This stabilized whipped cream frosting recipe makes lightly sweetened, thick and fluffy, perfectly pipe-able frosting that doesn’t weep or lose its shape! This recipe comes together in 15 minutes and can be used to ice cakes or cupcakes or anywhere in place of store-bought whipped cream! Recipe includes a tutorial video!
How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- Add the gelatin to a microwave safe dish and add cold water. Whisk until the gelatin is smoothly combined with the water and set aside. The gelatin is the fussiest part of this whole (otherwise very simple) recipe. Make sure to follow my notes and you shouldn’t have any issue, though!
- In a separate bowl, combine cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. For best results, use a chilled metal bowl and chill your beaters, too! The colder everything is the better your results will be. Beat the ingredients with an electric mixer and stop once the cream has begun to thicken, but just before reaching soft peaks.
- By now, your gelatin/water mixture should have solidified. Heat it briefly in the microwave just until it’s re-melted and briefly mix it with a whisk (you don’t want it to be very hot, but the gelatin mixture should be 100% liquid and totally smooth or you could end up with a frosting that stays runny or have lumps in your frosting). This usually only takes 5-10 seconds in the microwave. Turn your electric mixer to low-speed and, while beating the cream mixture, slowly whisk in the gelatin.
- Gradually increase the speed on your electric mixer until your whipped cream is fluffy with stiff peaks. It should look like Cool Whip, thick and fluffy!
It may seem counter-intuitive at first to liquify the gelatin and allow it to set up only to re-liquify it again by melting, but it’s important! This is a process known as “blooming” the gelatin, which ensures that the end result is not only smooth (rather than grainy or lumpy) but also that it stabilizes properly.
SAM’S TIP: While the cream must be beaten very well, it is possible to over-beat your cream, leaving you with a rough, curdled-looking mess. If you accidentally overdo it, don’t panic, you might still be able to salvage things! Simply add 1-2 Tablespoons of heavy cream and mix until you’ve reached the proper consistency.
There are several reasons this can happen. Most likely, you simply need to keep beating the mixture, it can take some time and requires patience! However, if your gelatin was very, very hot when you added it to the cream, if the cream was not cold enough, or if you are in a very warm kitchen, your cream may not thicken as it should. Set yourself up for success and make sure you follow the steps for blooming the gelatin and use cold cream and a cold bowl (and beaters, too!).
This frosting lasts up to 4-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge in an airtight container. While it does well at room temperature due to the gelatin, it’s still a dairy-based frosting and so is not ideal for high heat for long periods of time (such as outdoor parties in the summer!). I recommend keeping it chilled. At room temperature (below 75F/24C) I wouldn’t leave it out for more than an hour or two.
Unfortunately I don’t recommend it. If you have a cake that you’d like to use fondant with, I would recommend using my classic buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting instead.
There are many different methods for making whipped cream frosting, but personally I found that this method yielded the most stable results with the most authentic whipped cream taste. I tried many methods including using more powdered sugar (made the frosting too sweet and did not last as long as this version with gelatin), using a food processor (didn’t hold its shape long enough and still melted), adding cream cheese (tasty, but changed the taste far too much) and using powdered milk (this worked fairly well, but did not hold its shape as long and modified the taste a bit). Ultimately I recommend sticking with the method written in my recipe below.
Also, consider the event you are serving the cake at, as well. Youll probably feel more comfortable experimenting with a casual family dessert than a dessert for a holiday gathering or other important event.
If the recipe calls for an icing of whipped cream, such as a chocolate roulade, try whole evaporated milk instead.
Use whole milk to thin a simple butter and confectioners sugar icing instead of heavy cream. The purpose of the liquid is to thin the icing to a spreadable consistency, so youll probably need slightly less milk than heavy cream.
You can substitute whole milk for heavy cream in recipes that call for a small amount of cream to thin the frosting. Recipes that rely on heavy cream as a main ingredient, such as ganache, dont adapt well to whole milk.
Baking is often a precision art, requiring exact measurements of specific ingredients. But with certain recipes, theres a little wiggle room for substitutions.
How to Make Whipped Cream and Whipped Cream Frosting!
FAQ
Can you use whipping cream instead of milk for frosting?
Can I use whipping cream instead of milk for cake?
Does heavy whipping cream make icing thicker?
Can you use whipping cream instead of milk?
Here’s what you need to know about using whipping cream instead of milk. Whipping cream can definitely be used as a substitute for milk in many recipes. The fat content in whipping cream will make your food richer and more flavorful. However as whipping cream is thicker than milk, it is best advised to use half whipping cream and half water.
Is it better to substitute full cream milk with buttermilk?
Cultured buttermilk is a fermented and tart liquid that contains active bacterial cultures, popularly called probiotics, which are essentially the beneficial microbes found naturally in our gastrointestinal system that support immunity, digestion, and nutrient absorption. Fermented dairy products that contain these microorganisms have been linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease. Both low fat and full fat versions of buttermilk fit into a health-promoting diet as a substitute for full cream milk. They produce very different results when cooking and have very different taste profiles. It may not always make sense to make this substitution. Individuals who enjoy drinking buttermilk regularly should continue to do so in the context of a healthy diet that contains a variety of fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, tempeh, and unpasteurized sauerkraut.
Can you use whipping cream in frosting?
To use whipping cream in frosting, simply substitute it for heavy cream in the recipe. However, it’s important to note that whipping cream has a lower fat content than heavy cream, so it may not be suitable for every type of frosting.
Is whipping cream the same as milk cream?
Whipping cream is not the same as milk cream. Whipping cream has a higher fat content and is made from the cream that is separated from milk. Milk cream is made from milk that has been pasteurized and then homogenized. This process breaks down the fat molecules in the milk so that they are evenly distributed throughout the milk.