dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, scraping down sides as needed. Add vanilla last. Pour cake batter evenly between 2 pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once fully baked, let the cakes cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto some plastic wrap. Wrap cakes and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Prepare the mascarpone whipped cream by adding mascarpone, cream, and sugar to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip to stiff peaks, and set aside until ready to assemble.

Segment each citrus fruit, set aside.

To assemble the cake, cut each cake in half, yielding 4 thin layers. Place bottom cake on a serving dish, then add mascarpone whipped cream and even it out. Place a layer of segments on top. Repeat with the remaining layers of cake, whipped cream, and citrus. Once assembled, allow the cake to chill until ready to serve.