Mascarpone and cream cheese appear to be quite similar on the surface, and while it’s possible to substitute cream cheese for mascarpone in a pinch, you have to be careful.

Mascarpone has a higher percentage of milk fat than cream cheese, and it has a loose, velvety texture, while cream cheese is more firm.

One way to make cream cheese resemble mascarpone is to combine cream cheese with heavy cream — about ¼ cup of cream for every 8 ounces of cream cheese.

Use a mixer to ensure the texture is right, and add a little bit of powdered sugar if needed for sweetness.

You could also mix equal parts cream cheese and sour cream together in the same way. Alternatively, you could simply find recipes that call for cream cheese instead of mascarpone.