This incredibly creamy, decadent mascarpone cheesecake is a show-stopper your friends and family are sure to love. The mascarpone gives it a slightly different flavor than a traditional cream cheese-only cheesecake. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this mascarpone cheesecake.
My love for cheesecake runs deep so I had to take a whirl at swapping out the beautiful Italian sweet, soft cheese, mascarpone. For another cheesecake spin-off try my Basque cheesecake recipe next!
Ingredient Breakdown
For the crust, you can use a Graham Cracker Crust or Biscoff Crust, I used a Ginger Cookie crust and just swapped out biscoff cookies for ginger cookies.
- Cream Cheese. I have tested 100's of cheesecake recipes, it is necessary for your cream cheese to be softened to room temperature!
- Mascarpone Cheese. The mascarpone also needs to be completely softened to room temperature.
Visual Step by Step Guide for Making the Cheesecake
Mascarpone dessert recipes for you to try
The most classic mascarpone dessert in my life is Tiramisu. In my recipe, I include a little treat in each layer too!
For breakfast check out my Pear French Toast Bake.
If you love chocolate then use this chocolate mascarpone frosting for your next cake, sooo creamy and delicious!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Mascarpone Cheesecake
This incredibly creamy, decadent mascarpone cheesecake is a show-stopper your friends and family are sure to love. The mascarpone gives it a slightly different flavor than a traditional cream cheese-only cheesecake. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this mascarpone cheesecake.
- Total Time: 9 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Crust
Cheesecake
- 16oz (1lb) Cream Cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 16oz (1lb) Mascarpone, completely softened to room temperature
- 300 grams (1 ½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 4oz (½ Cup) Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 4 Large Eggs + 1 Large Egg Yolks, at room temperature
- Optional: Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe, Mixed Berry Compote, or Salted Caramel Sauce
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9-inch springform pan then set aside.
- Prepare the crust according to recipe instructions and bake for 5-8 minutes to set the crust. Let cool on a wire rack and reduce oven temperature to 325F/ 162C.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese and mascarpone for 3 minutes at low speed. It should be smooth with no lumps. Add the granulated sugar and beat for another 2 minutes on low speed. Add the sour cream, vanilla beans, and lemon zest, mixing until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. You should have a creamy batter with no lumps. Pour into prepared pan. Place a 9-inch springform pan in a 10-inch cake pan- place the cake pan in the roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the cake pan. This prevents ANY water from getting in the cheesecake and you don't have to wrap everything with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes, the middle 2 inches of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 140-145F- but be careful when you poke as if you are not covering the top in whipped cream you will see the mark.
- Turn the oven off and open the door so it is cracked open, let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour then take it out of the roasting pan and cool on a wire rack for another hour. Then wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap. Let chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- When ready to serve use a small angled spatula to gently loosen the cheesecake from the springform pan, if moving the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan to a serving plate then use the spatula to gently loosen the crust as well then use two large spatulas to move the cheesecake. Serve with the desired topping. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
To freeze the whole cheesecake let it chill in the fridge overnight, as if you were serving it the next day, then wrap in plastic wrap twice, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. The multiple layers of wrapping protect it from drying out and freezer burn. To thaw the cheesecake place it in the fridge overnight.
You can also freeze cheesecake slices. To do this the cheesecake should have already chilled overnight, slice the cheesecake slices and wrap in plastic wrap twice then place in a freezer-safe bag and stash for up to three months. To thaw the slices you can let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, depending on how large the slices are, OR you can plan the night before and let them thaw in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cool Time: 8 Hours
- Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Jeff says
You’re missing the heavy cream in your ingredients but calling for it in step #1 on the instructions!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Jeff, SO sorry for the confusion! I did not use heavy cream in this recipe. I have updated the post. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Tee says
Same with the mascarpone, when is it incorporated?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Tae, so sorry for the confusion you should mix it at the beginning with the cream cheese, I have updated the recipe card to reflect this. Thank you so much for pointing it out. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe! XX Liz
Katie says
I wonder if my oven runs hotter than yours???? or if a slight tweak to the recipe made it cook faster??? I had the timer set for 1:20, but peeped in just shy of an hour (like 50 minutes) and was startled to see the top getting a little golden!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Katie, it may run warmer, glad you checked in on it. It might also be positioned in a hot spot in the oven causing it to brown more quickly. I hope it turns out lovely for you. Please let me know how you like it. Merry Christmas. XX Liz
Mary E Olsen says
In your crust recipe you mention the cookies and butter as ingredients, but not the sugar. The directions call for sugar but not the amount. Can you give some clarification?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Mary, gosh I am sorry for the confusion. I used my Biscoff Crust Recipe and used Ginger biscuits instead of the Biscoff biscuits. Which does not call for sure. Hopefully, that helps! But my graham cracker crust does call for sugar if you want a sweeter crust. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Michelle Rousseau says
Amazing recipe! I'm looking to try to make it in mini cake forms, do you think the recipe will work well?
Big fan of this cheesecake!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Michelle, thanks so much for the lovely comment, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I would think so, there are mini 4 inch springform pans you could try that would work great or do mini cheesecakes cupcake style. I have a mini cheesecakes recipe you could check out too. May I ask a huge favor please? Would you be so kind to leave a star rating with your reviews? It helps me, google and my other reader easily see if others have had success with the recipe, I would be so grateful!! Thank you and let me know how the mini cheesecakes go! XX Liz
Savannah says
This cheesecake is heaven! I loved serving it with some strawberries on the side!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks so much for the 5-star review Savannah, so glad you loved the cheesecake! XX Liz
Cheryl Williams says
Hi Liz. I've never made a cheesecake before, so this is exciting to try your recipe for my first. Quick question, though. You mention in the instructions to add vanilla bean and vanilla extract, but the ingredients list only shows vanilla bean paste. I hope I only needed the paste, because my cheesecake is in the oven, as I'm typing this.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Cheryl, thanks for reaching out. That is a typo- just the vanilla bean paste!! Sorry for the confusion. Please let me know how the cheesecake turned out!!! would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Jerry says
I made this for my husband's birthday and we both can't keep going back for more! We paired it with fresh peaches!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks for the 5-star review Jerry! So glad you enjoy the cheesecake, the peaches sound great! X Liz
Lia D says
When tell yall this cheesecake made me want to shout. I almost put on the Isley Brothers while eating it. It taste identical to the one I had at a Michellen star steak house a few weeks back. It was easy to make. Mine browned a little on top but not too bad and did not impact the flavor in any way I could tell. I had left over batter to make another cheesecake in the future or minis if I wanted to. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Lia, this made me smile so much! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review. It really helps my website. Happy Baking! XX Liz
Doug says
This drastically over cooked for me and then leaked out liquid after, probably from separation. Seems as though it needs a lower temperature.
Ana says
Way too much egg, the rest is very good, but it has an eggy taste