Chantilly Frosting
Light and fluffy Chantilly Frosting is a thickened whipped cream made with cream cheese and mascarpone plus a hint of almond. Simple yet flavorful and the perfect silky frosting for cakes and cupcakes!
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This Chantilly Frosting is light and fluffy while also thick and creamy at the same time. It’s essentially whipped cream that is stabilized with cream cheese and mascarpone, with almond extract added for an incredible flavor combo. These flavors meld together perfectly making it perfect for piping on Berry Chantilly Cupcakes, filling and frosting a Coconut Layer Cake, or layered between crepes in my Chantilly Crepe Cake. This luscious, silky frosting is about to be your new favorite!
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese: This helps stabilize and thicken the frosting and also gives it a subtle tang.
- Mascarpone Cheese: Like the cream cheese, the mascarpone also helps stabilize the frosting and makes it thick and creamy. If you haven’t tried a frosting made with mascarpone, I highly recommend giving it a try!
- Heavy Cream: The heavy cream gets whipped up and is crucial to making this frosting light and fluffy. Be sure to keep your cream cold right up until you’re ready to add it to the bowl so it whips up easily.
- Powdered Sugar: Added for sweetness. Be sure to sift this before adding to help prevent any little lumps.
- Flavorings: Almond and vanilla extracts are both added. Be sure to use pure extract, not imitation for a more authentic flavor. The almond flavor isn’t overpowering and compliments the cream cheese and mascarpone perfectly.
See the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below!
How to Make Chantilly Frosting
- Combine cream cheese and mascarpone. The cream cheese and mascarpone are whipped together in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until they are incorporated and smooth. The bowl gets scraped down with a rubber spatula.
- Add flavorings and powdered sugar. The almond extract, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar are added and mixed in just until combined while being careful not to overmix.
- Add heavy cream. Heavy cream is slowly streamed in while the mixer runs at medium speed until slightly thickened. Continually scrape the bowl between steps, all the way down to the bottom to ensure everything gets incorporated.
- Whip until thick. Once the cream has thickened up slightly, the mixer is turned to high speed, and the frosting is whipped until it thickens even more and stiff peaks form. There should be no lumps remaining at this point.
- Frost and enjoy! The frosting is best used right away and can be used on cakes, cupcakes, crepes, and more!
Chantilly FAQs
Can chantilly frosting be made ahead of time?
This frosting is delicate and will start to deflate and become watery after about about two days so I prefer to use it fresh. If needed, the frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and then can be gently re-whipped until it thickens up again.
How much frosting does the recipe make?
This recipe makes about 6 cups of chantilly frosting which should be enough to frost around 24 cupcakes, a three-layer 6” round cake, or a two-layer 8” round cake.
Can the frosting be piped?
Yes! This frosting can be piped on cupcakes, used to fill and frost cakes, or even dolloped on desserts in place of whipped cream.
What can I do if I over-whip the frosting?
Over-whipped frosting can be tricky to come back from. I’ve found that adding a bit more powdered sugar and heavy cream to the frosting and then re-whipping it just until it thickens back up can help. The frosting will still be on the soft side but should be firm enough to spread and hold its shape.
Baking Tip: Weigh Your Ingredients!
I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients rather than using measuring cups because it is the most accurate way to bake. Weighing your ingredients will give you more consistent results with your recipes and a better success rate, every time. Using a scale also saves you dishes which means easier cleanup! I provide gram measurements in all my recipes and this is the scale I love to use.
Tips for the Best Chantilly Frosting
- Use cold ingredients. Typically recipes with cream cheese call for it to be at room temperature before adding but in this case, they should be cold. The cream cheese, mascarpone, and whipping cream work best if they are all cold. Having the ingredients at the same temperature will help them blend together better.
- Don’t overmix. This frosting can quickly go from thick and fluffy to soft and soupy. Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, whip just until you see stiff peaks form, and don’t mix any further. If you whip it up too much, the frosting breaks down and becomes very soft, making it difficult to work with.
- Rewhip your frosting. The frosting is best used fresh, immediately after making it but if you need to make it ahead of time, be sure to re-whip the frosting before using. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, combine the mixture on high speed for about 10-15 seconds, just until the mixture is no longer watery and thickens back up.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Mascarpone Tart
- Tiramisu Cupcakes
- Mini Biscoff Cheesecakes
- Raspberry Orange Pistachio Cake
- Strawberry Yuzu Pound Cake
If you make this recipe and love it, be sure to leave a comment below. Happy baking!
Chantilly Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese
- 8 oz (226g) mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 cups (480mL) heavy cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and mascarpone. Mix just until combined and smooth. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the almond extract, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Mix just until combined and scrape the bowl again.
- Start the mixer at medium speed and slowly stream in the heavy cream. Mix until the frosting has slightly thickened. Scrape well to the bottom of the bowl.
- Increase the mixer to high speed and whip until the mixture thickens, forms stiff peaks, and has no lumps remaining. Be careful not to overmix.
- Use right away for filling and frosting cakes or piping on cupcakes!
I used a hand mixer (not standing mixer with whisk attachment) to make this and it came out too liquidy/soupy. I tried adding more powdered sugar but that didn’t work. Any suggestion for fixing it?
I do recommend a stand mixer for this recipe, as it will be able to whip more air into the frosting to thicken it. You can try adding a little more heavy cream and rewhipping it on the highest speed once the cream has thickened enough. Over whipping the frosting can also make it soupy so only whip it until it’s a thick enough consistency for what you need. Hope this helps!
I mix my heavy cream in one bowl and I mixed my cream cheese and my and the other cheese and my powdered sugar and another bowl and then once they’re both thick and creamy then I mix them together and that will help to prevent the running
Oh that’s a great tip! 🙌🏻
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