Summer is one of my favorite times of the year and that is because I get to bake with good quality, fresh berries! This blueberry mascarpone skillet cake is PERFECT for the spring and summer season, requires no mixer, and can be whipped up and ready to eat in one hour.
This cake is made with brown butter, LOADED with fresh blueberries and has bite-sized dollops of mascarpone cheese scattered throughout. The best way to enjoy this cake is to scoop and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and some vanilla ice cream!
Why you will love this blueberry mascarpone skillet cake
- The cake. A light vanilla cake batter spiced with cinnamon and cardamom is used for this cake. It is so easy to make, requires no mixer, and can be whipped up quickly.
- The blueberries. Three cups of fresh blueberries are used here - it is going to seem like a lot, but I promise it will make for the perfect blueberry-studded cake.
- Scoop and serve. This blueberry mascarpone skillet cake is more of a scoop and serve/eat out of the skillet situation, rather than a slice and serve situation.
Key ingredients
- Blueberries: make sure to use fresh berries (preferably on the smaller side), rather than frozen. Frozen blueberries hold a lot of moisture and can throw off the whole bake of the cake.
- Cake flour: cake flour is the flour of choice for a super moist and tender crumb. Cake flour is a lower protein flour which is milled to a finer consistency than regular all purpose flour, so a cake made with cake flour will have a tighter crumb.
- Leavener: baking soda is used to help give the cake that perfect rise.
- Spices: a little bit of cinnamon and cardamom is used to lightly spice the cake and add some warmth.
- Granulated sugar: granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the cake and gives us those golden brown edges.
- Fats: unsalted butter, eggs, and milk all add moisture for a super soft cake.
- Mascarpone cheese: bite-sized dollops of mascarpone cheese are scattered on top of the batter and melt into the cake. It makes the cake all the more delicious and it adds the perfect tang.
Steps
- Brown the butter. Toast the butter in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let it completely melt and crack/sizzle in the pan, then it will start to foam up. Once this happens, you should begin to see brown bits swirling around in the butter. Once golden brown, immediately move from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Toss the blueberries. Toss together the blueberries and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Whisk dry ingredients. Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.
- Whisk wet ingredients. Add the sugar and vanilla to the browed butter and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
- Combine. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until almost fully incorporated. Add half of the milk and whisk until almost fully incorporated. Repeat with the other halves of the dry ingredients and the milk.
- Assemble. Pour the batter into a greased 10 inch skillet. Sprinkle about half of the blueberries into an even layer, followed by bite-sized dollops of the mascarpone cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the blueberries.
- Bake. Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes - the cake will be golden brown and the blueberries will be bubbling.
FAQ
Why did my cake sink/was underbaked?
What type of blueberries did you use? Fresh over frozen is preferred here as frozen blueberries hold a lot more moisture and can throw off the whole bake of the cake. If frozen blueberries are used, you likely needed to add a few minutes to the bake time since there is more liquid.
Why did my butter burn?
Browning butter is super easy, but don't walk away from the pan during the process or you can end up with burnt butter. Make sure to stand by and watch the butter closely. As soon as it starts to foam up and you can see the brown bits floating around in the butter, remove from the heat immediately. It should be a golden brown.
What type of blueberries should I use?
Fresh blueberries are best, preferably on the smaller side. Smaller blueberries are easier to scatter throughout and it will look as though the cake is bursting with fresh ones.
How should this be served?
Serve this cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Let the cake cool at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then scoop and serve or dig in to the skillet.
Cake baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. I cannot stress this enough - a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up SO much easier.
- Use an oven thermometer. A correctly calibrated oven is incredibly important for cakes. If the temperature is higher than 350F, the cakes may come out over-baked or rise then sink. If the temperature is lower than 350F, the cakes may come out underbaked.
- Use room temperature ingredients when called for. Room temperature ingredients emulsify easier making for a fluffy and tender cake. Cold ingredients do not mix as well.
Baking in grams
While I provide volume measurements for the recipes on my blog, I highly suggest baking these recipes using weight. It is the most standardized and accurate way to bake. I carefully recipe test all of my recipes using a kitchen scale, not by using cups, and therefore I cannot guarantee the success of my recipes when using volume measurements.
Other recipes you may like
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Blueberry Mascarpone Skillet Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Blueberries
- 3 cups (450 grams) fresh blueberries on the smaller side if possible
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cake
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) cake flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (120 grams) whole milk room temperature
- 4 oz (113 grams) mascarpone cheese in bite-sized dollops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray or melted butter.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. It will start to crack and sizzle - let it do this while stirring occasionally. After a few minutes or so, the butter cracking/sizzling will subside and the butter will begin to foam up in the pan.
- Every few seconds or so, swirl the pan around until you can see that the butter is golden brown. You should also be able to see some of the brown bits swirling around in the butter. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl to cool for 10 minutes.
- While the butter is cooling, toss together the blueberries and lemon juice and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.
- Once the butter has cooled for 10 minutes, add the granulated sugar and vanilla to the butter and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and whisk until almost fully mixed in. Add half of the milk and whisk until almost combined. Repeat this with the other halves of the dry ingredients and the milk, then mix until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the blueberries on top of the cake batter in an even layer, followed by small dollops of the mascarpone cheese scattered throughout. Top with the remaining blueberries but try not to get any of the excess liquid in the bowl. It may seem like a lot of blueberries, but the cake will essentially rise around the blueberries making for a perfect blueberry studded cake!
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake will be golden and the blueberries will be bubbling. The center of the cake should not be super jiggly.
- Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
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