Mascarpone Stuffed Strawberries

Mascarpone is blended with cream, sugar, and vanilla to make the most delicious dessert topping. In this recipe, the mixture is stuffed into hulled fresh strawberries and topped with a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs for texture and flavour. This simple and easy dessert is big on taste!

Mascarpone cream is very popular in Italian desserts, but it’s usually prepared with eggs. In this version, I substituted the eggs with heavy cream instead, which will keep it light and fluffy, while maintaining the decadent, rich flavour. I’m not extremely fond of using raw eggs in recipes that require no cooking, which is why this dessert topping is perfect for these Mascarpone Stuffed Strawberries!

This is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill dessert topping. I would describe this dessert topping as high-end, opulent, lavish, and posh! If whipped cream were Oprah, then this dessert would be Elon! Forgive me, but I couldn’t think of any other super-rich people to make the comparison with!

Once you’ve prepared the dessert topping, you can store it in the fridge for almost a week! It will keep its shape, retain its flavour, and not break down at all. Sometimes, whipped toppings will settle and water content or moisture will pool on top. This will not happen with this dessert topping if you follow my instructions and tips very closely.

WHAT IS MASCARPONE CHEESE?

Mascarpone is a very smooth, spreadable cheese made with fresh cream. The flavour is milky and slightly sweet, and it has a richness to it. The texture is almost buttery, but that’s because of the high butterfat content. In comparison to heavy cream, for example, mascarpone can have up to 75% fat content, while heavy cream falls somewhere between 35 and 38%

Mascarpone can be quite costly, but it does go on sale quite often. It is not something you would want to eat every day, so on occasion, it’s nice to splurge a little and treat yourself.

Mascarpone can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes. Either way, it will always make sure the recipe is rich and creamy! In terms of savoury recipes, you can add mascarpone to pasta sauce or use it in place of cream in nearly any dish. It can also be used to thicken soups! My favourite way to use it is with fresh berries and fruit.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Mascarpone – You will need one container of cheese. I love the Tre Stelle brand, because, unlike other brands, there are never any concerns about moisture separation.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings, dessert toppings, icings, and baked goods quite often.  It’s also very visually appealing when dusted lightly onto cakes and cookies.
• Cream – Sometimes called whipping cream or heavy cream, this high-fat content dairy product is often used for dessert toppings, ice creams, and even some cakes and cookies.  Look for a cream with 35 – 38% fat content.
• Vanilla Bean Paste – This has a strong vanilla flavour and has vanilla beans in it. It’s a more economical way to get the little black flecks of vanilla beans into baked goods without buying expensive pods! Vanilla extract will work too.
• Strawberries
• Graham Cracker Crumbs

HEAVY CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference between the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to Mascarpone Stuffed Strawberries.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to heavy cream so if a recipe calls for heavy cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, heavy cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe. I used 35% whipping cream.

VANILLA BEAN PASTE

What is vanilla bean paste anyway? Have you used it before? I’ve only just learned of it myself about a year ago. I was reading through a dessert cookbook and it seemed like every third recipe had vanilla bean paste as one of the ingredients. I was intrigued.

Vanilla bean paste is a mixture of vanilla bean seeds, sugar, vanilla extract, and some type of thickener. In most cases, it’s corn syrup. It is a pourable substance, but not like water. It is more like molasses! The best part about it is that the vanilla flavour and scent are more intense, so if you love vanilla, try it! It is certainly a less expensive way to get those characteristic black flecks of a vanilla bean into your baking. Buying and scraping whole beans is not only tedious but expensive too.

If you don’t have any, or if you don’t want to buy any for this Vanilla Mascarpone Cream, you can simply use regular vanilla extract. Use two teaspoons of vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean paste.

HOW TO MAKE VANILLA MASCARPONE CREAM

The key to a really delicious and stable mascarpone dessert topping is to use really cold ingredients. Even the mixing bowl should be very cold. So, before you get started, take the bowl you intend to use to beat the cream in and place it into your freezer. An ice-cold bowl will help to make whipping the mascarpone and the cream faster and easier.

Transfer the cold mascarpone to the chilled mixing bowl. Beat for just a minute or two to loosen up the dense ingredient. This step will encourage easy absorption of the next ingredients. Now, add in the cold cream (heavy or whipping cream) and beat to incorporate until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until well incorporated. Finally, beat in the vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract, if using. Cover the bowl well and keep refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

In the meantime, with a sharp knife, cut the top off of each strawberry to remove the green stem. You will need to scoop out just a little of the strawberry. Use a strawberry huller, or a very small pair of metal tongs to do this. You can buy a strawberry huller, but you don’t need it. I use sugar cube tongs! You can even use a very small dessert spoon, depending on the size of your strawberries.

Transfer the dessert topping to a piping bag or a resealable sandwich bag and cut about 1/4 inch from the tip – just enough to squeeze out the dessert topping. Hold the strawberry so that it is standing on its pointy end and fill the interior with the dessert topping. Place the strawberry onto a serving plate and continue until all of your strawberries are stuffed. At this point, you can tuck in some greenery like I did, but it’s not mandatory. Sprinkle over the graham cracker crumbs and serve.

HOW TO USE LEFTOVER MASCARPONE DESSERT TOPPING

The recipe as written will stuff approximately 2 pints of strawberries. Again, depending on the size of your strawberries you might have leftover dessert topping. Well, here’s the deal, Dear Reader! If you’re one of those people who likes to pop the dispensing nozzle of a can of whipped cream right into your mouth, you might not be able to resist just eating this dessert topping with a spoon! It is that good!

However, if you can control your impulses, you can use this desser topping on just about anything! I love to dollop it right onto a slice of my Bakery Style Vanilla Tea Cake, or onto a frosty drink. It’s actually so good with my Copycat Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino! It might just be one of the best dips you will ever find for a platter of fresh fruit! In fact, you can stir it right into a fruit salad if you want to make a creamy version!