Lemongrass Coconut Mascarpone Cake

Cut off the roots, top third, and outer peel of lemon grass stalks. Bruise stalks and cut each into 3-4 parts. Place lemon grass and coconut milk in a 2 ½-quart saucepan. Simmer over very low heat, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups. Cover and let steep until room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray two 6 - cup mini Bundt pans with flour spray.

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Place egg yolks in a large bowl. Strain coconut milk and add to bowl. Discard lemongrass. Add oil and mascarpone to bowl. Beat for 1 minute. Add cake mix, beat first at medium speed for 2 minutes, and then scrape sides of bowl. Beat at high speed for 2 more minutes. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Fill each mini Bundt cake pan 2/3 full with batter. This batter will yield 10 mini cakes.

Bake about 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on rack,

Before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar and garnish with berries if desired.