Howard Bulka's Strawberry Icebox Cake

By mirelsonp

Recipe source: NY Times

Ingredients

• THE SOAKING SYRUP:
• 1 1/2 pints strawberries, hulled and washed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ounce strawberry liqueur or eau de vie
• THE CREAM FILLING:
• 1 pound mascarpone
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled, plus more for garnish, if desired
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 packages Italian ladyfingers (about 11 ounces)
• Shaved white chocolate, for garnish
• ired.

Preparation

Step 1

1. The day before serving, make the soaking syrup. Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Push through a sieve to remove the seeds. Combine with the sugar and strawberry liqueur. Thin with a little water if necessary.

2. Combine the mascarpone and sour cream. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Slowly beat in the sugar. Fold the 2 mixtures together, until smooth and well blended.

3. To assemble: Soak the ladyfingers for half a minute or so in the strawberry syrup. Layer half of the ladyfingers on the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan, then cover with half of the cream filling. Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and cream filling. Smooth the top of the cake, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4. When ready to serve, unmold the cake onto a platter. Garnish with white chocolate and additional whipped cream, if desired. Leftover syrup combined with chopped strawberries makes a nice garnish.