Who doesn’t love whipped cream? It’s soft, light and delicious, but a perfectly whipped cream does have its secrets. In this tutorial I’m going to show you an easy whipped cream recipe, so that you can make the most delicious desserts with whipped cream in no time!
Easy whipped cream
Whip cream made at home is by far tastier than any store-bought variety. And my easy whipped cream recipe comes together quite quickly and is the most loved dessert topping for us. It makes fruit desserts seem richer, heavy desserts feel luscious and hot chocolate feel super special.
Other frosting recipes you will love:
What’s the secret for foolproof easy whipped cream?
I keep getting questions about how to whip cream correctly. Some of us spoil the whipped cream by not cooling it enough (or at all), others under whip or over whip it. No matter the mistake, the result is not what we expect and this can ruin a perfect dessert. So, which is the perfect whipped cream recipe?
I have a couple of “secrets” that always, with no exception, give me the perfect cream ever with just the right texture and prefect taste.
- First, I cool the cream overnight. The cream must be whipped while very cold, I use it straight from the fridge. If not cooled enough, it won’t whip well and will stay soft no matter how much you beat it or how much sugar you add. Please note, freezing to cool the cream faster is not a solution, better keep it in the fridge over night.
- Second, I use a cold bowl and cold beaters (you can keep them in the freezer for about 30 minutes before starting to whip or put them on top of a frozen bag of vegetables).
So the trick is to keep everything as cold as possible. A cream that is too warm will not be able to incorporate well the air you’re adding to it. As it will still whip up, it won’t grow in volume, nor have the desired texture as the cold cream would.
How much sugar do you add to whipped cream frosting?
Many people make whipped frosting with icing sugar but I personally prefer granulated sugar. I find the texture is a lot better as the granulated sugar slowly dissolves and incorporates into the cream so you’ll end up with fluffy, creamy, melt in your mouth whipped. You won’t feel the sugar at all as opposed to using icing sugar.
It takes a bit more time when using granulated sugar as you need to beat the cream until the sugar granules are completely dissolved. But it’s totally worth it! The perfect texture is soft to stiff, but it should never be crumbly or loose. We don’t want our lovely dessert to fall apart, do we?
The amount of sugar depends on everyone’s preferences as some people enjoy sweeter desserts and some other just slightly sweet. I found that the perfect balance for us is 1 to 2: for each cup of granulated sugar, I use 2 cups whipping cream. But I’ve also had good results with half the sugar too, when I needed to make this easy whipped cream for desserts that are already sweet like cupcakes or cakes.
Please note the amount of sugar will decide not only the level of sweetness but the texture of your cream too: whipped cream with more sugar will have a more dense, rich texture while creams with less sugar will be more airy and less rich.
What is the best way to make homemade whip cream?
You can use whatever you like: blender, hand mixer or stand mixer. But the whipping time depends a lot on the tool’s power so obviously, whipping by hand will not only take up a lot of your time but is an immense hand work too! So I always recommend a hand mixer or stand mixer, hand mixer being my favorite as I can move it around the bowl and capture all the cream and sugar while beating. If you use a stand mixer, you will probably have to stop half way through and scrape the bowl.
The heavy cream will double in size, so the bowl must be large enough to accommodate the growth.
What happens if I over beat?
You need to keep an eye on your cream and as soon as soft peaks form and the sugar is dissolved, you need to stop. Fluffy peaks can turn into a paste in a matter of seconds, ruining your cream. What happens is when overbeating the cream, the fat will separate from the water. Don’t worry, there’s no need to throw it away! Keep beating until it turns into a delicious homemade butter. The remaining liquid is the buttermilk we can use for delicious cakes, cupcakes or pancakes.
You can also try to rescue it by slowly adding heavy cream and a bit of sugar, continuing to whip until it comes together nice and fluffy. If that never happens after a few seconds, your cream is forever ruined and you’ll need to make peace with turning it into butter and buttermilk.
What can I add into the cream?
You can keep this easy whipped cream as is or flavor it during the last whipping stage, with just about anything:
- Extracts such as vanilla, orange, lemon, rum, or almond
- Cinnamon powder, cocoa powder or pumpkin pie spices
- A kick of alcohol such as whiskey, rum or liquor for a grown-up dessert
How to prevent the whipped cream from melting in hot weather?
If you make my easy whipped cream in a hot environment you might have some difficulties in getting it fluffy and keeping it from melting.
The secret is to chill the cream, the bowl and the beaters beforehand and then add a stabilizer, like a little bit of flour or milk powder, after beating the cream to soft peaks. This way, the whipped cream will keep firm at room temperature and can be piped onto your dessert.
How do I store whipped cream?
My easy whipped cream will keep well in the fridge for about 2-3 days, though it will decrease a bit in volume. No worries though, you can still whip it again right before using it.
You can also freeze leftover cream. Move to a freezer bag or an airtight container for long-time storage, up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours and whip again before using, using chilled beaters.
Frozen whipped cream is great for usual midweek desserts or drinks, but for special occasions I recommend making a fresh batch. The look will definitely look and taste better!
Where can I use DIY whipped cream?
You can use this amazing cream to virtually any dessert and I found the best pair for it is fruit desserts. Whipped cream can be found in many tasty treats, like French cream puffs, birthday cakes or fruit tarts and we cannot imagine them without the cream.
This is a great frosting idea for cakes, especially for not so experienced home bakers. It comes up in just a few minutes and it’s so easy to spread on a cake, no special skills or tools are necessary. Check out this easy chocolate mousse cake I completely covered in this frosting in literally 2 minutes!
I also love adding it to cupcakes, brownies, mousse desserts, hot chocolate and coffee. I also use it in any tiramisu cake, like this apple tiramisu and this raspberry tiramisu.
Please let me know if this whipped cream recipe helped you and what amazing desserts did you make with it.
Best whipped cream recipe
Whipped cream ingredients
As mentioned above I love making my easy whipped cream with granulated sugar. But what about the other ingredients? Well, there’s no other ingredients but the whipping cream. That’s right! This recipe requires just 2 ingredients!
For the whipping cream you can opt for regular whipping cream or heavy cream. The first is lighter and chances are your whipped cream will lose shape and texture sooner than if using heavy cream which will hold up longer and taste richer. So I always opt for heavy cream!
A little note on the sugar: you can use white sugar or brown sugar. The latter will add a bit of color to your cream which will also be less sweet.
How to make whipped cream recipe
Before proceeding to prepare your easy whip cream, shake the can/box of heavy cream well for a minute to blend the fat and the liquid. This way, there won’t be any fat left at the bottom of the can. If there is some fat left on the bottom, the cream won’t be fat enough and won’t whip well.
- Pour the chilled heavy cream to a chilled bowl.
- Add sugar and beat with chilled beaters until soft peaks form, making sure the sugar has completely dissolved.
Add preferred flavors if needed.
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Easy whipped cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream chilled
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add the chilled heavy cream to a chilled bowl
- Add the granulated sugar
- Beat with chilled beaters until soft peaks form and the sugar is completely dissolved.
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