Whipped cream. There is something magical about heavy, buttery, smooth whipped cream on top of desserts, fruit, coffee, hot chocolate – or just about anything edible.
But have you ever noticed that if you do get that dollop of whipped cream on your apple pie in a restaurant, you tend to move it to the side? It’s not worth the calories because it’s not a dollop – it’s quite clearly a cheap spray of disappointment.
Yes – canned whipped creams taste watered-down and over-sweetened, and frankly, they lack the true substance of the type of whipped cream that is truly sinful but worth the consequences.
While you have no control over what goes on in a restaurant, you have full control over what goes on in your own kitchen. Let’s make the best whipped cream ever, whether you’re garnishing Christmas hot chocolate or summer fruit desserts.
Read on about DIY whipped cream – for beginners!
Why does whipped cream whip?
Whipped cream whips up into that light and fluffy texture thanks to a scientific process involving air bubbles and fat globules in the cream. Here’s a breakdown:
Introducing Air Bubbles: When you whisk or use a cream whipper with nitrous oxide, you’re essentially beating air into the cream. These air bubbles become trapped in the mixture. This is why nitrous oxide works so well for whipping cream – the two were meant to be together!
Fat Takes Center Stage: The key ingredient, heavy whipping cream, contains a high percentage of fat (usually around 36%). This fat exists in tiny globules surrounded by a thin membrane of protein and phospholipids. This might sound scary, but hey – whipped cream is a treat, after all, right?
Fat Globules to the Rescue: As you continue whipping, the protein membrane surrounding the fat globules gets disrupted. This exposes the fat itself, which doesn’t like being in contact with water (the main component of cream).
Fat Forms a Network: To avoid the water, the exposed fat globules start clinging to each other, forming a web-like network around the air bubbles you incorporated earlier.
Whipped Cream is Born!: This network of fat globules surrounding air bubbles creates a stable structure, trapping the air and giving whipped cream its characteristic light and fluffy texture.
In essence, the fat in the cream acts like a stabilizer, holding the air bubbles in place and preventing them from popping, which would make the whipped cream collapse.
With the intro of whipping out of the way, let’s talk about stabilizing your whipped cream.
Stabilized whipped cream is essentially regular whipped cream that has been treated with an ingredient to improve its structure and lifespan. This is for those of you who decorate cakes with whipped cream, need it to last longer for piping, or just need it to last longer in general.
Regular whipped cream is great for immediate use, but it doesn’t hold its shape well for long periods. This can be an issue if you’re decorating a cake or dessert that needs to sit out for a while.
Stabilized whipped cream uses an ingredient to help the air bubbles stay trapped and prevent the whipped cream from collapsing. This allows it to maintain its shape and texture for longer.
Common Stabilizers:
Gelatin: This is a popular choice for stabilizing whipped cream. A small amount of unflavored, powdered gelatin is typically “bloomed” (hydrated in cold water) and then incorporated into the whipped cream mixture.
Instant Pudding Mix: Some people use a small amount of instant pudding mix as a stabilizer. However, this can add extra sweetness and potentially alter the flavor slightly.
The main benefit is that stabilized whipped cream retains its fluffy texture for a longer period, making it ideal for decorating cakes, cupcakes, or other desserts that need to look good for a while.
Flavouring – you can add flavouring to your whipped cream simply by adding flavoured syrups like vanilla, banana, coconut or pecan. You can also add orange zest or scraped vanilla beans.
Colours – if you’re about to have a birthday party or have a colour-themed event (or if you want to do it just for fun) you can add food colouring to your whipped cream in order to get an impressive effect.
There are no more accurate “final words” than—homemade whipped cream is worth it! It’s less processed and can be customized, but it’s made with the perfect natural ingredients that you pick yourself.
This is why it tastes a million times better than the storebought, canned stuff.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-whipped-cream/
https://addapinch.com/perfect-whipped-cream-recipe/
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