Mascarpone Whipped Cream Recipe

If you love whipped cream but wish it held its shape longer, mascarpone whipped cream is a game-changer. Adding it to whipped cream not only gives it a richer, creamier flavor-it also thickens and stabilizes it, making it perfect for piping, layering, and even sitting out at room temperature for a bit.

Mascarpone is a thick, slightly sweet Italian cream cheese most famous for its role in tiramisu. It's often compared to American cream cheese, crème fraîche, or ricotta, but it's smoother and less tangy-making it perfect for desserts!

This mascarpone whipped cream is stable enough to pipe as a frosting on cupcakes, use as a filling for layer cakes, or dollop onto pies and tarts. Best of all, just like whipped cream stabilized with gelatin, it holds up in the fridge for a day or two without weeping or getting watery.

Why you'll love it:

• Easy to Make: this recipe has only 5 ingredients and you can whip up a batch in less than 10 minutes! 
• Versatile:  while this vanilla mascarpone cream recipe is delicious, you can mix up the flavors by adding lemon, almond, or chocolate!
• Unique: The addition of the mascarpone cheese adds such a nice and unique flavor to whipped cream and pairs perfectly with fruit, honey, and other desserts! 

Ingredients

• Mascarpone Cheese: this is the main ingredient in this recipe, thickening and flavoring the whipped cream. Common brands in America are BelGioioso and Di Stefano.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: You must use heavy whipping cream in this recipe. Regular milk or half and half will not whip up into a whipped cream.
• Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar, but you can also use powdered sugar or confectioners sugar.
• Vanilla: Vanilla extra, whole vanilla beans, or vanilla bean paste all work great. You can also use other extracts like almond extract, lemon extract, etc.  

How to make

There are two main methods of making mascarpone whipped cream.

Method 1: Whip the Cream First

Mix Cream, Sugar, Vanilla, and Salt: Add the cold whipping cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl or standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Whip: Whipped the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form, about 1-2 minutes on medium to medium-high speed (more if using a hand held mixer or mixing by hand). The whipped cream should thicken up, and start to form lines in the whipped cream that linger when mixed.

Add Mascarpone: Once very soft peaks form, turn off the mixer and add in the softened mascarpone cheese. It helps to stir the mascarpone and loosen it up a bit before adding it to the cream. This helps it all incorporate better. Start mixing on the lowest setting until it starts to combine. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.

Pro-Tip: It is very important not to over mix the whipped cream. I recommend mixing on low with short bursts of mixing at a higher speed. You can also mix in the mascarpone using a handheld whisk to ensure it doesn't over mix.

Once stiff peaks form and whipped cream is thick enough to hold it shape, stop mixing. It's ready to serve with your favorite dessert! This method makes a very light, fluffy, and pipeable frosting. But, it’s easier to over-mix.

method 2: Mix all ingredients together

Personally, I used to whip the whipping cream first, then add the mascarpone, but now, I just add it all to a bowl and mix at the same time. Perfect Mascarpone whipped cream, every time!! But, it is creamier and less light and fluffy with this method.

Add Ingredients to Bowl: Add the room temperature mascarpone, cold whipping cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl with a hand held mixer, or standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Mix: Whipped the ingredients, about 1-2 minutes on medium to medium-high speed (more if using a hand held mixer or mixing by hand). The whipped cream should thicken up, and start to form lines in the whipped cream that linger when mixed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary to make sure it’s all incorporated. It is very important not to over mix the frosting!

Once you see the marks of the beater, and the whipped cream is thick enough to hold its shape, stop mixing. It's ready to serve with your favorite dessert! 

Tips and tricks

• Using a cold bowl can help whip up the whipped cream. 
• Do not over mix! Once it starts to thicken up, and you can see the beater marks in the whipped cream, stop mixing.
• This recipe makes about 3 cups of whipped cream and can easily be halved for a small batch or doubled for a large  batch. 

FAQ

Flavor Variations

There are many different ways to flavor this whipped cream. In addition to mixing up the extracts, you can also add the following: 

• Honey: Mix in 2 tablespoons honey along.
• Chocolate: similar to this chocolate whipped cream, add 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder before whipping. 
• Lemon: add in two teaspoons of lemon zest and/or 1 teaspoon of lemon extract, to the whipping cream before whipping. 
• Espresso:  add 1 tablespoon of espresso powder to the heavy whipping cream before whipping. 
• Liquor: You can also mix in 2 tablespoons of your favorite liquors along with the mascarpone. Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, Chambord, or even whiskey works great!

Serving and Uses

This recipe makes about 2.5 to 3 cups of whipped cream and can easily be doubled for large batches or halved for smaller servings.  One batch is enough to cover about 18-24 cupcakes or a 9×13 inch cake.  I recommend 1.5 or doubling the recipe for layer cakes.

As far as when to serve this, Mascarpone whipped cream is incredibly versatile-it's light, creamy, and just sweet enough to pair with a ton desserts. In addition to classic or lemon tiramisu, here are some of the best ways to use it:

• Tiramisu: This is most commonly found on tiramisu, like the Lemon Tiramisu shown above.
• Pipe onto cupcakes - Holds its shape beautifully and adds a rich, creamy finish.
• Layer into cakes - Perfect as a stable filling between cake layers, especially for fruity or citrusy cakes (like this vanilla cake with strawberry filling).
• Top pies, tarts, and cobbler- Spoon or pipe it over mini fruit tarts, fruit pies (like these strawberry hand pies), or this easy peach cobbler.
• Serve with fresh fruit - A great alternative to plain whipped cream when serving strawberries, peaches, or berries (or this watermelon pizza!).
• Fill pastries - Use it to fill cream puffs, éclairs, or even sandwich cookies.
• Dollop on pancakes or waffles - Makes any brunch feel a little more fun.
• Spoon over trifles or parfaits - Layers beautifully and adds a soft, creamy texture.
• Add to drinks - you can use it in place of regular whipped cream for cocoa powder hot chocolate, and it's a must for this tiramisu martini!

Whether you’re frosting a cake or just topping your morning waffles, mascarpone whipped cream adds a touch of richness that feels a little extra-without a lot of extra effort.

Storing and Making Ahead

While this recipe is best the day it is made, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Looking for more whipped frostings? Check these out!

• Whipped Chocolate Ganache
• American Buttercream 
• Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
• Marshmallow Frosting