It’s a sad reality that when I have parties, dessert is often forgotten. No matter how much time I spend preparing a pie, cake or crumble it is inevitably overshadowed by the savory dishes, the cocktail table or my never-empty wine rack (really, if I had a dollar for every time someone said “how come you don’t drink all of this?” I would be in the Bahamas right now and In Good Taste, as you know it, would cease to exist).
So, my new rule of thumb is that when I’m having parties, unless they are civilized, sit-down dinner parties (and let’s be honest, what fun is a civilized party?) desserts should be hand-held, bite sized or easy to assemble on your own. Like these dessert cups filled with fresh berries and mascarpone whipped cream.
First we are going to talk about this whipped cream. Holy hell, this whipped cream is break-your-diet, unbutton your jeans good. As if homemade whipped cream isn’t delicious enough, a healthy addition of mascarpone makes this thicker, creamier and adds that little something extra that will make you feel like you own the kitchen.
Though the dessert uses prepackaged dessert shells, the homemade whipped cream more than makes up for the lack of home-baked goodness. The shells are merely a vehicle, with fresh berries and soft, rich whipped cream as the star. The dessert shells are pretty low in calories so this is a nice dessert to spring for after a day in a bathing suit.
- 1 6-piece package dessert shells*
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup fresh blackberries
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ¾ cup mascarpone whipped cream (recipe below)
- Fresh mint for garnish (optional)
- Prepare whipped cream recipe as directed below. Mix berries in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine them. Arrange dessert shells on a plate or platter and top each with approximately ¼ cup of mixed berries. Top berries with 2 tablespoons of fresh whipped cream and garnish with fresh mint, if desired.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- Place a metal mixing bowl (or the bowl to your stand mixer) and a metal whisk (or whisk attachment) into the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Remove the bowl and whisk once its chilled and attach the whisk to your mixer.
- Just before you're ready to use it, take the whipping cream and mascarpone cheese out of the refrigerator - it should still be very cold when you pour it into the bowl. Add the cream, then the sugar into the mixing bowl and whisk until the cream reaches stiff peaks. [What are stiff peaks? The cream should be stiff, like hair gel, and it shouldn't drip from the whisk when held upright].
- Store any unused cream in an airtight container for up to seven days.
41 Comments
Mel
May 30, 2012 at 6:41 pmI made this dessert for my boyfriend and I; it was delicious!!! I used strawberries, blueberries, and cherries for the mixed berries, yum! Love the whipped cream recipe. I had to wisk by hand, but it is so worth it.
Megan'sCookin'
June 18, 2011 at 10:29 amI love Mascarpone cheese whipped with cream. We use it on our scones as a fake Devenshire Cream. LOVE IT!!!
bhavani/ameanderingmango
June 13, 2011 at 5:44 pmWhat a good idea – small, handheld desserts seem to make entertaining that much easier. These little shortcakes look simply divine – and I love mascarpone. Thanks. ps – new to your great blog!
Susan
June 12, 2011 at 11:32 amI can’t imagine anyone passing up your desserts! I think there’s always room for berries at the end of a meal and the mascarpone whipped cream sounds amazing. I will have to try that next time I made shortcakes!
Sawsan@chef in disguise
June 11, 2011 at 7:30 pmThat cream is woth every calorie..yummy indeed..
love the dessert..quick easy and not short on flavor
rebecca
June 10, 2011 at 9:19 pmwonderful and simple dessert love it enjoy the weekend Maris
NancyC
June 10, 2011 at 8:08 pmThose shortcakes look so yummy! It’s great that they’re so easy to put together, too! 🙂
Courtney
June 10, 2011 at 5:38 pmWhy is it that the desserts always get me?? I have a serious sweet tooth, apparently. These look terrific – and I love that they’re low in calories – because then I can just have more. 😉
Greg
June 10, 2011 at 4:31 pmSo perfect for entertaining. I like that it allows people to pace themselves. Although, they better hurry because if I get there first, there won’t be any left. I love the marscapone cream too.
Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather
June 10, 2011 at 3:40 pmMmm that whipped mascarpone sound divine! That quick treat.
Claire
June 10, 2011 at 2:58 pmWOW. WOW. Your photos are so gorgeous and I want to lick the screen right now.
Beth @ DiningAndDishing
June 10, 2011 at 2:54 pmhoooly these look good! anything marscapone is a stand-out to me. and fresh berry desserts are just perfect this time of year :).
Nicole@HeatOvenTo350
June 10, 2011 at 2:54 pmI love how pretty these are. I’ve never put mascarpone cheese in whipped cream before, but it sounds wonderful. This is the perfect summer dessert.
jenna laughs
June 10, 2011 at 1:59 pmI love the idea of this whipped cream – looks so thick and creamy! Yum!
The Harried Cook
June 10, 2011 at 1:50 pmThey are picture perfect, Maris… And that mascarpone whipped cream – wow! I could eat that with a spoon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Running With Mascara
June 10, 2011 at 12:51 pmAhh! I love mini-desserts! My favorite restaurant has mini $1 desserts and I always take up that offer! Your mini shortcakes looks amazing!
jessica
June 10, 2011 at 12:32 pmit might be easy but it looks gourmet and simply delicious. This is my kind of dessert. I am with you-= when I throw parties I want something easy and something I know the quests will love. You can’t go wrong with that line of thinking. This looks incredible and as always you give the best recipes and advice
Kristen
June 10, 2011 at 12:28 pmUnbutton your jeans good – now that is some pretty tasty stuff!
yummychunklet
June 10, 2011 at 11:54 amGreat idea! I love handheld, easy to make desserts. They’re fun and whimsical, exactly what desserts should be!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
June 10, 2011 at 10:04 amThat marscarpone whipped cream looks and sounds amazing!!
mandy
June 10, 2011 at 4:23 amThis sounds amazing. Like oh my god, I need to invite some friends over and have this tomorrow night amazing.
Nami @ Just One Cookbook
June 10, 2011 at 2:59 amI appreciate anything easy for dessert department. I really need to work on this field… It’s much easier to make dinner but when it comes to dessert, I feel I don’t know how I can construct something so yummy. This is very nice, Maris!
Melissa
June 10, 2011 at 2:49 ama) I would never shun dessert. Feel free to make something complicated and delicious and regardless of the amount of wine I consume (which will probably be a healthy amount), I will wildly praise it.
b) Mascarpone is always a positive. Except if you’re lactose intolerant. Then, I guess it’s just sad.
c) If I’m rarely seen in a bathing suit, does that mean I can spring for two dessert shells and some extra of this yummy whipped cream?? (Hint: The answer is YES.)
Linda
June 10, 2011 at 1:24 amMarscapone whipped cream! sounds heavenly!
Courtney
June 10, 2011 at 1:03 amLooks delicious!! Easy is always nice!! 🙂
Christy
June 9, 2011 at 10:46 pmHahaha, how could people miss your lovely desserts like these??? I do agree, and I never did quite get it too, how people would tuck into all the savory dishes and then decide they don’t have the room for desserts anymore and I do know that desserts are also usually the ones which take the longest time to prepare!:p
I love mixed berries, and give me anything with berries and I am hooked:)
Jamie | My Baking Addiction
June 9, 2011 at 10:04 pmSuch a beautiful and light dessert for summer. I LOVE mascarpone too!
Caroline
June 9, 2011 at 9:54 pmI’ll definitely be bookmarking this recipe, looks divine. and I love mascarpone cheese, especially when used in desserts. Me and my huge sweet tooth never forget dessert at dinner parties. 🙂 I must make this soon.
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
June 9, 2011 at 9:53 pmThat whipped cream is TO DIE FOR. 🙂
Vanessa
June 9, 2011 at 9:04 pmoh my gosh!!! Mascarpone whipped cream **swoons**. The berries at the market are so sweet right now. This dessert is just perfect for summer.
Three-Cookies
June 9, 2011 at 8:42 pmReally nice and easy, almost like a ‘make your own cheesecake’. Civilised parties can be boring:)
Shari @ Chicago Cuisine Critique
June 9, 2011 at 8:28 pmThis looks delicious! 🙂
courtney @ cupcakedynamite
June 9, 2011 at 7:34 pmthese look gorgeous! and remind me of fourth of july as a kid. 🙂
leslie
June 9, 2011 at 7:32 pmOhhh lord have mercy..that whipped cream sounds out of this World!!!!
Daryl
June 9, 2011 at 7:19 pmI love the fact that you can have such a lovely and delicious dessert without baking!
Nelly Rodriguez
June 9, 2011 at 7:12 pmDefinitely a simple dessert that you’ve made even better by the addition of mascarpone. I try to not unbutton my jeans at parties, but desperate times call for desperate measures? 😉 Lovely dessert!
Erica
June 9, 2011 at 6:34 pmWho needs the cake? I’ll take just the berries and that AMAZING whipped cream please 🙂 I bet this is creamy deliciousness!
Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray
June 9, 2011 at 6:33 pmYum! These look delish. I love the addition of mascarpone.
The Waspy Redhead
June 9, 2011 at 6:01 pmI adore Mascarpone in desserts – its rich and creamy without being too sweet.
Mary
June 9, 2011 at 5:59 pmI love desserts like this, delicious and easy – mascarpone cream is a winner!
Very much enjoyed visiting your blog, I’ll be back
Mary
Kate
June 9, 2011 at 5:52 pmThis sounds so divine and I love how simple the mascarpone cream recipe is! Definitely am going to tuck this one away for the next dinner party. Thanks!