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Dessert
French
6 servings
40 minutes
1 hour
Don't let the list of ingredients deter you from making this luscious dessert. It comes together easily; just plan ahead.
1 large 6" pound cake, cut into twelve 1/2 inch slices
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
3/4 cup almonds plus 1/2 cup almonds, toasted for garnish
2 1/2 cups dried fruits (such as dried Bing cherries, dried apricots, dried blueberries, mixed and chopped)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick canela (cinnamon sticks)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
2 cups water
1 cup Crème Fraîche
1 organic orange, zested
1/2 organic orange, juiced
Mix all the ingredients for the fruit together.
Place in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, decrease the heat, and simmer for 1 hour, or until slightly thickened. Cool.
Remove the cinnamon stick. Drain, reserving the syrup and fruit in separate bowls. If the fruit is dry, add more liquid to give it the consistency of thick soup. You need the reserved syrup for the recipe.
Mix together the ingredients and chill.
With a 3-inch cutter, cut 12 rounds from the cake slices (you may have to piece the slices together.)
Frost each round with 1 tablespoon mascarpone.
Layer in the following order: 1 frosted pound cake round, 2 tablespoons drained fruit, 1 tablespoon toasted almonds.
Repeat with one more layer of each: frosted cake pressed gently but firmly onto existing layers, drained fruit, and toasted almonds. Chill for at least 1 hour.
To serve, slide a spatula under each stack cylinder and transfer to a serving plate.
Unmold. Garnish with crème fraîche, 2 tablespoons reserved fruit syrup, and additional almonds, and serve.
If you don't have authentic stacks, use thoroughly cleaned soup sized aluminum cans. The components may be made up to a day in advance, then assembled at room temperature least one hour before serving.
