These mascarpone berry cupcakes are fluffy and light, filled with a delicious triple berry sauce, and topped with a creamy and sweet mascarpone frosting.
Are you looking for a delicious and elegant cupcake to serve up to friends and family?
These mascarpone berry cupcakes are a moist and delectable vanilla cake, filled with a tangy triple berry filling (strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries,) and are topped with a smooth and luscious mascarpone vanilla frosting.
They’re super easy to make, for any level baker, and impressive enough for your biggest critics.
Trust me, whether you’re celebrating a special occasion, or simply craving a sweet treat, these berry filled cupcakes are the perfect choice!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for mascarpone berry cupcakes
Cupcake ingredients:
- Whole milk – Whole milk will add moisture and necessary fat to our cupcakes.
- Vegetable oil – Vegetable oil is the fat of choice for our cupcakes that will keep the cupcakes moist and tender.
- Eggs – Eggs will emulsify and blend all of the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract will add a slightly sweet vanilla flavor.
- Granulated sugar – This will add sweetness to the cupcakes.
- All-purpose flour – A common baking flour that will make up our batter.
- Baking powder – Baking powder keeps our cupcakes light and fluffy.
Berry sauce ingredients:
- Berries – Raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries are the perfect combination for tart, tangy and sweet.
- Lemon juice – The lemon juice will add brightness to our berry sauce.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch will help thicken the berry sauce so it doesn’t run out of our cupcake.
Mascarpone frosting ingredients:
- Butter – This will add a luscious mouthfeel to our frosting.
- Mascarpone cheese – Mascarpone cheese is smooth and creamy.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar will add sweetness to the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract will add a sweet vanilla flavor to the frosting.
What is mascarpone cheese?
Mascarpone cheese is an Italian soft cheese made from heavy cream.
It is different from cream cheese in that it isn’t as tangy, and cream cheese is made from whole milk and sometimes other thickeners.
You can easily find mascarpone cheese in the cheese aisle of most major grocery stores.
However, if you cannot find mascarpone cheese you can use cream cheese in its place.
Using different berries
If you’re not a fan of one of the berries, feel free to substitute with your favorite!
You could do all strawberry, or all blueberry, or maybe add in some blackberries.
Change up the flavor for winter by using cranberries with a touch of orange zest!
Using store-bought jam for filling
If you don’t have fresh or frozen berries on hand to make the sauce you can easily fill the cooled cupcakes with store-bought jam.
A personal favorite of mine to use is wild blueberry jam.
Make ahead
You can make the berry filling a couple of days in advance, so it’s ready for you!
Simply store it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
Freezing your cupcakes
You can freeze these cupcakes, unfrosted and unfilled, for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer-safe storage container.
Storage and leftovers
Lastly, any leftover mascarpone berry cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
More berry filled treats
- Need something simple and fast? Try my Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
- Love individual treats? Try my Mini Berry Galettes
- Want a grown-up chocolate treat? Try my Blueberry Mojito
- Looking for an adorable cake for a celebration? Try my Mixed Berry Coffee Cake
Mascarpone Berry Cupcakes
Ingredients
For vanilla cupcakes:
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1-½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For berry sauce:
- ½ cup raspberries
- ½ cup blueberries
- ½ cup diced strawberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For mascarpone frosting:
- 6 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese softened
- 2-½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Next, add the sugar and whisk to combine.
- Finally, add the flour and baking powder. Whisk just until combined— you don’t want to overmix!
- Divide the batter between the muffin tins, filling each one with ¼ cup of batter.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
For berry filling
- Add all of the ingredients, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, lemon juice, and cornstarch, to a small saucepan set over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes or until the berries have broken down and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
For mascarpone frosting
- Add the softened butter and mascarpone to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar. When all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip. I’m using a Wilton 2D.
Assembly
- To assemble the cupcakes, cut a small hole from the center of each cupcake, about the size of a quarter and ¼ inch deep.
- Fill the hole with 1-2 teaspoons of berry filling and then place the cutout piece of cake back on top.
- Pipe the vanilla mascarpone frosting on top of each cupcake and garnish with a fresh berry and/or sprinkles, if desired.
- Storage: Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Nutrition
