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This Mascarpone Frosting is made with mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and almond and vanilla extracts is a lusciously smooth creamy frosting.
It pipes beautifully, spreads effortlessly and stays stable at room temperature. It is a very delicate frosting, however, and works best as a cupcake topper as it will not provide structure to stacked cakes.
Krissy’s Notes
I’ve made a lot of frostings over the years, but this one completely changed the game for me. It’s not as heavy as buttercream and not as tangy as cream cheese frosting, but it sits perfectly in between. The first time I made it, I stored leftovers in the fridge and found myself spreading it on graham crackers the next day (no regrets).
This mascarpone icing recipe is now my go-to for cakes and cupcakes when I want something elegant but easy. It holds its shape well enough to pipe, stays soft even after chilling, and makes every dessert feel luxurious.
I frequently pair it with Lemon Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cookies, on top of Angel Food Cake, and my absolute favorite Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes.
Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the best frosting I’ve ever tasted <3 I’ve made it a couple times now and really complements any cake flavors my personal favorite so far would be with a spiced carrot cake. -McKayla
What You’ll Need To Make It
The complete recipe is in the card below, but here’s a quick overview.
You’ll need mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Use full-fat mascarpone, low-fat versions won’t whip properly, and make sure both the mascarpone and cream are very cold before mixing.
A tip I swear by: chill your mixing bowl and whisk attachment for 15 minutes before you start. Cold ingredients are the key to a stable, fluffy frosting that won’t split.
How to Make Mascarpone Frosting
Full instructions are in the recipe card below, but here’s the short version.
- Beat the mascarpone. Add cold mascarpone to a chilled bowl and beat with the extracts and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Whip in the cream. Slowly pour in cold heavy cream while mixing on high speed until thick and airy. Don’t overmix or it may curdle.
- Frost and enjoy. Use immediately to frost cakes or cupcakes, or refrigerate for later. It spreads beautifully and pipes like a dream.
Make Ahead and Storage
To make ahead: Prepare the frosting and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Stir gently before using.
To store: Keep refrigerated. It stays soft even when chilled, so you can use it straight from the fridge.
To freeze: Freeze in a sealed container for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator and rewhip briefly before using.
Learn From Me
I’ve made this recipe countless times, and while it’s easy, it can be a little temperamental. The biggest lesson? Temperature matters. If the mascarpone or cream get too warm, the frosting can separate. Keep everything cold and stop mixing the moment it looks fluffy and firm.
I’ve found that the brand of mascarpone and cream also makes a difference. Trader Joe’s mascarpone and local heavy whipping cream have never failed me. This is what I use when I make my Cannoli with Mascarpone Filling and my Mascarpone Frosting.
This mascarpone cream frosting is perfect for topping cupcakes or a single-layer cake, but it’s too delicate for stacking tiered cakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe has gotten a ton of questions and comments, so here is some information you might find helpful.
Temperature is usually the culprit. Both the mascarpone and heavy cream must be very cold before whipping. A warm kitchen or overmixing can cause it to break or turn soupy. Chill the bowl and whisk first, and stop mixing as soon as it looks thick and fluffy. If it does curdle, try whisking a small portion separately and then slowly folding it back in to restore texture.
This frosting is best for cupcakes, single-layer cakes, or dessert toppings. I’ve even used it to make my Coconut Berry Icebox Cake. It’s delicate and won’t hold up well under heavy cake layers or in warm weather. For tiered or outdoor cakes, Italian Buttercream Frosting is sturdier but still tastes great.
Yes! Add cocoa powder for chocolate mascarpone frosting, or gently fold in a small amount of fruit purée or citrus zest for flavor variations. You can also swap the almond extract with something like peppermint extract.
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese chilled, I used Trader Joe's brand, results may vary with other brands
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream chilled
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- RECIPE TIP: For best results, chill the mixing bowl in the freezer prior to making the recipe. Also, ensure both mascarpone and heavy cream remain refrigerated right up until the time you start mixing.
- Place the 8 ounces mascarpone cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and start beating on medium speed. While beating, add the 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract followed by the 1 cup confectioners sugar. Scrape sides and continue beating until light and fluffy. DO NOT OVERMIX as it will cause the frosting to curdle.
- With the mixer running on high speed, slowly add the 1 cup heavy whipping cream until the frosting becomes light and fluffy, about 1-3 minutes. DO NOT OVERMIX as it will cause the frosting to curdle.
- Spread onto cake or cupcakes. This frosting also holds its shape incredibly well, so it’s easy to pipe on using a decorating set. Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or two 9-inch rounds.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I tried this recipe twice and made sure I did everything just as the recipe instructed and it came out tasting good but super gloopy, didn’t hold any shape, just like underwhipped whipped cream. really sad this didn’t come out, does anyone know what could’ve went wrong??
Bye the way i used 15% heavy cream…was that heavy enough?
Unfortunately, not enough fat. The type of heavy whipping cream I use has about 36% milkfat. Are you in the states?
Make sure you place your mixing bowl in the freezer, at least 30 minutes before beginning.
This is the best frosting; so creamy, light but packed with rich, fulfilling flavor. This is definitely a keeper and WINNER! Thank you for this recipe.
What if you don’t have almond extract. Can you leave it out?
Yep! I just really like the flavor it adds.
So it doesn’t have to be refrigerated?
It should be fine at room temperature for the day however anything longer should be refrigerated.
Ive made this using Rich’s bettercreme in place of heavy cream and it does not last the day without drooping. Any suggestions for stabilizing it?
you can always use unflavored gelatin to stabilize heavy cream
I’m a little concerned about the almond extract, which I generally find a little overpowering. Does it balance with the mascarpone and other flavors to mitigate the pungent quality if the extract?
I’m a huge fan of almond extract and I think the amount is just right, but you can always start off with less and add more to your taste.
I’m making an orange layer cake and found this recipe for frosting, would it be possible to switch the vanilla and almond for orange extract?
I think that will work!
Can this be tinted for cake decoration or would that decrease the stability of the frosting?
I think it would work, but I have never colored this frosting so I can’t say for sure it won’t have an effect. If you try it, will you let me know?
I would love to know this as well! Trying to figure out what frosting to use for my daughter’s bday cake and I know I do not want the heavy, sweet buttercream frosting so hoping I can use this mascarpone frosting, but I need to be able to add food coloring!
I still haven’t made this with color so I can’t say for sure.
I’ve made mascarpone frosting before,but this was the best recipe by far!
I colored this frosting and it came out fine. I colored the entire batch to minimize the rest of overmixing. The only hard part was making an initial estimate as to amounts of coloring. I ended up adding more as I mixed. I also did add some more coloring to a small amount of frosting that I separated out into a small bowl, and may have ended up overmixing it. It had small clumps in it that were probably butter. This could have been fixed if I had taken this bit of frosting out before I reached the stiff peaks stage and then wisked the additional coloring in until stiff peaks were reached. I know this is an old comment, but hope it helps!
Hi, I made this and agree with others that it is light and tastes good. However, the minute I added a tiny bit of food coloring (I use wiltons gels) it split and became impossible to work with. I tried all the tricks I know to bring it back, but nothing worked. I think this is great for things like stuffed French toast or maybe just putting on a cake with no decorations, but for me, it didn’t work as a frosting with which to decorate or pipe anything.
What is marscopane cheese?
It’s like an Italian cream cheese. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s.
Will this hold up on a 4 layer cake?
I’ve only ever used on cupcakes. It’s not firm like buttercream.
I did a rainbow cake with this, it worked fine!
I’m going to have to go back to the cream cheese frosting to ice my cakes.
I really liked the inclusion of almond extract and extra dosage of the vanilla as I love both flavours. However, it was impossible to hold its form with the scant amount of icing sugar. You need at least 3 cups. The good news is that if and when I decide to serve an English dessert, I will definitely use this recipe to serve with fresh strawberries…
I had some very expensive choc cake with mars frosting and LOVED it. So googled and found lots of recipes. Liked this one best cause the one I ate had lots of flavor and yours used a lot. But quite a few others used twice as much cream so I went for 1 1/2 C and think I like this a lot. Some recipes did the mixing dif but gotta be careful with cream unless you want butter! Love it!
Hello! Can I pipe this onto cookies? Wanted to make lemon sugar cookies with lemon marscapone frosting, for my father-in-law’s birthday!
Mmmmm. That would be delicious. It would work for sure, but the frosting isn’t as dense as an American buttercream. Just don’t stack them!
Hi! I love your recipe! I love the texture and taste of this frosting. I used two teaspoons of vanilla extract. I was afraid the tablespoon was a typo. Do you really use that much vanilla?
Yep! A tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, so you were close! I always use a lot of vanilla. 🙂
I am going to attempt this frosting. Do you think it will stand up if I use a jam or thicker spread in it but not totally mixed
I’ve never mixed anything in. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!
How about in chocolate?
I haven’t added chocolate to this frosting. If I did, I would probably add a bit of high quality cocoa powder and increase the sugar, if needed.
Is there anything you can do if it curdle
I’ve never had it curdle but I know with my buttercream, if I keep whipping it ends up smooth again. Not sure that trick will work with this recipe.
I want to add white chocolate. When and how do you suggest I do this?
Honestly, this is a delicate frosting and I have no idea how white chocolate will effect it.
I added half a cup cocoa powder and a cup of chocolate ganache to this recipe and it tasted great! Not a fan of to sweet, but you could increase the powdered sugar!