Whipped Cream (Chantilly Cream)

Whipped cream is the preferred topping for many hot and cold desserts, and, of course, hot chocolate. Use it also as a filling, such as for Cream Puffs, or to lighten other dessert creams and fillings. It can also be used to pipe decorations. Whipped cream is often called Chantilly cream or crème Chantilly.

For variations, see below.

1 cup heavy cream (heavy cream will hold its shape longer than whipping cream, which has less fat)
2 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until cream holds a peak. Do not overbeat, or the cream will turn to butter.

The amount of heavy cream you use doubles in volume as you whip it. So if you need 2 cups of whipped cream, use 1 cup of heavy cream. (Plus the sugar to sweeten, and vanilla extract.)

Covers one 9-inch pie. For a thicker layer of topping use 2 cups heavy cream and double the confectioner's sugar and vanilla.

How to Fix Over-Whipped Cream

If you accidentally over-mix the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little bit more heavy cream, and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until it smooths out.

What is Stabilized Whipped Cream?

Simple whipped cream doesn't always hold its shape and texture very long. So storing a pie or cake in the refrigerator overnight can yield some interesting, at best, and disappointing, at worst, results in the morning. If you are frosting a cake, especially, you need to stabilize the whipped cream. Stabilizing whipped cream is best for cakes, cupcakes, or anything that you want to make ahead and still have look and taste its best a few days later. Stabilized whipped cream is really just whipped cream with an additional ingredient that prevents it from deflating and losing its shape and consistency over time.

There are a handful of ways to do this, including using gelatin, powdered milk, pudding mix, and even cornstarch! Powdered sugar acts like a stabilizer, but it will only allow whipped cream to last refrigerated up to 12 hours. One recipe I found said to add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar to help stabilize it. A new frosting I came across stabilized whipped cream frosting with cream cheese. See Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting with Whipped Cream.

Gelatin is the method that will result in long-lasting stable whipped cream (up to 48 hours). While this method is probably the most effective of all methods, it is all the most temperamental and difficult to achieve. This is because in order to melt and activate, gelatin needs to be warmed. But adding warm gelatin to cold cream will cause it to seize and make your whipped cream lumpy or stringy. To avoid this, we use a process called tempering.

Variation (Jane): gelatin method

Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin over 2 tablespoons milk and stir thoroughly.
Place over boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add [little by little] to cream warmed to room temperature [mixing thoroughly with each addition].
Chill and whip [with powdered sugar and vanilla].