Cinnamon Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: January 6, 2026

I did not grow up in a sport-playing or sport-watching household. The only sport my husband’s family watches is soccer, mostly the World Cup games and that is only on every four years. So last weekend was just a regular weekend for us. No crazy Superbowl parties. No yelling, no screaming, no cursing, no jumping, no arms waving. Just a nice peaceful family weekend. I used this quiet time to bake a cake.

I had Valentine’s on the brain when making this cake, but really you can make it for any occasion.

I still had two jars of homemade dulce de leche left and wanted to use some as a filling. Usually my in-laws use it to fill a yellow cake, but I wanted a chocolate cake. I also knew I wanted to make the Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting I made for my Churro Cupcakes. I really love that frosting. It’s light, fluffy and not too sweet. Then I thought I would try adding cinnamon to the cake also to give it a little extra special taste.

The cake recipe makes two 9 inch round cakes, but since I had a 9 inch heart cake pan, I made two heart shaped cakes. They did turn out with some bubbling in the middle, but they were completely baked and I was going to cover them with frosting anyway.

For the filling I piped a small border of frosting around the sides of the cake and filled it in with a dulce de leche and crème fraïche mixture, then topped it with thinly sliced strawberries. Then I simply placed the other cake on top and frosted it.

I did go a little fancy on the frosting. I wanted to try a floral type pattern. I used an Ateco #827 tip and just swirled flowers all around the cake. I was in kind of a rush to finish before the baby woke from his nap, so it is not perfect. We will just call it a rustic look.

Then of course it looked to plain to me, so I added some lettering. I didn’t want to mess up the cake by writing directly on it, so I chose to use chocolate candy melt. I traced the cake pan on a piece of white paper, and wrote my lettering on it. Then I placed a piece of wax paper over the paper and taped it to the counter. With a piping bag and a Wilton #4 tip, I traced the letters with chocolate melt and let them harden, then carefully peeled them from the wax paper and placed them on the cake.

I was very pleased at how the cake turned out, especially the taste. The complimentary cinnamon in the cake and in the frosting was a treasure. And the sweetness of the the dulce the leche and the strawberries paired well with the chocolate cake. The cake was moist, but not heavy, the filling was not overpowering, just a tease in the middle. And the frosting was the pièce de résistance. A symphony of flavors with a dramatic ending.

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate cinnamon dulce de leche whipped cream cake

Ingredients (two 9 inch cakes)

For the cake

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water

For the filling

1/2 cup dulce de leche
1/2 tablespoon crème fraîche or sour cream
1 cup fresh strawberries, thinly sliced

For the frosting

2 cup heavy cream
16 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 drops red food coloring

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 350º F.

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

In 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).

Divide batter into two greased 9 inch cake pans.

Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely before filling.

For the filling

In a small bowl mix together the dulce de leche and crème fraîche, until smooth.

Using a pastry bag with tip or a Ziplock bag with tip cut off, pipe a border around the outer edge of the first cake.

Fill in with the dulce de leche mixture and spread evenly with spatula.

Then placed sliced strawberries over the mixture.

Place second cake on top of first one, lining up the edges.

Place cake in fridge while preparing frosting.

For the frosting

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, 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 your pastry bag and favorite tip or with a spatula, spread the frosting over the cake, completely covering it, then place in fridge to set. Keep refrigerated.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Hershey’s Kitchens

Filling recipe by The Sweet Chick

Frosting recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Subscribe for New Racipies

Get mental health tips, updates, and resources delivered to your inbox.

Mixed Berries Galette

Baked Dessert

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

When we moved into our apartment in San Francisco, we bought a giant bookshelf and filled it to the brim with books. Over time, the overflow started lying in stacks in front, and by the time we moved out, we had so many books that Chris ended up having to donate most of the collection. The rest we stored at my parents’ house, boxes and boxes full. It wasn’t so much that I had a book-buying problem. Chris is just helpless at the sight of used bookstores. They are treasure troves to him, much in the same way good grocery stores—the kinds with bulk bins and small-batch anythings—are to me.

Moving to New York seemed like a good chance to wipe the slate clean. Chris curated a small collection of his most beloved books and shipped them to our new apartment in Brooklyn. Except, over time, as he discovered his favorite bookstores in New York, his modest collection grew and grew. We expanded to THREE bookshelves, started double-layering books on each shelf, and then the stacks started up again. The book area even started its own collection: of dust bunnies. It was a mess.

The thing about collections is, the collector starts to lose sight of the point of the collection. Presumably you start one because you love whatever it is you’re collecting, but the more you own of something, the less attention each individual item gets. We’re so inoculated with the idea that more is better, but perhaps real merit lies in realizing when enough is enough.

And so, when furnishing our new, smaller apartment, we decided to limit ourselves to one regular-sized bookshelf which demanded that we downsize our collection yet again. Chris committed himself to maintaining an equilibrium of books which he’s kept up to this day, and since then, has discovered clarity, focus, and a lightening of the spirit. Which sounds kind of hippie dippie bordering on hokey, but is not, I promise.

On my part, I decided to part with quite a few cookbooks. Back to the basics, if you will. Or just the favorites. And I too find such pleasure in lingering over what’s left of my collection. Each and every book is an absolute gem. The recipe for the crust of these mixed berry galettes are from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain, a classic to me and one that will always have a place on my shelf.

Happy 4th, y’all. Also, Chris and I went to Iceland! If you’re interested, I created an album on Flickr.

RYE GALETTE CRUST for MIXED BERRIES GALETTES

From Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
Makes 2 9-inch tarts

This recipe is for the crust only. Filling-wise, I tossed about 2 cups of mixed berries with 3 T sugar, a liberal pinch of cinnamon, and a dash vanilla extract (about 1/4 t). Next time, I would add either flour or corn starch to thicken the juices because they leaked all over the place and made the baking sheet look like a crime scene. Also, if you too use redcurrants, add them after baking. And I’d omit the gooseberries altogether.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup ice water
1 cup rye flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1-1/2 sticks (12 T) cold unsalted butter
1 t apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Sift the flours, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and add them to the dry mixture. Working quickly, rub the butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller chunks. When the chunks are sizes ranging from peas to hazelnuts, add the vinegar and 8 T ice water. Mix the ingredients with your hands until you can squeeze them into a shaggy lump (add water 1 T at a time if it’s not coming together). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Unwrap the dough onto a floured surface. Pat the dough into a rough square, then, using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a rectangle about 8-1/2 by 11 inches. Resist the urge to add extra flour or water. Fold the rectangle as you would a letter, into thirds, with the seam ending on the left. Rotate the dough 90 degrees clockwise so that the seam faces the top. Roll the dough into another 8-1/2 by 11-inch rectangle and repeat the folding and rotation. Roll it out once again, then, after folding, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour before use.

You’ll cut the dough in half when you’re ready to bake, resulting in two galettes, capisce?