Indulgent and surprisingly easy to make, these moist mascarpone chocolate cupcakes are an absolute treat. Each cupcake is crowned with a light mascarpone cream, slightly flavoured with freeze-dried strawberries. The combination is a real classic, perfect for any festive table.
If you are after a cupcake that’s tender, moist, and packed with flavour, this is it. I genuinely love these. And I have a feeling you will too. And the best part? That mascarpone cream on top! It is perfectly stable, beautifully smooth, and comes together in no time.
Tips for a perfect cupcake
The golden rule of all cupcakes? Don’t overmix. Stir just until everything comes together. That’s what keeps them soft and light.
I also love using olive oil here. It adds extra tenderness and helps the cupcakes stay moist, even after a day or two in the fridge. And for that beautiful, fluffy rise, make sure your eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature before you start.
Perfectly stable cream
Also, always start with a cold mixing bowl and whisk when whipping mascarpone and cream. It helps the fat stay stable, and it gives you those beautiful, stiff peaks. A little extra trick I swear by: add about half a teaspoon of cornstarch. It keeps the cream firm and pipeable, even when it’s sitting out on your Easter brunch table for a while.
Freeze-dried berries
Cupcakes and cream include freeze-dried strawberries. They add a little burst of concentrated berry flavour and natural sweetness. Unlike fresh strawberries, they don’t add extra moisture, and consequently, they don’t make your cupcakes soggy.
Additionally, you might like these cake and cupcake recipes, too: easy strawberry buttercream banana bread cakes, rustic olive oil orange cake, tender carrot coconut sweet bread, or this caramelized banana chocolate mousse tart.
Ingredients for 8 moist mascarpone chocolate cupcakes:
- 70 g brown sugar
- 50 g sugar
- 70 g egg
- 55 ml olive oil
- 15 ml hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico)
- 65 g flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp of cardamom
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 82 ml buttermilk
- freeze-dried strawberries
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 150 g mascarpone
- 1/2 tsp of corn starch
- 5 tsps of icing sugar
Begin by preheating your oven to 180 °C and lining a muffin tin. In a larger bowl, whisk the egg and sugars until fluffy. Afterwards, slowly, while whipping, add olive oil and hazelnut liqueur until smooth.
Then, sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. Fold gently until no streaks of flour remain. Last but not least, mix in the buttermilk and then stir in the half-crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
Fill the liners 2/3 full and bake for 18–22 minutes, and the toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, take them out of the oven and let them cool in the tin for 10 more minutes. Then remove them from it and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a chilled bowl, add the cream and whip it until bubbly. At this point, add the icing sugar and starch. Continue to beat until soft peaks. Then, quickly, using a spoon, stir the mascarpone until smooth. Add the mascarpone to the cream and continue whipping until stiff, silky peaks form. To finish, gently fold in the crushed strawberries.
Finally, assemble the moist mascarpone chocolate cupcakes. Pipe generous swirls of the mascarpone cream onto the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with freeze-dried strawberries.
Enjoy.
