Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting

I had some leftover mascarpone cheese after making this zucchini mascarpone dish.  I had to make cupcakes for a function, so I decided to use the rest in the frosting.  Mascarpone is an Italian sweet, fresh cheese that is super creamy and delicious.  It's wonderful in both savory and sweet dishes.  For fall, try this with these Pumpkin Cupcakes (instead of the cream cheese frosting). When I made this, I just used vanilla cupcakes and loved that combo.

Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting 

1/2 cup (or so) mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup salted butter, room temp
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 or 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped, optional
milk, as needed (a few tablespoons)

1. In a bowl using electric beaters or a stand mixer, mix mascarpone and butter together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar.  Use 2 cups first, and if that doesn't look like enough, add another cup.  Add vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.  Then, use milk to thin to desired (spreading) consistency.  Frost cupcakes or cake.  (I use a Wilton 1M to frost the swirls.)

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