The Best Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting

This quick and easy stabilized mascarpone whipped cream recipe is my all-time favorite, and it can be ready in 15 minutes! It's light and airy – perfect for topping cupcakes, ice cream and pies, as a dessert dip for fruit, or to just eat by the spoonful. I've also included instructions to make chocolate whipped cream! If you're ever looking for a frosting to top a dessert – this is going to become your new go-to.

Samantha said: “Omg, this is the best whipped cream recipe I’ve come across. It stands on its own as a dessert! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“

When it comes to frosting or whipped cream, the first thing I always do is assess if my favorite mascarpone frosting would be a good fit. It's my default, go-to recipe.

Frankly, it's hard to imagine something that it wouldn't go well with, but I suppose I'm slightly biased. It's light, airy, and super easy to pipe with any kind of decorating tip.

You could also just use an icing spatula to frost a cake! But it's not the kind of frosting that crusts, so don't think of it as a substitute for a crusting buttercream.

What is mascarpone cheese used for?

Mascarpone is a creamy Italian cheese that's made by combining hot cream with an acid like lemon juice or tartaric acid. It's cooled and then drained through a cheesecloth-lined strainer for a couple days.

You'll find mascarpone cheese in savory meals like baked pasta dishes to add a rich and creamy element. As for sweet dishes, you probably know it best as an ingredient in tiramisu or part of the filling for cannolis (of which, you should try these cannoli cupcakes sometime).

In the case of this whipped cream, I'm using at as a stand in for cream cheese. I like the texture and flavor better, and it works out beautifully. I firmly believe that whipped mascarpone cream is superior to all others!

What does mascarpone taste like?

I noted that I use mascarpone instead of cream cheese because I prefer the flavor of the mascarpone. And that's because American cream cheese is much more tangy than mascarpone, and mascarpone is a much more subtle and slightly sweet flavor.

Mascarpone is also more soft, creamy and dense than cream cheese. If you were to dip a knife into a container of mascarpone, it would spread beautifully, similar to butter spreads.

Where can I find mascarpone cheese?

I typically find mascarpone in the deli section of my grocery store, by the other cheeses, hummus, and meat products. And I always buy BelGioioso brand mascarpone!

Why I'm so in love with this mascarpone frosting

This isn't the kind of whipped cream you get from an aerosol can. That kind of whipped cream loses its shape as it sits, and eventually gets melty and less than appetizing.

But this whipped cream? It's perfect. And I promise you that making whipped cream from scratch isn't hard!

• It won't lose it shape (and I've had it on top of cupcakes for multiple days and it never budged) and it won't melt at room temperature. Now, if you take it to a BBQ that's outside on a 95 degree day… I can't make any promises. I start melting at that point, so you can't blame the whipped cream.
• It can support garnish, like fruit or sprinkles, without any trouble. Although, full disclaimer: if what you topped it with has color (like rainbow sprinkles or strawberries), it will eventually bleed into the whipped cream. So don't top it until just before serving!
• Once you've made it, you don't need to re-whip it to get back the right consistency – it stays exactly the way you made it (as long as you store it in the fridge).
• It can go on anything! Cupcakes, cake, ice cream, pie, brownies, hot chocolate, fruit, your face, macaroni and cheese… wait, not that last one. 

Ingredients for mascarpone whipped cream frosting

Here's the great news – you only need four ingredients!

• Mascarpone cheese: This is instead of cream cheese, and helps provide that beautiful stability to the finished product.
• Granulated sugar: This gives the whipped cream its light sweetness. People have told me they've used powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) in it's place and it's worked well for them!
• Pure vanilla extract: I always add vanilla extract for the flavor, but you could also use a different flavored extract if you wanted to mix things up.
• Heavy cream: Because… whipped cream!

How to make whipped mascarpone

1. Chill a large mixing bowl in the fridge (optional, but strongly encouraged).
2. In your chilled bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine mascarpone cheese and sugar on a high speed until completely combined.
3. Add vanilla and heavy cream, and mix on a low setting until it is mostly combined.
4. Now increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form – it may take a little while, so be patient!
5. Once your cupcakes, cake or whatever treat you desire to top this with is cooled and ready to go, fit a piping bag with desired tip and go to town with frosting them.

Tips for making the best mascarpone whipped cream

There are a few key ingredients and elements to this mascarpone whipped cream:

• My favorite mascarpone cheese to use is the classic BelGioioso in the white and green container, and I can usually find it in any grocery store. Make sure it's fresh out of the fridge and cold – it makes a difference!
• The mixing bowl needs to be as cold as you can get it. Stick it in the freezer for an hour before you start prepping the recipe, it helps!
• I make my own vanilla extract using vanilla beans and vodka, but that requires a lot of planning ahead! So if you're tight on time, I highly recommend this Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract (aff link). It's on the pricier side, but I truly believe it's worth it. If you need to keep things budget-friendly, Rodelle pure vanilla extract (aff link) is always a solid choice.
• Also, you definitely want a KitchenAid electric mixer with the whisk attachment for this recipe, because your arm is going to get tired if you use a hand mixer. That's not to say it can't be done, because it can! Just prepare your arm :)
• If you're fancy schmancy and you have one of those stainless steel whipped cream dispensers, load it up! I'm not fancy, so mine just goes into a sealed plastic container… if there's any left to store, which isn't often. Seriously.

Can I make chocolate mascarpone whipped cream?

You sure can! Just add an extra 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder during the second step (before adding the heavy cream).

The flavor is light and not overly sweet – so if you're looking for a much sweeter, more indulgent chocolate flavor this isn't the recipe for that. Try the frosting from this double chocolate layer cake instead!

What about fruity flavors?

Quite frankly, the possibilities are endless! But give my lemon mascarpone whipped cream a try next.

Can I freeze whipped cream?

You can… she says with hesitation in her voice. Here's the thing – if you tried to freeze a whole batch of it, you'd need to let it thaw in the fridge and then re-whip it, but then you're at risk of over-whipping it and making yourself some weird butter.

But what you can do is prepare individual servings for later:

• Drop piped mounds of this whipped cream onto a parchment-linked baking sheet
• Carefully cover, and then freeze overnight
• The next day, you can peel the mounds of whipped cream off the parchment paper and transfer them to a freezer-safe container for storage

This would be a great use case for being able to grab one to add to a mug of your favorite hot chocolate!

If you plan to use it as garnish on a cake, pie, etc., just let them thaw in the fridge for about 15 minutes before adding them.

How many calories in whipped cream?

The answer to this is a big “it depends”. If you're talking about just diving the recipe into 12 servings (let's pretend it's going to be generous servings on top of 12 cupcakes), then it's about 127 calories per servings. See the nutritional information at the bottom of the recipe card for more information.

One time I made a half batch of this and just sat down on the couch and ate it with a large spoon, right out of the mixing bowl. Okay, fine – it was a full batch. And maybe it was more than once.

But once you make this, you will in no way judge me.

…okay, maybe you'll still judge me a little bit.

Does this recipe look familiar?

This recipe might ring a bell, because you've probably seen it a few times:

• Pavlova with Mascarpone Whipped Cream
• Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes
• Strawberry S'mores Icebox Cake
• Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Mascarpone Whipped Cream & Honey
• Strawberry Rhubars
• Lemon Almond Flour Cake

There are even more posts where it's been used but not mentioned by name, so if you feel like playing a game of “Where's Waldo?”, start looking through the archives!

Other recipes to pair with mascarpone frosting

• Salted Nutella Fudge Brownie Gelato
• Paleo Double Chocolate Brownies (it'll kinda negate the paleo, but YOLO)
• Black Forest Sundae
• Fudgy Chocolate Banana Brownies
• Gingerbread Ice Cream
• No Churn Homemade Americone Dream Ice Cream
• Oreo Ice Cream
• Chocolate Avocado Pudding

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