Mascarpone cheese at home?! Yeah, you read it right 🙂 Now, you can make tiramisu even better with this homemade mascarpone cheese 🙂
IN THIS POST,
What is mascarpone cheese?
Mascarpone (pronounced mahs-car-POH-nay) cheese is a fresh Italian double or triple cream cheese. In other words, mascarpone is a spreadable cream cheese. It is best known as an essential ingredient for tiramisu.
Mastering a few kitchen basics, like vegan condensed milk, vegan buttercream, and Instant condensed milk, gave me the confidence to truly channel my inner chef.
Ingredients
There are just two ingredients required to make mascarpone cheese at home.
Heavy cream - 35% heavy whipping is required to make the creamiest Italian cream at home.
Lemon juice - to curdle heavy cream and give that mild but delicious sour taste to the cheese.
How to make mascarpone cheese at home?
Though making mascarpone cheese at home is very easy, it requires little attention 🙂
Step 1
Gather ingredients. Have your lemon juice ready before starting the procedure.
Step 2
Transfer cream to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring cream to 185˚ to 190˚ degrees F (that is, 85˚ to 88˚ degrees C) on medium flame. Stir the cream occasionally.
Step 3
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in lemon juice. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, maintaining the temperature at 185˚ to 190˚ degrees F (85˚ to 88˚ degrees C), then turn off the heat. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
Step 4
Whisk the mixture well. Cool it down for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Transfer the mixture into a clean towel-lined strainer. Cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing down gently onto the surface of the cream, and let cool to room temperature, for 20 to 30 minutes more.
Step 6
Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 7
Next day, store the cheese in a sterilized jar and use as required.
Quick tips
- Use heavy cream with 35-40% butterfat.
- If not using a thermometer, this should be the lowest possible simmer, with barely any tiny bubbles breaking the surface.
- This is the thick, dense, firm version of mascarpone, and once chilled has a slightly grainy appearance on a knife, but should be completely smooth on the palate.
FAQs
Mascarpone cheese is made from heavy cream and an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, citric acid, or tartaric acid. The cream is gently heated, acidified, and then strained until thick and creamy.
Yes, cream cheese can be used as a substitute in many recipes, but the flavor will be tangier and less rich than true mascarpone.
Mascarpone has a mild, buttery, slightly sweet flavor with a silky and luxurious texture.
Homemade mascarpone typically lasts 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes, but freezing may slightly change its texture. After thawing, stir well before using in recipes.
This usually happens if:
-The cream was not heated enough.
-The acid ratio was off.
-The cream used had stabilizers/additives.
-It did not strain long enough.
Sometimes, but many homemade recipes work better with regular pasteurized cream because ultra-pasteurized cream can be less reliable for thickening. Community cheesemaking discussions frequently note this issue.
Mascarpone is great for:
-Tiramisu
-Cheesecake
-Frosting
-Pasta sauces
-Risotto
-Fruit desserts
Mascarpone is mildly sweet but neutral enough to use in both sweet and savory dishes.
Recipe
How to make mascarpone cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream, 35% whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Gather ingredients. Have your 1 tablespoon lemon juice ready before starting the procedure.1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Transfer 1 cup heavy cream to a heavy bottom pan saucepan. Bring cream to 185˚ to 190˚ degrees F (that is, 85˚ to 88˚ degrees C) on medium flame. Stir the cream occasionally.1 cup heavy cream
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in lemon juice. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, maintaining the temperature at 185˚ to 190˚ degrees F (85˚ to 88˚ degrees C), then turn off the heat. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
- Whisk the mixture well. Cool it down for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture into a clean towel-lined strainer. Cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing down gently onto the surface of the cream, and let cool to room temperature, for 20 to 30 minutes more.
- Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Next day, store the cheese in a sterilized jar and use as required.
Notes
- check out our notes and storage section for more details.
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