Mascarpone-Filled Cake With Sherried Berries - cake flour

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F with rack in middle.
• Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep).
• Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter parchment.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• With mixer at low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined.
• Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.
• Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top.
• Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate.
• Discard paper and reinvert cake onto rack to cool completely.
• Bring Sherry and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Put berries in a bowl and pour hot syrup over them, gently tossing to coat.
• Let stand 15 minutes.
• Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.
• Halve cake horizontally with a long serrated knife.
• Carefully remove top half and reserve.
• Put bottom half on a plate, then spread evenly with all of cream and replace top half.
• Serve with berries.