Kirbie's Cravings

Pumpkin Mascarpone Cake

This pumpkin mascarpone cake is light and fluffy with a texture that is a cross between cake and cheesecake. It is similar to the texture of Japanese cheesecake.

photo of a slice of Pumpkin Mascarpone Cake

I’m not a big fan of regular cheesecake because it’s too creamy and rich for me. I prefer Japanese Cheesecake because the texture is more cake-like, but you still get the cheese flavor like in a regular cheesecake. They’re typically lighter and less dense than regular cheesecake.

So, when I saw a recipe for pumpkin mascarpone cake on She Simmers I was curious to try it. The texture looked lighter than a regular cheesecake and it seemed like such a unique pumpkin dessert that I knew I had to try it.

What is Mascarpone?

Mascarpone is Italian cream cheese. It’s similar to crème fraiche and American cream cheese, but it is less tangy and sweeter than cream cheese. If you’ve ever had tiramisu you’ve probably had mascarpone. I used mascarpone cheese to make my Easy Strawberry Tiramisu.

Mascarpone is used to make this pumpkin cake. The original recipe included bourbon and spices, which I omitted since I knew my family wouldn’t like it. I think the best thing about this cake is its texture – it’s lighter than a traditional cheesecake, but not quite a regular cake. It’s light, fluffy and tasted of autumn even without the spices.

photo of one slice of cake

Pumpkin Mascarpone Cake

This pumpkin cake recipe has a few extra steps that are necessary for achieving the light and fluffy texture.

Batter

  • The first step is to separate the eggs. The egg yolks are mixed with the mascarpone cheese, butter, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and milk. Then you add the cake flour.

photo of the batter in a bowl

  • In a separate bowl, you beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until the egg whites are foamy. At this point, gradually add the sugar and beat it with the egg whites until they hold very stiff peaks. The egg whites should be so stiff that you can turn the bowl upside down and they don’t slide out.

photo of a bowl turned upside down with whipped egg whites in it

  • To combine the stiff eggs whites with the batter, you want to gently fold them in. You want to do this in small batches and only fold until no egg white streaks remain.

Baking the Cake

You will want to bake your cake in a 10-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper. The springform pan will make it so much easier to remove the cake from the pan once it’s baked.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake for 1 hour at 325°F. Cool the cake completely before slicing and serving.

The cake will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. Any leftovers should be kept in the refrigerator after that.

I really love the texture and flavor of this cake and I’m pretty sure I will be adding it to my Thanksgiving dessert list this year.

photo of a slice of cake

Pumpkin Mascarpone Cake

Servings: 1 (9-inch) cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
This cake is a lighter take on cheesecake and is light, fluffy, and flavored with fall spices.
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 240 g pumpkin puree
  • 140 g sugar
  • 114 g mascarpone cheese
  • 4 tbsp fat free milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50 g melted butter
  • 65 g cake flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions

  • Line 9 or 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • Place milk and cheese in a glass bowl and heat for one minute to soften the cheese.
  • Melt butter in microwave. Then add into cheese mixture. Add in vanilla. whisk until no lumps remain.
  • Separate the eggs. Add egg yolks into the cheese mixture.
  • Add in pumpkin puree into the cheese mixture and whisk.
  • Whisk in the cake flour and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer. Make sure the bowl and mixers are clean or else your eggs whites will not whip up properly. After egg whites are foamy, gradually beat in sugar. The egg whites should become stiff peaks. Mix until you can hold your bowl upside down and the egg whites won't slip down.
  • Begin to add egg whites to the cheese mixture, in small batches. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until no egg white streaks remain. Then add more egg whites until all the egg whites are used up.
  • Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 60 minutes, or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let cake cool before serving. Cake will need to be refrigerated if not eaten within 2 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from She Simmers

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

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8 comments on “Pumpkin Mascarpone Cake”

  1. I also found this recipe on shesimmers in 2010. I love this cake being moist and fluffy. I have made this cake a few times. Life got bussier but I always occasionally thought of this cake. I just rediscovered this recipe from my recipe of collection. The recipe is no longer on shesimmers but I am glad you preserved it. This cake deserves to be remembered.

  2. Oh i know I’d love this as Im a huge fan of Japanese cheesecake. Yea I do find regular cheesecakes way too rich for me too! Must give this a go soon!

    • That is what drew me to this recipe! The blog I found it on compared it to japanese cheesecake. This one has more of a wetter texture than japanese cheesecake, but it is more similar to japanese cheesecake than regular cheesecake.

  3. Cheesecake and mascarpone – what’s not to love?

    🙂
    ButterYum

  4. I bet there’s a great texture to this pumpkin mascarpone cake. I like how it looks and the ingredients! Nicely done.

    • It definitely has a very nice, airy texture. I can’t think of any dessert I’ve tried which is quite like it. It’s more of a cross between many desserts I’ve had. You should check it out!