Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake

Name: Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 ⅓ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 3/4 tsp kosher salt; 1 cup, plus 1 Tbsp (250 grams) granulated sugar; 2 T lemon zest; 1 1/2 sticks (171 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature; 2 ¼ tsp lemon extract; 1 T vanilla extract; 3 eggs at room temperature; 3/4 cup (195 grams) buttermilk, room temperature; 2 T lemon juice, fresh or bottled; 3 T (35 grams) canola oil (or other colorless, odorless oil like vegetable or rapeseed); 2 T full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream at room temperature; 1 cup (165 grams) of fresh blueberries; 1 T of all-purpose flour to coat the blueberries; 1 8–ounce container (226 g) mascarpone, chilled; ½ cup (150 grams) heavy cream, chilled; 1 ½ cups (200 grams) powdered sugar; 1 tsp (12g) vanilla extract

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

If you’re like me, homemade baked goods are always welcome. And with summer’s arrival, fruity treats like strawberry filled cupcakes and no-bake mascarpone cheesecake have been on my mind. But there’s something extra sweet about biting into a freshly baked slice of cake. That’s why I’m excited to share this recipe, a lemon berry mascarpone cake, which is bursting with berry, cream, and tangy lemon flavors! This decadent three-layer cake is elegant yet simple and would be great for a celebration… or a “just because” kind of treat.

overhead shot of a lemon berry mascarpone cake sitting on a glass cakestand, with lemons and berries scattered around it

Mascarpone Cake Ingredients

overhead image of ingredients for lemon berry mascarpone cake on an aluminum baking tray

The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card below. Here are some highlights and noteworthy items that make this lemon berry mascarpone cake unique and delicious:

Blueberries – I used fresh blueberries here but frozen would work. King Arthur Baking has this handy guide to baking with frozen blueberries. Follow it to prevent your batter from turning funny shades of blue and green as the fruit “bleeds” into your cake mix. You can, alternatively, coat your frozen berries with some flour before baking. That should help prevent the color of the berries from spreading as much.
Canola oil – Oil is a fat that helps keep cake moist and tender. It makes this cake taste fresh and soft for days!
Triple the lemon with lemon zest, extract, and juice – This recipe balances the sweetness of the blueberries and mascarpone with the citrus lemon flavor. To break it down, lemon zest is the outermost layer of the lemon peel, which contains flavorful essential oils. You’ll use a grater to remove this layer from the lemon and when you do, that releases oils and adds a lemony aroma to your baked goods. Lemon juice is a natural acid. It reacts with baking soda, giving this cake extra rise and a light and fluffy texture. And lemon extract is a concentrated flavoring. It only enhances the lemon flavor here. It’s generally available in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
Mascarpone cream – This Italian cream cheese is high-fat, with a smooth, creamy texture. Although it’s somewhat similar to American cream cheese, it’s noticeably softer and less tangy. While it’s a key ingredient in this cake’s frosting, mascarpone can play a role in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s perhaps best known for being the creamy indulgence you find in classic tiramisu recipes.

Ingredients for Mascarpone Frosting

To make the frosting, you’ll need the following items:

Heavy whipping cream, chilled
Powdered sugar
Mascarpone cream, chilled
Vanilla extract

Cream cheese is a go-to ingredient for me in many icings, like the kind I used on my mini carrot cake recipe. But mascarpone’s smooth, soft, and extra spreadable texture felt like the right choice for this lemon blueberry cake.

This frosting also holds its shape nicely if you want to pipe it onto the cake. After I finished decorating my cake, I swapped out the round tip for a star one and used some of my leftover frosting to add accents with this.

If you prefer using cream cheese frosting, you can substitute it for the mascarpone here. I recommend slightly softening it. You may also need to add a few more drops of heavy cream to the frosting to achieve a similar smooth and spreadable consistency.

Steps for Baking Lemon Berry Cake

First, preheat oven to 350°F.

I use these bake even strips on most of my cakes. They help cake rise evenly during baking. If you want to do the same, start soaking three strips in water before proceeding with the recipe.

Line three 6” cake pans with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can generously butter and flour the pans or use non-stick baking spray. Whatever you decide, it’s important to use proper baking release spray or butter and flour so that your layers don’t stick to the pan.

image of small cake pan, wrapped in damp cake strip

To a bowl large enough to eventually hold all of your ingredients, add and whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.

flour and other dry ingredients in glass mixing bowl

Using the paddle attachment in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat your sugar and lemon zest together for 1 minute. This helps release the oil of the lemon peel into your cake.

mixing bowl with sugar and lemon zest in it

Then add your butter, vanilla and lemon extract to cream them together on medium speed for 4 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

bowl of butter, sugar, and extract to mix for cake

creamed butter and sugar in mixing bowl for lemon berry cake

Add your eggs, buttermilk, fresh or bottled lemon juice, canola oil, and Greek yogurt to your primary mixing bowl. Mix on slow for about 3 minutes. Higher speeds will have batter splashing and flying around, so start slowly!

wet ingredients combined for lemon berry cake

Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the dry, mixing gently until just combined.

wet and dry ingredients combined for mascarpone cake

In a small bowl, toss blueberries with tablespoon of flour before gently folding them into batter.

Pour and evenly spread the batter into your prepared cake pans (about 420 grams in each pan). Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until layers appear buttery and dense but bounce back at the touch of your finger.

Let cakes cool in pans about 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

up-close image of baked lemon berry cake layers

Steps for Making the Frosting

Whip your mascarpone, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar on low speed for about 10 seconds, then bump up for another 30 seconds on medium speed.

Once combined, slowly pour in your heavy cream. Once incorporated, bump mixer to medium high speed and continue whipping until all ingredients are combined, about 90 more seconds. Closely watch the bowl to avoid over-mixing, as it may cause the frosting to develop lumps and curdle.

You’ll know you’re done when you have medium stiff peaks.

Pro Tip for Cake Decorating – Freeze your Cake Layers!

Want to avoid crumbs getting everywhere in your frosting as you decorate your cake? Work with a cold cake and freeze your layers!

After baking most of my cakes, I freeze them so that I can apply the frosting or buttercream more easily without crumbs getting in my way. If the cake is cold when you decorate it, the crumbs are held in place.

Once your cake is no longer warm from the oven, you can wrap it in plastic wrap. Set it on a flat surface like a cooling rack and gently wrap your cake layers.

You can pop the cake layers into the freezer for half an hour or overnight. They’ll still be fresh and ready for frosting.

Assembling Your Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake

Set out your cake turntable with a cake circle on it. Then pipe or spread a dollop of your frosting onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place. Set first lemon berry cake layer on top of that.

cake turntable with a round cake circle on top of it

With your piping bag, evenly spread roughly 20% of your frosting on top of the bottom layer. Place second cake layer on top of the first, repeating the same steps, and then add your third layer.

cake turntable with one layer of lemon and blueberry cake on it

cake turntable with two layers of lemon and blueberry cake on it; image shows baker adding second layer

piping frosting onto second layer of lemon berry mascarpone cake

frosted second layer of lemon berry mascarpone cake

Then, starting from the base of the cake, drag your piping bag in circles around the cake until the sides and top are mostly covered. Because the design is semi-naked and more rustic, you should leave some openings in the frosting.

three stacked layers of lemon berry mascarpone cake on a white cake turntable

Place and hold a cake scraper against the side of the cake and gently pull the cake around to smooth out the frosting. Use the cake scraper or an offset spatula to also push the frosting on the cake’s top toward the center. Smooth top with offset spatula.

offset spatula smoothing top of white cake

Continue coating cake with remaining frosting and scraping gently as desired. Once the design is fairly smooth, stop! Over-scraping the frosting can lead to a messy look and increase your chances of accidentally pulling out the crumbs in the layers.

white lemon and blueberry cake on glass cake stand

If desired, add some fresh blueberries and small pieces of lemon zest to the top of the cake, base and sides.

white lemon and blueberry cake on glass cake stand with blueberries on top of it

Troubleshooting and FAQ for this Cake

Why is my mascarpone icing runny?

Because mascarpone is a more delicate ingredient, if over-beaten, it can become runny. Avoid this by mixing the frosting together only until combined – no need to keep whipping once ingredients are all incorporated together.

High temperature and/or humidity can both cause your icing to run. If your frosting is too liquid-y, pop it back into the refrigerator until it’s firmer and begin slowly mixing together again.

Also, if you’ve added too much heavy cream to the mascarpone, it may not be able to thicken properly. In that case, a little more powdered sugar can help thicken the frosting’s consistency. More mascarpone cheese could help balance out the liquid as well.

What’s the difference between crème fraîche and mascarpone?

Crème fraîche and mascarpone are both dairy products. The former has a slightly sour flavor. Mascarpone, on the other hand, is a type of Italian cream cheese with a rich, creamy flavor that lacks the tanginess of crème fraîche.

In terms of texture, crème fraîche is thinner and more liquid-like than mascarpone. Because of their distinct textures and flavors, they have different applications.

Why does my mascarpone frosting split?

Mascarpone has a tendency to split when mixed with other ingredients that are different temperature. If your mascarpone is very cold and heavy cream is warm, or vice versa, your frosting could split. Carefully follow the steps of the recipe whenever determining the temperature you should use for combining ingredients with mascarpone.

Preparing and Storing this Lemon Blueberry Cake

Because mascarpone is a dairy-based product, store cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container. This cake tastes best and more moist closer to room temperature. Bring it out about 30 minutes before serving.

I recommend eating it within 5 days, as that’s when it’ll be both the tastiest and freshest.

You could make the cake layers in advance, as they’ll freeze well. Wrap them with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for maximum freshness. This cake can keep it in the freezer for about three months.

I do not recommend freezing the mascarpone frosting. Mascarpone develops a different consistency when frozen and thawed. The cake will still be edible but not its best.

lemon berry cake sitting on glass cake stand, with lemons and blueberries surrounding it

More Dessert Ideas

If you’re looking for something smaller than this lemon berry mascarpone cake, check out my Lotus Biscoff cake. It’s full of Biscoff spread and cookie flavor and makes a 6-inch, 2-layer cake. The frosting is also Biscoff-based and so good!

More on a cookie kick? The color on these homemade matcha cookies is so beautiful, and they taste delicious!