Gingerbread Mascarpone Cheese Tart

---

Hi!

IT’S DECEMBER! I can’t believe it actually. Where did 2019 go? Like seriously tho, I feel like this year flew by Is it just me? Anyways, it’s officially Dec 1st today and the holiday season is in full swing. As I type this I finally turned on the queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey and really feeling the vibes. With that feeling, I wanted to do something to really challenge myself before this year quickly ends. I haven’t been the best as uploading constant content on the blog or any of my social networks. SO I thought I would rectify that with a little Dec fun.. and that fun is something I’m calling #bakemas!

I’m taking the idea of youtubers and bloggers alike who do vlogmas each year. Vlogmas is a yearly tradition when creators challenge themselves to post content everyday in Dec leading up to Christmas. I thought I would take a page outta their books and create my own tradition and post a new recipe everyday this month and call it #bakemas! I know that sounds insane but I am up for the challenge. I have so many recipes developed and things to share that I figured this would be the best way to share everything with everyone! So with that said, Happy Day 1 of #bakemas!

I love cheese. I love cheese everything. I have yet to come across a cheese that I wouldn’t eat. I seriously LOVE cheese. So when planing out this months content calendar, I knew I needed a cheese something. then I remembered I had a mascarpone cheese tart that was developed, tested and sitting in my kitchen journal.

I originally meant for this recipe to be posted in in the spring, opps! but decided to hold off on that version and developed it into something more holiday inspired, behold Gingerbread Mascarpone Cheese Tart with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream! I thought that gingerbread would be such a great spicy companion to the tart cheeses as well as garnishing it with candied ginger. I love frosted gingerbread loaves, especially from Starbucks, and wanted to channel that into this tart.

This recipe is rather easy to bake! The pâte sucrée is a very forgiving tart dough to use, and is also whipped up in a food-processor! The filling is a one bowl and a whisk. You could easily skip the cream cheese and top this with a simple whipped cream if that’s your liking. I love when people take recipes and create them into their perfect moments. I hope this tart finds you some holiday cheer as much as it has for me!

If you do bake this tart, and I hope you do, I’d love to share in the moment with you. Tag me on instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your Gingerbread Mascarpone Cheese Tart!

xo -Jase

…Good to Knows…

• The Pâte Sucrée may be made 1 day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. When ready to use, let the dough stand at room-temp for 5 minutes before rolling out. Pâte Sucrée may also be frozen for up to 4 months. When ready to use, allow the dough to thaw overnight in refrigerator, followed by allowing the dough to sit at room-temp for 5 minutes before rolling out.

• The tart may be baked and made up to 2 days in-advance, without the topping. On the day you are ready to serve and enjoy the tart, that is when you should whip up the cream cheese whipped cream and finish the tart.

• The Cream Cheese Whipped Cream may be made ahead of time (same day) and stored in the refrigerator before you are ready to serve the tart.

• If you do bake these, I’d love to share in the moment with you. Tag me on instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your macaron adventures. 

…Provisions…

Surface: Erickson Surfaces
Knife: Pallarès Solsona
Round Cooling Rack: Vintage
Silverware: Vintage

For a full list of recipes, check out the Recipe Index

---

Gingerbread Mascarpone Cheese Tart

…makes 1 - 9” tart…

Pâte Sucrée
195g all-purpose flour
25g almond flour
80g powdered sugar
113g (1/4c or 1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
pinch of kosher salt
2 large brown eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod

Gingerbread Mascarpone Cheese Filling
225g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
120g crème fraîche, at room temperature
100g (1/2c) dark brown sugar
2 large brown eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod
30ml (2 tbsp) molasses
30g all-purpose flour
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch white pepper, or black pepper
3/4 tsp of kosher salt 

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
240ml heavy cream, chilled
225g (8 ounce) cream cheese, at room temperature
50g (1/4c) granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)

Toppings (Optional)
candied ginger pieces
dusting of spices

…METHOD…

Pâte Sucrée
As always, weigh out, gather and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. In the bowl of a food processor, add the both flours, chilled butter, powdered sugar and salt. Pulse until you get a crumbled mixture similar to bread crumbs.

Add the eggs and vanilla, then pulse until the mixture resembles a dough and pulls away from the sides of the food processor bowl. Remove the dough from the food processor and quickly shape the dough into a compact disk. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

When ready to par-bake your tart shell, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it stand at room-temp for 5 minutes before rolling out. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a 1/4 inch thick, 11’ circle. Place the rolled out dough into the 9 inch tart mold and press into the mold, trimming off excess. Place tart shell back into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375˚f / 190˚c. Once the oven is ready, place a sheet of parchment paper, or aluminum foil, on the inside of the tart pan and pour dried beans or pie weights onto the parchment paper. Blind-bake the pastry dough for 25 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights, then continue baking for another 12-15 minutes, until the dough is slightly golden and baked throughout.

Remove tart shell from and allow to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚f/180˚c while you prepare the gingerbread mascarpone cheese filling. 

Gingerbread Mascarpone Cheese Filling
In a large size bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, crème fraîche and sugar together and whisk well to combine. Next add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to fully incorporate. At this time, ensure all the sugar has incorporated and there are no lumps . Add vanilla and molasses and whisk to combine.

Now sift together flour, spices and salt. Fold half the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until streaky, followed by the second half, and gently mix until everything is just combined. Do not over beat the filling as you do not want to incorporate air bubbles.  

Pour gingerbread mascarpone cheese filling into the cooled tart shell, smoothing the top with an off-set spatula.

Place tart into the oven, on the middle rack, and bake at 350˚f/180˚c for 22-24mins. You are looking for the edges of the filling to have set, while the center of the filling is still jiggly like jell-o. Once you have the jiggle in the center, remove the tart and allow to completely cool at room-temp before placing the tart in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours, ideal over-night, before serving.

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
As always, weigh out, gather and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. In a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on high until you have medium-firm peaks, approx. 1 minute. This goes by fast, so don't walk away. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the room-temp cream cheese and vanilla (as well as optional allspice) on high until you have aerated the cream cheese and there are no visible lumps, approx. 2-3 minute.

Now add the whipped cream cheese into the whipped cream and whip both mixtures together until they are smooth and have come to stiff peaks, approx. 30 sec to 1 minute.

Chill the cream cheese whipped cream until you are ready to serve. This may be made ahead of time, and stored for a few hours in the refrigerator.

…ASSEMBLY and SERVE…

When you are ready to serve, top the chilled gingerbread mascarpone cheese tart with the cream cheese whipped cream in any fashion that you like! I topped mine with an assortment of piping tips but you may want to dollop or spread yours. You may also garnish this tart with candied ginger and a dusting of spices as well.

This tart may be refrigerated for about 2-3 days in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Note: The cream cheese whipped cream may lose volume and wilt as it sits in the fridge, but never fear, the flavor remains great!

---