Last week, I got bitten by a spider. I don’t even know how it happened. A section of my arm swelled up like a silver dollar. It was nasty! It itched and throbbed all at the same time. I had to constantly wash the punctured area before applying my ointment. It was just unpleasant. The swelling finally went down a couple of days ago but there’s a bruise-like discoloration. Eeeeeew! That was my excitement for last week.
Anyway, on with the recipe… This was my first attempt baking with mascarpone cheese and I have to say, I loved it! I had a container in the fridge that was about to expire. Not knowing why I bought it or what to do with it, I decided to throw it into some coffee cake. It was amazing! If you can get your hands on Meyer lemon, it would be even better! It had a nice moist and somewhat dense texture. So delicious with coffee or tea. And who doesn’t like coffee cake? Enjoy your week lovelies!
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- juice of 1 lemon (mine rendered 1/4 cup)
- 1 (8 ounce) container of mascarpone cheese
- 1/3 cup of milk (I used 2%)
Topping:
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of light muscovado sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- a pinch of salt
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Using a stand or electric mixer (or mix by hand) mix together flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, butter, lemon juice, mascarpone cheese and milk. Mixture will be creamy. Slowly pour mascarpone cheese mixture into the flour mixture. Continue to mix until just moistened, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Using a spatula, distribute the batter evenly around the pan.
To make the topping, combine flour, muscovado sugar, butter and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the batter and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick/tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the coffee cake cool in the pan on the cooling rack completely before serving.
uni homemaker 
Anne,
No more excitement, O.K.? Please, just keep using mascarpone for incredible-looking creations like this! Wow, beautifully done. I hope that nasty spider bite is all cleared up!
Hi Anne!
When I saw this recipe pop up in my sidebar I just knew I had to come over for a nibble, Anne. Yummy! I very rarely use mascarpone. I buy it enough but them I just don’t know what to do with it, lol…This recipe is going into my save box. (I also pinned it:) Next time I’m at a loss I know just what to do!!! Bake this Coffee cake because I adore Coffee cake and it must be delicious with mascarpone and lemon.
So sorry to hear about your spider bite. I was once bitten by a brown recluse spider and let me tell you, it was torment! I still have the scar. Be sure and watch the infected area. If it doesn’t clear up completely, get it checked out. Spider venom is deadly! (I don’t mean to alarm you but believe me, you must be careful)
Thanks Louise! I didn’t know spider bites can get that serious. Luckily the discoloration is slowly going away. Thanks for the info. I feel much better knowing this the next time I get bitten (hopefully it’ll be never. :)).
Wow! This post is full of drama, from spider bite to luscious mascarpone lemon cake in a few paragraphs! Who said food blogging isn’t action packed? 🙂 Bookmarking this recipe!
LOL! Your comment gave me a good laugh, thanks! 🙂 And thanks for taking the time to comment today.
Ouch…I seriously don’t want that kind of excitement…but I want those coffee cake bars! They look divine.
Gorgeous and super-moist coffee cake, Anne! But, so sorry to hear of your spider bite. I was bit by one once and had a severe allergic reaction to the venom (necrosis). Not fun. Glad to hear you’re feeling much better! Thanks for sharing, girl. Will be pinning during peak time!
Hi Stacy, I had no idea spider bites are common. It’s my first one so I didn’t know what to expect. Thanks for stopping by and for the pin. HUGS! 🙂
Beautiful cake!
Spiders scare me to death – sorry for the bite. The cake looks moist and delicious.
So sorry about your Spider Bite Troubles….. When we had our farm in Quebec, Canada, I got bitten in the inside of my ear by a spider… it was yucky…. It didn’t swell but is oozed a bit and that scared me, so I went to the doctors. As we now know, spider bites are not to be taken lightly! And – I think I’m in love with this recipe. I haven’t eaten breakfast yet and I want a piece of this sooo bad !!
Sorry to hear about your spider bite! Glad you are okay though.
This coffee cake looks amazing! Incorporating mascarpone is such a great idea! Bookmarked the recipe 🙂
First, I’m glad you are on the mend from your spider bite. Ouch! That sounds very unpleasant. I’ve noticed quite a few outside, which makes me think it’s spider season here in the south. Yuck.
Onto the cake: I adore Meyer lemons. They are lovely and sweet. Mascarpone cheese is a favorite of mine and showed up in quite a few desserts in our Italian household when I was a child. Using it in your coffee cake sounds like a wonderful idea! Thank you so much for the inspiration today, Anne.
Hi Allison, we’ve had our place fumigated on the outside. I guess these creep crawlers made their way inside. The exterminator told me spider season is around summer time or whenever it’s hot out. Yuck indeed! 😉
Thanks for stopping by today. I’m glad this recipe is an inspiration! 🙂
😦 That should be enough excitement to last you a whole month, maybe more, don’t you think?! Those sneaky spiders! Not a fan at all!
The coffee cake, however, looks perfectly delicious! 🙂
Mascarpone is so underrated. This looks lovely. 🙂
Spiders are so nasty ugh… I don’t need that kind of excitement in my life thanks! But I do need this cake, it sounds so luscious and wonderful. I’ve never baked with mascarpone, but you made it look so nice that now I’m dying to give it a try! x
Oh my gosh, you just made my spider phobia increase tenfold! I wonder when it bit you?? 😦 Glad you’re doing better though. I love that you made your coffee cake lemon-flavored! The texture looks amazing, as do the crumbs on top. So yummy!!
yikes, sorry to hear about the spider bite but glad it’s better now. on the bright side, the cake looks magnifique! & with mascarpone? ooh, can only drool over the taste
Eek – I am terrified of being bitten by a spider! There are a lot more now where we live and I hateeee them. haha. I’m glad you’re feeling better! This coffee cake sounds delicious – I love that it uses mascarpone.
You have spiders that bite??? Sounds nasty too – hope you’re all fixed now and back to full strength for baking! Using mascarpone in the cake batter is a great idea – I’ve only used it as a filling in sponge sandwich cakes before, but that will all change now…
Bad news on the bite but am pretty sure cake cures most things…
I love the combination of lemon and marscapone. I once made lemon and marscapone gnocchi- but this coffee cake sounds delicious! Sorry to hear about the spider bite!
Pretty, pretty! Sorry about the spider bite 😦
Ouch, I bet that hurt! Mascarpone sounds perfect for coffee cake . . . and lemon too! Yum!
I’m sorry to hear about your spider bite…I despise any kind of bite. Especially with the swelling and/or itching. Totally miserable. Did it almost seem to bruise? My youngest had a spider bite last year, and it left a huge bruise and a scar. I love reading about what your week and what you guys do on the weekends!
My family loves coffee cake…and this is with lemon! Yum! They will definitely love this one! (=
Pinning, for sure!
Hi Gloria! I despise any kind of bites too only because I’m prone to insect bites. My spider bite did appear to look bruise-like but went away with a very slight discoloration. It’s my first spider bite and it was nasty! 😦 I can’t believe your son was left with a scar –ouch! Poor thing… I can’t imagine having these bites as a child. Thanks for stopping by today and for pinning! 🙂 HUGS!
Oh yummy! Yet another delicious cake to add to my to-do list! This looks fabulous and love that you added lemon, my favourite!
Looks so fluffy and moist – that crumb topping gets me every time!
Sorry about your bite! That sounds wicked – I’m glad you’re feeling better. I hate spiders! But I love the idea of mascarpone in a coffee cake! Especially combined with lemon. Totally delicious!
Oh my gosh – this looks like one bite of deliciousness! I must have me a few!
Coffee cake is my weakness, I just can’t get enough Yum to this!
I got bit by a spider a few years ago and ended up in the ER when it turned into a tennis ball size on my leg! Hope you’re feeling better!
First, I HATE spiders…sorry for the bite! Second I LOVE this coffee cake – lemon is one of my favorites! Pinned to my I heart Lemon board!
Spider bites are not fun! Glad you were not badly ill from it 🙂
Oh my goodness it’s 10:36 at night and I want to call room service and ask for these!!
Seriously how did you know? These are my favorite ingredients, it’s not always easy to mix them together. The cake looks so soft and moist!
This cake looks so moist and very yummy! I love lemon baked goods. Sorry to hear about your spider bite!
The.Boy’s mom just got bit by a spider also and it is NOT pretty. I hope yours goes away completely soon!! Mmm mascarpone and lemon baked goods are sheer perfection! I’ve done them in blondies before, but I think this coffee cake MUST be next!
That looks like the perfect coffee cake to me, Anne!
Love the combination of Lemon and Mascarpone, it makes the cake deliciously moist and fluffy,mmh.
Anne, bitten by a spider…I sure do not need this kind of excitement…
The cake looks delicious, like the texture of the crumb…lemon and mascarpone sounds awesome.
Hope you are having a nice week 😀
Yikes…no fun! On a happier note, your coffee cake looks wonderful!!! The combo of lemon and mascarpone must taste amazing!
This looks absolutely delicious, Anne – so wonderful and moist! Defintely on the weekend’s baking to-do list…
This combination sounds amazing, and the cake looks so moist and delicious! Citrus is the way to my heart. 😃
I’ve never used mascarpone in cake before. Or ricotta. Must try!
I hate spiders! They can really sneak up on you and sometimes you don’t even realize you’ve been bit until later. At least with bees you usually see and hear them coming.
Isn’t mascarpone one of the best things ever! I’ve never baked with it though. Used it in an asparagus gratin once and it was amazing! Your coffee cake looks seriously delicious. Must give it a try.
Oh my goodness my mom, hubby, and myself all have been bitten by spiders and had bad reactions (at different time). Not fun! I hope you’re feeling better.
Coffee cake is only one of my favorite breakfasts of all time! I’m all over this! Gorgeous award!
I’m so sorry about the spider — you’ve got to go for a checkup. A lot of spiders can be venomous. I don’t want to alarm you, but just take precaution.
Hope you’ll feel a lot better soon, my friend.
Ewwww! Getting bitten by a spider sounds nasty. Good job you got to eat this delicious looking cake to cheer you up though. Get well soon 🙂
Yikes, I hope that spider bite has healed by now… as for this cake, arrrgghhh it’s pretty much everything I’ve been craving lately. I’d never thought to put lemon and coffee cake together, but it looks amazing.
Lemon + mascarpone = perfect antidote for spider bite! I’m loving this cake!
LOL I’m going to remember this the next time Anne gets bitten. “Quick, go bake us some lemon mascarpone coffee cake!!!”
Pinning this now and can’t wait to try – thanks for sharing!