Mascarpone Frosting Recipe

This mascarpone frosting is 1 cup cold heavy cream whipped to soft peaks, then beaten with 8 ounces cold mascarpone, ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until it holds firm peaks. It takes 10 minutes, makes about 3 cups, and frosts 12 to 14 cupcakes or one single layer 9 inch cake.

There is no butter in it. It tastes like sweet cream with a mild, milky richness, and it pipes clean swirls as long as everything stays cold and you stop beating the moment it firms up.

What One Batch Covers

• Ingredients: 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, 8 oz (225 g) mascarpone, ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, optional zest of 1 lemon or orange
• Time: 10 minutes, plus 10 to 15 minutes to chill the bowl and whisk
• Yield: about 3 cups, enough for 12 to 14 cupcakes or the top and sides of one single layer 9 inch cake
• For a 2 layer cake with filling: make a double batch
• Sweetness: noticeably less sweet than American buttercream
• Make ahead: up to 1 day in the fridge, re-whipped gently before using

Why Cold Mascarpone and 36% Cream

Mascarpone is a very soft, high fat Italian cream cheese. The flavor is mellow and buttery, with none of the tang of regular cream cheese. Use it straight from the fridge. Warm mascarpone loosens the whipped cream and can break into a grainy mess before the frosting ever holds a peak.

The cream gives the frosting its lift. Use heavy cream labeled 36% fat or higher. Lighter whipping cream does not hold its shape as well and can weep in a warm kitchen.

Sift the powdered sugar. Half a cup is enough to sweeten without hiding the dairy flavor, and sifting stops small lumps that catch in a piping tip. For flavor, pure vanilla keeps it neutral. A little finely grated lemon or orange zest makes it bright, which suits berry cakes, lemon cakes and tarts.

Cream First, Then Mascarpone

Chill the tools. Put the bowl and whisk attachment or beaters in the fridge or freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. It sounds fussy, but a cold bowl gives you more time before the fat softens.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Pour the cold cream into the chilled bowl and beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop when it forms gentle waves and a peak flops over at the tip. Whipping the cream on its own first lets you see that stage clearly. Beating everything together at once saves a bowl but makes it much harder to judge when to stop.

Add the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla. Add them to the whipped cream and start on low speed so the sugar does not fly out, then turn it up to medium-high. Add the zest here if you are using it.

Beat to firm peaks, then stop. This takes only 1 to 2 minutes. Use it right away for piping, or cover and chill it.

How Far to Beat It (and Saving Grainy Frosting)

Mascarpone frosting goes from firm to curdled in seconds, so watch it rather than the clock. Stop when the beaters leave clear ridges in the bowl and a peak stands straight up as you lift them. The surface still looks smooth and slightly glossy.

Past that point the butterfat in the mascarpone starts to separate. The frosting looks rough and speckled, then grainy. Do not keep beating to fix it. Fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold, unwhipped heavy cream by hand with a spatula, a little at a time, until it smooths out again.

If it is soft and will not hold a peak, the cream or mascarpone was too warm. Put the whole bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, then beat for a few seconds more.

Mascarpone Frosting vs Cream Cheese Frosting

Mascarpone frosting is lighter, milder and less sweet. Cream cheese frosting is denser and tangy, which is why it belongs on red velvet and carrot cake. I reach for mascarpone on fruit-forward cakes, where the frosting should support the fruit rather than compete with it.

For something in between, use half mascarpone and half cold cream cheese in place of the 8 ounces of mascarpone. You get a little tang and a slightly firmer frosting.

Nor is this a buttercream. A mascarpone buttercream beats mascarpone into softened butter with more sugar, so it is firmer and handles room temperature better. This whipped version is lighter and needs the fridge. When I want the structure of butter, I use my vanilla buttercream frosting instead, and for something even airier than this there is plain whipped cream frosting.

Cakes and Cupcakes That Suit Mascarpone

It holds a star tip swirl on cupcakes without drooping, and it sits well between the layers of a naked cake like this naked lemon blueberry cake. With vanilla it goes on sponges and bundt cakes. With lemon zest, try it on pistachio cupcakes or strawberry cake.

Mascarpone cream also stars in my strawberry shortcake cake with mascarpone and the lemon mascarpone cake. For a nutty version, there is also a pistachio mascarpone frosting.

Making It Ahead and Keeping a Frosted Cake

Make the frosting up to 1 day ahead, cover it tightly and refrigerate. Before using it, re-whip gently by hand or on low for a few seconds. Do not beat it hard a second time or it can turn grainy.

Keep frosted cakes and cupcakes in the fridge and take them out shortly before serving. Like any whipped cream frosting, it should not sit at room temperature for more than about 2 hours. I have frosted cakes in the morning for an evening table with no slipping, as long as they waited in the fridge.

I do not freeze it. The cream splits and the texture turns watery and grainy after thawing.

What People Ask About Mascarpone Icing

Can I make mascarpone frosting without heavy cream?

You can beat the mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla alone, but you get a dense, spreadable cream for filling or a sheet cake, not a light frosting that pipes tall swirls. The whipped cream is what makes this recipe light.

Why did my mascarpone frosting curdle?

It was beaten past firm peaks or the mascarpone was warm. Fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold cream by hand to smooth it.

Can I pipe it on cupcakes?

Yes. Use it straight after beating, with a large star or round tip, and keep the piped cupcakes chilled.

Is mascarpone frosting stable enough for a layer cake?

Yes, for a cake kept in the fridge. Make a double batch for 2 layers, and chill the cake for 30 minutes after filling before you frost the outside.

Pin It for Your Next Berry Cake

Save this mascarpone frosting to your frosting or cake board on Pinterest for the next time you want something lighter than buttercream. If you try it, tell me in the comments what you frosted, or ask if something went wrong. I am happy to help.