How to Make Whipped Cream

Marc — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 21:54:42 +0000

If your only experience with whipped cream comes from a frozen tub or aerosol container, then you are in for a treat.

Whipped cream is super easy to make yourself with either a hand mixer, a stand mixer, or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment, and just a few ingredients:

Cream – Cream that you whip, hence the name whipped cream. Heavy whipping cream forms the base of the recipe.
Sweetener – Plain cream is not sweet in and of itself, so it needs a small bit of something to sweeten it up. Really any sweetener will do since not much is needed. The two main contenders are granulated sugar and powdered or confectioner’s sugar. I prefer powdered sugar since it has less chance of giving a grainy texture to the cream.
Flavor – The usual suspect here is vanilla, but I have some suggestions below for ways to change it up and try something different.
Cream of Tartar (optional) – This will help with the stability of your whipped cream after it is mixed together. So if you are going to use up all your whipped cream right after you make it and don’t need it to last for longer than a few hours, then you can skip this ingredient. When looking for it in the store, it can usually be found with all the jarred herbs and spices (or sometimes in the baking aisle).

Note that you can also whip this up by hand with a plain old whisk. But it’ll take a lot longer and your forearms might hate you tomorrow.

Tips for your Whipped Cream

Try to use a tall bowl, rather than one with low sides. When you start to mix things together, it can splash and splatter. Tall bowls help contain even the most intense flying cream. This tends to happen as a result of the following tip.

When you start up your preferred mixer (hand mixer, stand mixer, or immersion blender), turn it to the highest setting immediately. This really helps the air incorporate into the cream and gets you to the whipped state faster.

It’s all about balance. Try not to under or over mix. Your cream should just get to the point where it starts forming medium peaks, meaning when you pull your mixing tool away from your cream it mostly holds its own shape with a little drooping at the tips.

If you find that you have over-whipped your cream, do not fear. Overmixed whipped cream looks a little curdled and can be quite grainy. It can be fixed. Just add in a little (2-3 tablespoons to start) cold heavy whipping cream to the mixture and slowly whisk it together until it reaches the right consistency.

I’ve seen some advice that you can chill your mixing bowl and whisk attachments in the fridge/freezer before mixing to get better results. But I don’t think this is s a necessary step. It might be more helpful if your kitchen tends to be a little warm. If you would like to give it a try then put your tools in the freezer 5 to 10 minutes before you plan on mixing everything.

Variations

Whipped cream can easily take on whatever flavor you desire. So let your imagination go wild!

Butterscotch – Replace sugar from the recipe with 3 tablespoons of butterscotch syrup (I use this to top off a homemade mug of delicious frozen butterbeer)

Maple – Replace the sugar with 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, especially good on breakfast pancakes

Chocolate – Add 3 tablespoons of chocolate before mixing (or use more if you are like me and think everything should be extra chocolatey)

Salted caramel – Replace sugar with 3 tablespoons salted caramel sauce, homemade preferably

Lemon/orange/lime – Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon fresh juice from your preferred citrus before mixing

Honey – Replace the sugar with 3 tablespoons of honey

Whipped cream can go on a whole heap of desserts and breakfast items. If you’re looking for some ideas, consider serving with any of the following:

Pumpkin Pie
Hot Chocolate
Fruit – whole or sliced (especially strawberries)
Crepes
Pancakes
Waffles
Chocolate silk pie
French Toast