With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, 300 Bakery Pastry Chef Terri Wu and Santa Clara Pastry Chef Ani Baghoomian teamed up to share this easy-to-make recipe for you to surprise your mom.
Lemon-Ricotta Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cup cake flour
- 1 ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 3 each eggs
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 oz butter, softened
- 1 ½ cup + 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 each vanilla bean (slit the pod and scrape the insides)
- ¼ each lemon, zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With an electric mixer and the paddle attachment, cream the butter, ricotta and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl and paddle. Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape bowl and paddle.
Add the inside of the vanilla bean and lemon zest until combined. On low speed, add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar until batter is smooth.
Line or grease muffin tins and add batter. Bake for 25-29 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Lemon Mascarpone Frosting
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- lemon zest to taste
Combine the mascarpone and powdered sugar in a mixer and beat until smooth.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl so that the mixture is not stuck to the sides. Slowly add the heavy cream and zest and whip until thick and smooth. Add more sugar if you would like it sweeter.
Pipe or smooth onto the cupcakes and refrigerate. If your frosting is too soft, you can refrigerate it to make it easier to work with.