Stabilized whipped cream can be piped or frosted onto cakes, and it won't lose its shape or melt. Best part? It only takes 5 minutes to make! Yep!
You can make your own amazing whipped cream, right at home, and it tastes wayyyyy better than that stuff that comes in a tub. Trust me.
What's In This Blog Post
- Ingredients For Stabilized Whipped Cream Using Gelatin
- Step-By-Step Instructions
- How to stabilize whipped cream with instant pudding mix
- How to stabilize whipped cream using corn starch
- Stabilized whipped cream using cream of tartar
- How to stabilize whipped cream with powdered milk
- FAQ
- Looking for more recipes? Check these out!
Ingredients For Stabilized Whipped Cream Using Gelatin
This is my favorite way to make stabilized whipped cream. The gelatin sets the whipped cream so that it holds its shape, even in hot weather (as long as you keep it in the shade and for no more than 2 hours). Follow my easy step-by-step instructions below.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Begin by sprinkling your gelatin over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom. This is important so that the gelatin has a chance to fully absorb the water. If you don't wait, you can get grainy lumps in your whipped cream.
- Once the gelatin is bloomed, heat in the microwave for 5 seconds. It melts very quickly! If it's not fully melted, go another three seconds until it's melted. Don't overheat! You can tell the gelatin is melted when it's clear and you don't see any grains of gelatin anymore.
- Add the 1 teaspoon of heavy cream to the melted gelatin and stir. This cools down the gelatin and helps it mix into the whipped cream better. If your gelatin starts to get solid then just reheat it for 5 seconds to make it liquid again.
- Begin whipping your cream with the whisk attachment on medium speed.
- After it starts to get foamy, you can add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Whip until you start to see lines developing in the whipped cream, but the peaks are still very soft.
- While mixing on low, start drizzling in your melted gelatin mixture. Keep mixing until your peaks are firm enough to hold their shape, but do not over-mix or your whipped cream will start to curdle and turn into butter instead of whipped cream. This can happen VERY quickly after you add the gelatin, so just watch the whipped cream and don't go checking your emails.
- This stabilized whipped cream will hold up at room temperature (up to 90ºF), although I don't recommend leaving it out for more than two hours because of the dairy.
It will be ok in the fridge for up to three days! Cool huh? We used to use this recipe in pastry school on top of all our tarts so we could make them ahead of time and they would still be fresh the next day for service in the restaurant.
Here are some other ways to stabilize whipped cream!
How to stabilize whipped cream with instant pudding mix
This is the other way I generally stabilize whipped cream if I don't want to use gelatin. The only thing I don't like is that it's not quite as smooth as using gelatin.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix
Begin whipping your cream until you reach soft peaks. Then add in your vanilla pudding, sugar and vanilla extract. Continue whipping your cream until you have firm peaks but they are not crumbly.
I love the taste of this stabilized whipped cream. The vanilla pudding mix adds a nice flavor! Fold 1 cup of this stabilized whipped cream into the pastry cream and you have an excellent diplomat filling that's perfect for my cream tart recipe.
How to stabilize whipped cream using corn starch
You can use cornstarch to help thicken and stabilize your whipped cream. This is a very common and easy way of thickening and stabilizing your whipped cream to keep it from turning into a melty mess.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The cornstarch can leave a slightly gritty texture to the whipped cream though.
Stabilized whipped cream using cream of tartar
Cream of tartar can be used to stabilize whipped cream according to fine cooking all though I've never tried it. I'm definitely interested to see if this works.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the sugar and cream of tarter. Whip your cream to soft peaks and add in your sugar/cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue whisking to firm peaks.
How to stabilize whipped cream with powdered milk
This is another cool way to stabilize whipped cream in a super duper easy way. If you have powdered milk around, you can use it as a stabilizer. The powdered milk adds just enough body to the cream to keep it from losing its shape.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoon powdered milk
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FAQ
The short answer is yes! You can frost a cake with stabilized whipped cream but you cannot cover it in fondant. Whipped cream has too much liquid in it and is not thick enough to support the weight of the fondant. I frosted my pink velvet cake in whipped cream and it was amazing!
But you CAN cover a cake frosted with whipped cream with mirror glaze if you freeze it first in fact, this is exactly what I did for my geode mirror glaze heart!
I hope this answers all your questions about how to stabilize whipped cream! If you have any other issues you can always leave me a comment below.
Looking for more recipes? Check these out!
Pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting
Copycat Whole Foods berry Chantilly cake
Mirror glaze cake
Chocolate mousse recipe
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Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 12 oz heavy whipping cream cold
- 2 ounces powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon gelatin I use KNOX brand
- 1 ½ tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Sprinkle your gelatin over the water and let bloom for 5 minutes.
- Melt gelatin for 5 seconds in the microwave. If not fully melted do another 3 seconds. You can tell gelatin is melted when there are no granules of unmelted gelatin visible.After dissolving your gelatin, add in 1 teaspoon of heavy cream and mix. If your gelatin is too cold, heat again until it's melted (5 seconds).
- In a cold mixing bowl, whip your heavy for 15 seconds on medium speed until its foamy
- Add in your powdered sugar and vanilla and continue mixing on medium speed until you reach very soft peaks, barely holding their shape.
- Turn your mixer down to low and drizzle in your gelatin. Continue mixing on medium speed until your peaks are firm and holding their shape but don't over-mix to the point when your whipped cream starts to look chunky or begins turning into butter.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Jasmine says
Did not taste good at all.
Elizabeth Marek says
Did you add the sugar...
Angelina says
How long can it last for? If I frost my cupcakes at say 12pm, will they still stay the same at 10pm?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes it will!
Veronica says
When you say that the whipped cream has to be used right away, what is the point in stabilizing it?
Elizabeth Marek says
Stabilizing it means that it will set up firmly and will not lose shape even if it's not refrigerated
Michelle says
I use this all the time to pipe on top of desserts like mini key lime pies (with a little grated lime zest on top). I DO make it ahead and keep it in a silicone pastry bag with plastic wrap over the tip and inside a zip top bag with no issues. I have put it on a dessert bar to let people pipe their own whipped cream on their selections which is a big hit for kids and adults. People think it is fancy - but it just looks fancy. With a little care heating the gelatin it is quite easy to make.