Baked Apples With Mascarpone Cream

I love apple desserts, and honestly, I could eat them all year round. I have a few favorite apple treats that I make over and over again, but I always try to find new ways to enjoy this deliciously healthy fruit, too.

These baked apples with mascarpone cream have become one of my family’s favorite fall treats that I make at least a couple of times a year.

In this recipe, the apples are baked to caramelized perfection and served with a lighter mascarpone cream fluff, a delicious combo of flavors and textures perfect for both fancier occasions or when you just want a dessert that’s a bit more special.

Baked apples with mascarpone cream - a dessert with cinnamon, cardamom, and pumpkin spiced oven-baked apples served with a fluffy mascarpone and Greek yogurt cream.

What You’ll Need

For this recipe, you only need a handful of simple ingredients:

Apples – Try to choose a crisper, firmer variety like Honeycrisp, Jazz, or Granny Smith. These have a nice, crunchy texture that will hold up well during baking.
Mascarpone and Greek yogurt – To make this dessert lighter, I’m mixing mascarpone with some Greek yogurt.
Sweeteners and spices – The apples are sweetened with maple syrup and the mascarpone cream with powdered sugar (or calorie-free sweetener). The dessert is flavored with spices like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and cardamom.
Vanilla extract
4-5 pecan nuts

How to Make These Baked Apples With Mascarpone Cream

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your apples.

While I normally peel my apples before using them in any dessert, we’ll need the skin for this recipe to hold the baked flesh. To clean the apples, I usually wash them with dishwashing liquid to remove the wax, then soak them in a bowl of water mixed with baking soda for about 10-15 minutes before rinsing them under running water.

When your apples are washed, slice them in half and scoop out the cores. Place them cut-side up in a baking dish and drizzle with maple syrup. Then sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and a pinch of cardamom over all of the apple halves.

Pour a bit of water into the baking dish to help steam the apples as they cook, then bake them for around 45 minutes. Make sure to baste the apples a few times with the juices from the pan to keep the tops from drying out.

Check the apples after around 35 minutes, just in case – the apples are ready when the tops are slightly golden and the flesh is soft enough to cut with a spoon. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

While the apples cool, whip up the cream base. Whisk together the mascarpone cheese, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar (or sweetener), cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract until all the ingredients have blended well and the mix has become slightly fluffy.

Then do a little taste test. I like to keep my cream base less sweet, because I want to taste the flavors from the apples, but if you love sweeter desserts, feel free to add more sugar. Keep the mascarpone fluff in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the desserts.

When the apples have cooled and it’s dessert time, spoon the mascarpone cream into dessert bowls and arrange the baked apples on top. Drizzle the apples and cream with a bit of juice from the pan (and some extra maple syrup if you wish) and finish with a topping of crushed pecan nuts.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s made with very simple ingredients, most of which you’re likely to have at home already – apples, spices, yogurt, and maple syrup are pantry staples!
Perfect for serving at parties – Although it doesn’t need any fancy ingredients, the dessert looks really elegant and beautiful, so it’s perfect for serving at holiday celebrations and fall parties.
It’s full of delicious flavors – The cinnamon baked apples taste amazing together with the fluffy mascarpone cream, and notes of cardamom and caramelly maple syrup take things to the next level.
Lighter than most creamy fall desserts – Mascarpone-based desserts can be very heavy, but here I’ve mixed the mascarpone with some Greek yogurt to turn it into a lighter, guilt-free dessert.
It’s make-ahead friendly – You can bake the apples and whip up the cream earlier in the day, then assemble right before serving. Perfect for avoiding stress at the last minute!

Tips for Success

Use a crisper variety of apples that hold their shape while baking. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith are great for this recipe, as they don’t turn mushy in the oven.
Keep an eye on baking time – Depending on your apples and oven, they may need a little more or less than 45 minutes to soften. Don’t overbake your dessert!
Taste the cream before serving. If you like your desserts sweeter, add more sugar, but I find a slightly tangy cream balances the caramelized apples beautifully.
Toast the pecans lightly before sprinkling them over the dessert bowls to add more crunch and flavor.