Sweet Mascarpone Muffins with Homemade Apple Compote

Nothing quite like a celebration, right? For today, how about some wonderfully rustic muffins filled with sweet mascarpone cheese and topped with homemade apple jam, the recipe is super simple and delicious, with touches of cinnamon absolutely perfect for the occasion.

For the apple jam, you can follow any good apple compote recipe, I’ve put more or less how I made my own down on the notes, do note that this isn’t a jam for long-term preservation, it needs to be stored in the fridge and consumed within a week after being made, beyond that, and it might spoil, mostly because it’s a jam with very little sugar.

The addition of mascarpone cheese as a filling was simply because I had some leftover mascarpone and needed to use it in something hehehehe, what’s interesting is that I thought it would stay more liquid, but actually when baked it ended up coagulating and got an interesting creamy almost pudding texture, everything together worked beautifully! Let’s check the recipe!

Sweet Mascarpone Muffins with Homemade Apple Compote

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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You gotta try these rustic muffins with a creamy mascarpone filling covered by a sweet homemade apple jam, absolutely divine.

Ingredients

Flour – 300g
Brown Sugar – 160g
Baking Powder – 4g (+/- 1 Teaspoon)
Egg – 1 (Room Temperature)
Milk – 250ml (Room Temperature)
Oil – 60ml (Sunflower Oil or 80g Butter)
Vanilla – 14ml (+/- 1 Tablespoon of Extract)
Salt – A Pinch
Mascarpone Cheese – 125g
Sugar – 20g
Apple Compote – 200g (Homemade)

Directions

Start by mixing the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.

Then add the egg and milk, mixing well until creamy.
Add the oil, vanilla, and salt, whisk everything until well blended, and set the muffin batter aside.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F) and line 12 muffin tins with nonstick paper.

In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese with the sugar, mix and taste to see if it is sweet enough for your liking (I like it just a little sweet).

Distribute the muffin batter among the cups, followed by a small teaspoon of the mascarpone cream and top with a heaping tablespoon of the apple jam.
Bake for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on them. They will rise a little and when they start to brown around the edges, they are ready. Prick a cupcake to make sure it is baked through and through, that’s it! Bon appétit!

Notes: You can always swap the oil for butter, actually I think the original recipe called for 80g of butter, but that day I didn’t have butter at home, so it went with oil, which creates a fluffier and creamier muffin but less sweet, while with butter the muffin would be denser but also sweeter and more rustic.

Quick Homemade Apple Jam/Compote: If you want to make your own apple jam, it’s incredibly simple! Dice 6 peeled apples, toss them in a pan with a pinch of sugar and cinnamon, and let them cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they break down and become creamy—usually about 15-20 minutes. You can mash them with a fork or potato masher if you want a smoother consistency. Let it cool completely before using on the muffins.

Important Note About Homemade Jams: This kind of homemade jam is absolutely delicious but it’s not the same as homemade or store-bought preserves. It doesn’t have as much sugar, preservatives, or the sterilization process needed to keep for a long time. You must store it in the fridge and use it within a maximum of one week, beyond that and it will spoil!

Make sure your egg and milk are at room temperature for the best texture, cold ingredients can make the batter lumpy.

Don’t overfill the muffin tins! The batter rises quite a bit, so filling them about ⅔ full is perfect.

If you can’t find mascarpone, you could substitute with cream cheese mixed with a tablespoon of heavy cream to lighten it up.

The mascarpone filling will sink slightly and create a creamy pudding, like layer in the center—this is exactly what you want!

For the apple jam, add a squeeze of lemon juice if you want a bit more tartness to balance the sweetness.

These muffins are best eaten the day they’re made, but will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Warm them slightly in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating to revive that just-baked texture.

This recipe for Sweet Mascarpone Muffins with Homemade Apple Compote was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Queques de Mascarpone com Compota de Maçã foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.