Vanilla Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream and Berries

Almond vanilla cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 175c degrees and lightly grease a muffin mold.
2. In a bowl of a mixer with a paddle-attachment put butter, sugar, salt and vanilla and whip until creamy, airy and soft.
3. Add the eggs one at a time while whisking between additions.
4. Add sour cream and whisk on medium speed until it is assimilated into the mixture.
5. Sift in flour and baking powder, add almond meal and fold just until smooth batter forms.
6. Fill the muffin mold and bake for 18-23 minutes or until the cakes set, golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool the cakes completely before filling and decoration.

Mascarpone cream:

1. In a bowl of a mixer with a whipping-attachment put mascarpone, vanilla and powdered sugar and whip on medium-low speed for about a minute, until mixture is smooth.
2. Increase to high speed and add the cream in a thin stream while whipping quickly. Whip until stable cream is formed.
3. Transfer about 3 heaping tablespoons of cream into a bowl, add the chopped berries and stir well until blended. This will be the filling for the cupcakes.
4. Transfer the remaining mascarpone cream into a piping bag with a large serrated piping tip.

Assemble the cupcakes:

1. using a Parisienne spoon create a “hole” in the center of each cupcake and fill with mascarpone-berry cream. This can be done with a spoon.
2. Over the berry cream drizzle mounds of mascarpone cream and garnish with fresh berries.