There’s one thing I love more than whipped cream, and it’s my stabilized whipped cream frosting! It is so incredibly delicious and light, not too sweet, and is great for piping. Best of all, it stays stable for days, making it great for decorating cakes, cupcakes and all sorts of desserts!
What makes this whipped cream so stable?
The secret ingredient I use to stabilize my whipped cream is… mascarpone! Mascarpone is a rich and creamy Italian cheese that is commonly used in desserts such as tiramisu. When added to whipped cream, it can help to stabilize it and prevent it from deflating or separating.
This is because mascarpone contains a higher percentage of fat than regular cream, which helps to thicken and stabilize the whipped cream. The fat in mascarpone also coats the air bubbles created during whipping, helping them to stay intact and preventing the cream from collapsing.
Mascarpone also has a subtle flavour profile that’s very similar to whipping cream (as mascarpone itself is made from heavy cream), so it doesn’t overpower the natural flavour of whipped cream.
How to make stabilized whipped cream
This whipped cream comes together so quickly!
Before beginning, your mascarpone and whipped cream should be cold. It’s also best to place the bowl and whisks that you’re using to make the frosting, into the fridge for 15 minutes before you begin.
This is because the fat in cold cream is solid and more structured, making it easier to incorporate air and create stable peaks when whipped. If the cream is warm or at room temperature, the fat is softer and more likely to break down, which can result in a runny or grainy texture.To begin, In a large bowl, combine mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla. Mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined (about a minute). If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
And that is it! Your super smooth stabilized whipped cream frosting is ready to use. An important note is that because this is a whipped cream, once it sets it’s hard to get it back to a smooth consistency, so I do recommend using it straight away, especially if you want to do smooth piping or cake decorating.
It’ll be good to stay out for a few hours, but then pop it into the fridge so that it doesn’t go bad 🙂
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) mascarpone - cold
- ½ cup (55 g) icing sugar - also known as confectioners/powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1½ cups (335 g) whipping cream - cold
Instructions
- Before beginning, your mascarpone and whipped cream should be cold. It's also best to place the bowl and whisks that you'll be using to make the frosting, into the fridge for 15 minutes (if you have time).
- In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla. Mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined (about a minute). If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
- Add in the whipping cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don't want to overwhip the cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
93 Comments
This is the best recipe ever!!! Not too sweet and so so so yum. Im so happy I found your website and your YouTube videos. You are so talented and your explanations are great. I used this recipe and followed your whipped cream cake decor tutorial. My cake turned out perfect. Thank you so much! ❤️
Thanks so much for the feedback Nadiah! 😀 So so happy to hear you loved the recipe and have been finding the content helpful 🙂
Can you decorate your cake the day before using this stabilized whipped cream? Or will it go grainy or hard in the fridge?
Hi Linda! You could decorate a cake with this whipped cream the day beforehand and it won’t go grainy per se (it holds up much better than regular whipped cream), but for the optimum texture I still would recommend frosting the cake on the day if possible 🙂
Hi there! I was wondering if this frosting could hold up in a cheesecake, cake? (vanilla cake, frosting, cheesecake, frosting, vanilla cake). I want to flavor it with some salted caramel but would I maybe need to add an extra cup of mascarpone, or should the caramel help keep it up as well? Thank you so much!
Hi Katja! 🙂 As this is a whipped cream frosting it isn’t as stable as a buttercream, though it is far more stable than a regular whipped cream. I think it would be okay if the cheese cake and cake layers aren’t too thick. Yes if adding salted caramel then you may want to add more mascarpone for extra stability 🙂 hope it all works well for you and that you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much! And is it okay for me to be using double cream instead of fresh cream/whipping cream? Thanks!!
Yes that should be fine Katja! 😀
Hi i wanted to ask if i could substitute mascarpone with butter?
Hi Laiba! 🙂 I haven’t tried that myself so I’m really not too sure sorry! I have another buttercream recipe that has a higher amount of whipped cream in it and is lighter and fluffier than a regular American buttercream. If you want to check that out here’s the recipe 🙂 https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/silky-smooth-buttercream-frosting/
Hi I just wanted to ask if this recipe will be enough to fill and cover a 2 layer 8 inch cake?
Hi Abeerah! Yes it will be 🙂
Made this, the vanilla cake and the Swiss meringue buttercream for my sons 3rd birthday. This icing was a total hit with my whole family and they actually asked me to fill the cake with this instead of the chocolate ganache that I did for next time. They couldn’t get enough! I used some violet food colouring to whiten up the colour. Thank you for this recipe! Piped beautifully too. I doubled the recipe and covered. 4 layer 8 inch cake (did not fill however I did have some left over)
So so happy to hear you and your family loved the frosting Sharmeen! It’s one of fav recipes and I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed it too 😀
Hello, can I use fresh cream instead of whipping cream? I am from NZ and I was not able to find whipping cream in any stores.
Hi Kavya! Fresh cream is what I used here in NZ which is what you’re after 🙂 whipping cream is also often referred to cream which can be whipped into a frosting which is the same as the fresh cream we find here in NZ. Hope that helps!
Hi, Thank you so much for this recipe! Does this frosting freeze well? If not, do you have a recipe that freezes and thaws well?
Thank you
Hi Matt! So to my knowledge, unwhipped whipped cream doesn’t freeze very well (it kind of separates once thawed), but supposedly whipped cream frostings that have sugar/other ingredients added in do freeze well just like any other frosting, BUT I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure sorry! And yes so any of my buttercream frostings will freeze and thaw well, just remember to rewhip the frosting once at room temp again so it becomes nice and fluffy again. For an American style buttercream check out the frosting recipe on my white cake recipe that ones great and easy too 🙂
Excellent whipped cream. Everyone wanted the recipe.
Awesome! So happy to hear you all enjoyed it Cindy 🙂
I love your recipes. How long it hold the shape at room temperature ,say around 75 degree Fahrenheit
Thanks so much Karthika! 🙂 It should be okay for a few hours at that temperature 🙂
Hi! This sounds delicious! Would this cream be suitable to layer a tall (4 layers) cake?
Thanks.
Julie
Hi Julie! I’ve only tried this frosting with a 3 layer cake myself but I imagine 4 layers should work fine as long as the cake layers aren’t too thick 🙂