Recipe: Orange mascarpone cream

This recipe is a cinch to throw together quickly, but scores really high in the happy zone.  I used it recently as the filling on a feature dessert with the orange scented flourless cake and I don't think anything else could have been as well suited.  I was originally going to go with a flavoured chantilly, but wanted something with more of a body that matched up well with the cake layers, and the mascarpone let me really get a stack going with no worry about collapse while remaining delicious, rich and creamy.  The orange in both the cake and the filling got along like a brushfire and I almost had to defend myself from staff members cruising by for samples.

You will need:

475ml / 16oz               mascarpone cheese

2                                  orange zest (microplane)

60ml / 1/4C                 cream

10 ml / 2tsp                 vanilla

to taste                         icing sugar

Method:

 - let the mascarpone come to room temperature

 - put the mascarpone in a mixer and whip until fluffy

 - add the cream,orange zest and vanilla and mix

 - sweeten to taste with sifted icing sugar

 - spread on top of cake or transfer to a piping bag for a la minute service