Which cream goes with which cake?

The right cream often decides whether a cake turns out light and fresh, particularly stable or easy to decorate. Mascarpone cream, ganache, whipped cream and buttercream each have very different strengths.

Here you’ll find a simple overview of which cream is particularly well suited for which purpose.

Mascarpone cream – light, fresh and versatile

Mascarpone cream is a good choice if the cake should taste creamy and fresh without seeming as heavy as classic buttercream.

It is particularly well suited for:

• fruit cakes and berry cakes
• naked cakes
• sponge and layer cakes
• light cake fillings
• desserts and cupcakes

Depending on the recipe, mascarpone can be combined with cream, yoghurt, cream cheese or fruit purée.

Good to know: Mascarpone cream should be kept well chilled. It is therefore only suitable to a limited extent for very hot days or elaborate decorated cakes.

Ganache – stable and chocolatey

Classic ganache consists of chocolate and cream. Depending on the ratio, it can be soft and creamy or very firm and stable.

It is particularly well suited for:

• chocolate cakes
• coating cakes
• cakes under fondant
• fillings
• drips
• pralines and desserts

Ganache is especially popular for coating, because it creates very smooth and stable surfaces.

The rule is: the more chocolate is used in relation to the cream, the firmer the ganache becomes.

Whipped cream – airy and light

Whipped cream is ideal if a cake should be as light as possible and not too sweet.

It goes particularly well with:

• sponge cakes
• fruit cakes
• strawberry and berry cakes
• simple birthday cakes
• dessert cakes

Additions such as mascarpone, cream cheese, cream stabiliser or gelatine can make whipped cream more stable.

However, pure whipped cream is usually not stable enough for heavy decorations or decorated cakes.

Buttercream – particularly stable and ideal for decorating

Buttercream is one of the most versatile creams of all. It can be used for filling as well as for coating and decorating.

It is particularly well suited for:

• decorated cakes
• wedding cakes
• cupcakes
• piping
• smooth cake surfaces
• tiered cakes

There are different variations, for example American buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream or German buttercream.

Depending on the recipe, they differ considerably in sweetness, consistency and flavour.

Which cream is the right one? A quick overview

Cream	Flavour	Stability	Particularly suitable for
Mascarpone cream	fresh & creamy	medium	fruit cakes, naked cakes, fillings
Ganache	chocolatey	high	coating, fondant, chocolate cakes
Whipped cream	light & airy	rather low	sponge, fruit and dessert cakes
Buttercream	creamy & rich	high	decoration, decorated cakes, piping

Which cream is suitable for fondant?

Under fondant, you should use a cream that is as stable as possible.

Ganache or buttercream are particularly well suited for this.

Whipped cream or mascarpone creams can be used as a filling, but should normally not come into direct contact with fondant.

Which cream is suitable for hot days?

At higher temperatures, ganache and buttercream are usually more robust than pure whipped cream or mascarpone creams.

But they too shouldn’t stand in direct sunlight or great heat for longer than necessary.

Which cream is the lightest?

If you want a rather light cake, whipped cream or mascarpone cream are usually the best choice.

Ganache and buttercream, on the other hand, are richer, but considerably more stable.

Conclusion

There is no one perfect cake cream – what matters is what you want to use it for.

For light and fresh cakes: mascarpone or whipped cream
For stability: Ganache or buttercream
For fondant: Ganache or buttercream
For decoration and piping: Buttercream
For chocolate fans: Ganache

If you think about whether flavour, stability or decoration matters most to you before baking, choosing the right cream becomes much easier.