Whipped Cream

Use whipped cream for a cake frosting or a topping for desserts. Or use it as a base for a dessert itself.

The best cream to use for whipping is "heavy cream" or "whipping cream" (just two different names for the same cream). Sometimes it's also called "heavy whipping cream". But read the label carefully. I used to assume that cartons of cream simply contained cream, but not so--many whipping creams contain sugar.

I make a point to purchase organic cream for whipping. It costs no more, is available at my local supermarket and natural food store, and contains no pesticides or sugar or growth hormones.

Whipping works well when the cream is cold and even better if you use a chilled bowl. Pop a bowl in the freezer about 15 minutes before you whip the cream, and remove it just before you use it to whip the cream. It doesn't hurt to chill the beaters, too.

Whipped cream is considered a sauce--a "condiment" to dessert that complements the dessert. Use an unsweetened or lightly-sweetened whipped cream as a counterpoint to a very sweet dessert, such as pecan pie, and a sweeter whipped cream for a dessert that is not so sweet, such as a strawberry shortcake that is made with an unsweetened biscuit. Also whatever flavorings you use will affect the amount of sweetener needed.

You can sweeten whipped cream with almost any sweetener. The amounts given in the recipe are only a guideline. Start with a small amount and taste until desired sweeteness is reached.

Traditionally, whipped cream is sweetened with powdered sugar, which dissolves more easily in the cream than granulated sugar. Organic powdered sugar made from whole evaporated cane juice is an excellent substitute.

This is also a good use for stevia and vegetable glycerin. You can sweeten cream to your heart's content with the sweeteners without adding calories or carbohydrates.

Honey, agave nectar, and maple syrup can also be used when their distinctive flavors complement the dessert. Maple whipped cream would be delicious on pumpkin pie, for example. Likewise, fruit spread could be used as a sweetener if your dessert would benefit from bits of fruit in the cream.

I would not use xylitol or date sugar to sweeten whipped cream as their texture is too grainy and they are difficult to dissolve. And barley malt and brown rice syrups add too much flavor of their own.

You can whip cream with a whisk or egg beater, but I find it infinitely easier to use an electric mixer. I've found that a small hand mixer is the best tool.

The more air you can incorporate, the greater the volume of whipped cream. Generally, the volume will be doubled. As you whip, the cream will go through easily recognizable stages. The first is "soft peaks". If you turn off the mixer, and lift the beaters out of the cream, they will form peaks, but the cream will look soft. As you continue to beat, you can see the cream stiffen up into "stiff peaks". Watch carefully, for if you whip cream too long, it will turn into butter (my husband actually once beat cream into butter with a fork--it took him about an hour, but he did it!).

For a dessert topping, you can use cream whipped to soft or stiff peaks. If you want to use whipped cream as a cake frosting or press it through a pastry bag for decorative effects, use a stiffer peak.

Whipped cream is best made the moment before you are going to serve it; however, it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few hours.

1 cup cream makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups whipped cream

WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup heavy cream

1-2 tablespoons powdered unrefined cane sugar (sold as "organic" powdered sugar)
OR
a sprinkle of white stevia blend powder
OR
1-2 tablespoons honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, or fruit spread

2 teaspoons vanilla or other flavoring extract
OR
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons sweet liqueur (optional)

1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. Stop beating and add the sweetner and flavoring.
3. Continue to beat until desired stiffness is achieved.