Cinnamon Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a large bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer place eggs, milk, vanilla, and crème fraîche. Mix on low for about 1 minute. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low for about 3 minutes until all incorporated.

Stir in boiling water and carefully mix on low until batter is smooth (batter will be thin).

Evenly divide batter into two greased 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and set pans on a cooling rack. Cool completely before filling. Then invert them out of the pans and put the first cake on your serving platter.

For the filling:

In a small bowl mix together the dulce de leche and crème fraîche, until smooth. Put the filling into a pastry bag with tip or a Ziplock bag with tip cut off. Pipe a border around the outer edge of the first cake. Then fill it in with the remaining dulce de leche mixture and spread evenly with spatula.

Then place sliced strawberries over the mixture. Place the second cake on top of the first one, lining up the edges. Place cake in fridge while preparing frosting.

For the frosting:

Put cream into a medium sized bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to over-beat, or cream will be grainy).

In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone, cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Add food coloring as you fold.

Using another pastry bag and favorite tip or with a spatula, pipe or spread the frosting over the cake, completely covering it. Then place it in the fridge to set. Keep refrigerated.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Hershey’s Kitchens; filling recipe by The Sweet Chick; frosting recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.