Mascarpone whipped cream is silky, stabilized whipped cream that’s ready to use in minutes! Made with only 4 ingredients, this whipped frosting is an elegant topping for cakes, cupcakes, pies, and more.
Easy Stabilized Mascarpone Whipped Cream
We’re making sturdy mascarpone whipped cream that holds its shape when spread, piped, or dolloped over all of your favorite desserts.
This recipe is so easy, made with 4 ingredients. It’s quick, too, since the whipped cream comes together in minutes! Mascarpone frosting is rich and silky, with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s the perfect way to add some elegant flair to your next sweet treat!
Why You’ll Love This Mascarpone Whipped Cream Recipe
- Fluffy and flavorful. This whipped frosting is extra creamy! It’s sweet and tangy, almost cheesecake-like, thanks to the soft mascarpone cheese.
- Great for decorating. Mascarpone whipped cream is a kind of stabilized whipped cream that’s perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes. It’s thick, a bit like mousse, and great for piping.
- Less sweet. When people ask me for alternatives to American buttercream, this is the recipe I suggest. It’s far less sweet than buttercream and pairs perfectly with everything from fruity flavors like lemon blueberry to richer flavors like pumpkin. Scroll down to find more pairings for this whipped cream under the “ways to use it” section.
Ingredient Notes
Three key ingredients come together to make the perfect whipped mascarpone frosting. I’ve included my notes below. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a printable ingredients list.
- Mascarpone Cheese – Cold from the fridge. Not all brands of mascarpone are equal (see below), and you’ll want to choose one that’s less watery.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – For the silkiest frosting, always use full-fat heavy cream. Like the mascarpone, the cream should also be nice and cold.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar. Powdered sugar is the key to stabilized whipped cream that holds its shape.
What is Mascarpone cheese?
Mascarpone is a type of Italian soft cheese. It has a tangy flavor that’s more subtle than American cream cheese, and the texture is much creamier. In the US, my preferred brands are BelGioioso and Vermont Creamery. You’ll find mascarpone in the deli section of most major grocery stores, usually near the other specialty cheeses.
Can I Substitute Cream Cheese for Mascarpone?
Yes. In a pinch, you can substitute full-fat cream cheese for mascarpone in this frosting recipe. Use the kind of cream cheese that comes in blocks, and not the spreadable tub kind. You can also check out my recipe for cream cheese whipped cream.
How to Make Mascarpone Whipped Cream
This easy step-by-step shows you how to make fluffy whipped cream mascarpone frosting. Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Chill the bowl. Cold is the name of the game when making whipped cream of any kind. Pop your mixing bowl and the whisk attachment from your mixer into the freezer 10 minutes before you start.
- Combine the mascarpone with the cream. Begin by beating cold mascarpone cream as you gradually pour in about 1/2 cup of heavy cream until the consistency of the mascarpone is also liquid. This is essential for creating a smooth (not lumpy) whipped cream.
- Whip the frosting. Once the ingredients are combined, up the mixer speed and whip the cream into soft peaks. Slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and then give the frosting a final whip until stiff peaks form.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Making any kind of whipped cream from scratch may sound intimidating, but you’ll be a pro in no time! Keep the following in mind for the best results:
- Use immediately. Mascarpone whipped cream is best to use on desserts right away. I don’t recommend leaving it in the bowl for too long, as it tends to lose its smooth, light texture.
- Don’t overwhip. It is possible to overmix whipped cream leaving it curdled or lumpy. Beat the cream and mascarpone into soft peaks, add powdered sugar, and continue to whip only until stiff peaks form.
- Add cinnamon. Make a version of cinnamon maple whipped cream with mascarpone, cinnamon, and maple syrup (or honey). It’s the perfect frosting for a pumpkin cake.
- Add citrus. Flavor this whipped cream with lemon zest and a few drops of lemon extract (I use lemon mascarpone whipped cream in my lemon layer cake recipe). Another good option is orange zest and extract.
- Chocolate. Make a chocolate version and swap out 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for powdered sugar.
- Recommended brands: I find the most success with BelGioioso brand, Vermont creamery and Trader Joes, but I most often use BelGioioso.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not quite. Mascarpone whipped cream is more stable than traditional whipped cream. The flavor is also more complex, with a hint of salty, cheesy savoriness. It’s less tangy than cream cheese.
If your mascarpone frosting is runny, there’s a chance that you either over or under-mixed the mascarpone and heavy cream. When this happens, try beating in extra powdered sugar, 1 spoonful at a time, to help it thicken.
Ways to Use Mascarpone Whipped Cream
I love the subtle flavor and irresistible texture of this whipped mascarpone frosting. I’m always finding new ways to use it! Here are some ideas:
- Cakes. I use mascarpone whipped cream as a frosting for my strawberry mascarpone cake and as a filling in this lemon blackberry cake.
- Cupcakes. Use large piping tips to create swirls of whipped cream on top of peach pie cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes. See my tutorials on how to use a piping bag and how to use piping tips for lots of helpful pointers.
- Tiramisu. Use mascarpone whipped cream in classic tiramisu recipes. I also make variations of this whipped cream for my peanut butter cup tiramisu and apple pie tiramisu.
- Cheesecake. Add this whipped cream to no-bake desserts like this creamy tiramisu cheesecake or my no-bake pumpkin cheesecake.
- Breakfast. This sweet and fluffy whipped cream makes the perfect topping for pancakes and waffles.
How to Store Mascarpone Frosting
- To Store. I suggest piping, decorating, or filling your cake with mascarpone whipped cream right away. Frosted cakes and cupcakes will stay fresh for up to 2-3 days when stored airtight in the fridge.
- Freeze. I don’t recommend freezing mascarpone frosting as it tends to separate once it’s thawed.
More Whipped Cream Recipes
Print
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make silky mascarpone whipped cream in minutes with only 4 ingredients! This stabilized whipped cream frosting is sweet and tangy, perfect for topping cakes, cupcakes, pies, and more.
Ingredients
For 12-18 cupcakes:
- 8 ounces (226g) mascarpone cheese, cold
- 1 1/4 cup (296 ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
For a 3 layer cakes (makes approximately 4 cups)
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese, cold
- 2 ½ cup (592ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 ¼ cup (163g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to chill.
- Spoon the mascarpone cream into your bowl and beat on a medium-low speed (speed 3 on your stand mixer). Slowly pour in the heavy cream, about 1/2 cup, allowing the mascarpone cheese to turn to a liquid consistency.
- Add the remaining heavy cream then increase the mixing speed to high (speed 8-10) and beat it until soft peaks form.
- Next, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beating on low until sugar is incorporated. Continuing beating at a high speed until stiff peaks form.
Notes
- This is best prepared and used right away. I don’t recommend preparing in advance. If kept in the fridge in your bowl for too long, you may need to rewhip it, adding additional powdered sugar to re-thicken.
- If used right away to frost cupcakes or a cake, this will stay fresh for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 263
- Sugar: 11.4g
- Sodium: 99.3mg
- Fat: 23.2g
- Saturated Fat: 14.3g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2.8g
- Cholesterol: 70.7mg
Hi, would this frosting be good with a carrot cake?
Yes! But it is a whipped cream frosting, so the texture is much much lighter than a traditional cream cheese frosting
This looks like an amazing recipe. I absolutely love Mascarpone Cheese and I am wondering if you could make other recipes with the Mascarpone Cheese and your other ingredients? Stuffed pancakes, waffles and much more delicious ideas. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
I can’t wait to try this!! But tell me where would I be there able to find the Mascarpone cheese? Buttercream has been my go to frosting but I’m really excited to try this!!!
It’s usually with the fancy cheese in the grocery store, near the deli
I love this recipe so excited to find it! Tried several that almost held up but not as fabulously as this one – it is equally light, fluffy and dreamy to frost and pipe with. Thank you for sharing.
So happy to hear that Diane! Glad you enjoyed them!
I made this frosting for a strawberry shortcake birthday cake for my grandson. Everyone loved it and I’m going to make it again next week for a work party. Thanks for the fabulous recipe.
Yes! That’s a perfect pairing! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t know how this is stabilized whip cream. As usual my bowls and beaters were very cold but after whipping this it started to fall apart. I put it back into the fridge but as soon as I tried frosting cupcakes it started melting. I am used to making my own whipped cream but this recipe did not work out for me.
Hi Donna, I don’t seem to have this issue, but I have found that some brands of mascarpone work better than others. When properly whipped, this should be a light and fluffy texture. I’ve used this to pipe cupcakes and cakes many times and it should pipe beautifully. If it started to melt or fall apart, perhaps it was not whipped properly to stiff peaks?
I am wondering if this frosting is ok to pipe on cupcakes and refrigerate overnight? Thank you.
Hi Darlene, it absolutely is!
I just piped 48 of these cupcakes and this recipe is wonderful! I made 1 with the measurements below and 1 with a 1.5 measure and I made just enough for them all!!! It is setting beautifully and tastes amazing! Do you think I could sub lemon juice for vanilla? I can only imagine how wonderful that would taste! Thanks so much 🙂
Love to hear that Cynthia! I would think lemon extract or some fresh zest would be great!
So good!!! I made it with French toast and berries. It was the best!
That sounds incredible! Thank you for sharing!
Followed the recipe and directions to a T and it was PERFECT. Made this for a lemon blueberry cake and it was the perfect frosting!!!
Amazing Alicia, thank you so much!
Hello! I was wondering if you have tried substituting whipping cream with coconut cream and if you have any tips how to go about it?
I have not tried that
Very easy and simple to make! Just follow the recipe and you won’t mess up. It sets up well and lasts a long time. It is also no super sweet which is nice! I used this recipe to frost a cake
Thanks Kylie! I am so happy you found this recipe!
I followed the directions for the frosting but the cheese and heavy whipping cream separated and became lumpy. What did I do wrong?
Hi Deborah, if it separated in the end, it’s likely over whipped. Did you follow the process of slowly streaming the cream in until the mascarpone turned from liquid to solid at the first step?
Didn’t come out sweet for me at all. I even doubled the powdered sugar to no avail, good texture of it though, came out fairly quick too.
Hi Chris, I don’t agree with how you rated the recipe. If it wasn’t sweet enough for you, then you can add as much sugar as you’d like but this is also not supposed to be an overly sweet topping.
Would almond extract work instead of vanilla?
Yep, this will work with any flavor extract you’d like
Hi
I like to make this but I want it to be less sweet would that be ok if I cut the sugar to half? Would I still get same texture to use as filling and decorating cake?
Thanks
Hi Azi, it will be less thick which could result in a little less stability for piping but, but it will still work just fine. Although I think you will find that it’s not overly sweet regardless
Thank you so much
I will make it with exact measurement this Thursday
Thank you for all your hard work!!
You’re welcome!
This is excellent on grilled stone fruit topped with homemade granola!!! This recipe is a keeper! And so easy too. Thank you!
Yeees! That does sound amazing!!
I have tried the recipe and 1st batch tasted fantastic. But I think my mascarpone cheese had much more water content than the branded ones. Can I reduce the heavy cream to half of the cheese? Thank you
Hi Ivy, it’s very possible, which can drastically affect the results. Which brand are you using? I don’t understand your question about reducing the heavy cream to half the cheese? Can you please be more specific?
I got the supermarket brand cheese (Coles-Australia)- there is no information about fat or water content. So I think reduce the amount of heavy cream to half of amount of cheese (example: 200g cheese and 100g heavy cream) but I’m not sure will that affect the stability of the frosting. Will it hold the shape better? I’m new and can’t afford so many trial&errors; so I appreciate your reply very much
Hi Ivy- I tend to stick with using the same ratios of mascarpone to heavy cream, so for every 8 ounces (226g) I use at least 1 cup (236ml) of heavy cream. If you had 1 cup of heavy cream, and choose to add half the amount of mascarpone, the consistency would be closer to a true whipped cream. I tend to think that the mascarpone adds stability, especially for piping. You could also test with cream cheese which tends to be cheaper (at least here in the US)
Hi! Thanks so much for this recipe. Im looking for a frosting that’s less sweet and dense than buttercream, but more stable than traditional whipped cream. Will this remain stable for a few hours outside of the fridge at room temperature? Also, do you think it’s durable enough to perform well as a dam for strawberry preserve filling? Thanks so much!
Hi Allison, yes it is strong enough for a dam. You can see it here on my Strawberry Cake. A couple of hours is a long time for it to be sitting at room temperature regardless, but it will keep for little bit. It needs to be kept in a cold, airconditioned room and should not be exposed to the heat or humidity.
Absurdly good… fancy restaurant good.
HAAH! That is amazing, thank you!