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Sturdy whipped cream frosting is made with heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and gelatin! It is a cinch to make! Ditch the whipping cream that melts and learn how to make the BEST sturdy whipping cream to grace the top of your desserts!
Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting
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—Want the recipe right now? Simply scroll straight to the bottom!—
There are a few recipes I think every home cook needs to know, and stabilized whipped cream icing is one of them. It's also one of the most versatile icings out there! It's perfect for piping shapes and details and it's easy to color and to flavor. It requires minimal ingredients like heavy cream, vanilla, powdered sugar and gelatin. It takes a minimal amount of time too!
You've probably had this whipped cream frosting before, and maybe you didn't realize it. It's quite popular for ice cream cakes. In some ways, it's just like your favorite whipped topping except it is totally stable. Have you ever squirted a pretty shape of whipped cream onto a piece of pie, only to have it melt and look not so pretty? This frosting totally eliminates that from happening! In the food blogging world, sometimes you can't take a picture before the whipped cream melts. That is when this really comes in handy!
So let's get started. This frosting can be made and then used to frost a cake, just like any other frosting recipe. My favorite thing to do with the frosting is to pipe shapes. The reason I love to do this is because I find it much easier to pipe directly onto the wax paper, and then position it onto a cake or pie. I don't have to trust my shaky hand on the final product!
In the picture above, I'm using Russian piping tips. There are many reasons why these are my favorites- but the first reason is because they are big enough to hold up to the sturdiness of the stabilized whipped cream frosting. If you put on a piping tip that is too small, it just won't squeeze through. These tips pipe the whip cream through like butter! I absolutely adore the ruffle like shapes they create too!
How cute are those swirls? Once I've piped the shaped onto the wax paper, I pop the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Truth be told, I've left them in the freezer for a week and they still tasted great. If you do leave them in for more than 20 minutes, I would cover with cling film once they are stable, frozen and will hold their shape.
If you plan to leave them in the freezer past 2 hours, I would remove them from the wax paper (as described below) and place in freezer bags or plastic freezer containers.
From there, it's pretty easy to move the flowers from the cookie sheet to your frosted cake, or in my case, a pie. The offset spatula is the key to this. Simply run it below the flower shape, and it will then come off the wax paper. Use the spatula to then place it where you'd like it to go. The good news? I *might* have dropped one, and it was fine. Because it's a stable whipped cream shape, no one was the wiser. LOL.
And here is the finalized look!
This is a special sneak peak of a new fall recipe coming in the next few weeks- an old fashioned molasses pumpkin pie. Good news, I've since published the recipe for Molasses Pumpkin Pie! In case your craving other pumpkin things- be sure to check out my easy homemade pumpkin frosting that can be used on all your fall breads like pumpkin pie spice cake loaf or just to dress up plain cupcakes!
This was one of the first recipes that I used stabilized whipped cream on, and it was the game changer that started the ball rolling. At Thanksgiving dinner I will now have these whipped cream flowers available for all my guests! Here are some other recipes I've posted on the blog that utilize my sturdy whipped cream frosting or piped flower shapes on:
Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
What do you need to make stabilized whipped topping frosting?
The steps are simple and the full recipe can be found at the bottom of the page! These are some hints and tips to get you started.
- A stand mixer or a heavy duty hand mixer is the key to getting the heavy whipping cream to whip. Give your hand a rest and invest in one!
- A very very very cold bowl. I put my stand mixer bowl in the freezer, along with the attachment about 15 minutes before making the frosting
- Gelatin. Some people use items like vanilla pudding or whip it powder, but I have found gelatin does the best without adding any extra taste.
- Vanilla extract or another flavor you prefer. The sky is the limit.
- Powdered sugar. By using powder, you eliminate any graininess that can be brought out by other sugars. This keeps it nice and smooth. It also adds a perfect hint of sweetness.
- For shapes and detailed piping, I recommend the Russian piping tips. They are big enough to allow the sturdy icing to go through, and make a great shape.
- For freezing shapes that are piped in advance, I recommend an offset spatula and wax paper.
FAQ's about Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting:
How long does the chilled whipped cream last? Does it deflate?
-The whipped cream lasts about 24 hours if you keep it cool in a refrigerator. It does begin to lose shape after that amount of time, but it will not completely deflate. I'd recommend making ahead within 24 hrs of serving, and consuming by 2 days.
Can you freeze stabilized whipped cream?
-Absolutely! That is one of the best parts. If you have any leftover, be sure to pop shapes into the freezer following the method I showed you above. Once you've placed them in freezer bags or freezer containers, they should last 2 to 3 months. Place in a fridge to thaw when you'd like to use them!
Have more questions for me? Leave one in the comments below and I'd be happy to answer them!
Additional tips for making stabilized whipped cream flowers:
- when adding the gelatin to the mixing bowl, scrape down several times as it really likes to stick to the edges of the bowl!
- for the best shapes, I find the Russian piping tips that have wider openings work well. The thinner cracks work, but are not as easy to use as the wider ones.
- if a small piece of gelatin gets caught in one of the openings, use tweezers to pull it out. This happens occasionally. It's pretty easy to see if an opening is clogged.
Recipe for Sturdy Whipped Cream Icing:
📋Recipe
Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 ½ teaspoon gelatin knox brand, this is one pouch
- 3 tablespoon cold water
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla feel free to sub other extracts.
Instructions
- Before whipping your cream, place your beaters or mixer attachment, and your mixing bowl into a freezer for about 15 minutes to allow them to cool.
- In a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Stir, and allow to "bloom". This takes about 5 minutes.
- Microwave the gelatin mixture for 10 seconds. It will become a liquid versus the solid shape it had been (looks like ugly jello!). Stir to make sure everything is dissolved.
- In your chilled mixing bowl, begin whipping the cream on a low speed. Add in the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla. Move to a higher speed and watch for good peaks to begin to form.
- Once the whipping cream is starting to peak, switch back to a lower speed and slowly drizzle the melted liquid gelatin mixture in. Once it's in, switch back to a higher speed and continue to beat until it's reached stiff peaks.
- Place in piping bags and pipe shapes, or ice your cake. You can also place in the fridge for a few hours before using, but you may have to thaw a few minutes to get it to be more manageable.
- Once you've iced your item, place in a fridge to hold it's shape, or serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
MrsMajHoff says
yes, 5 mins on the stovetop should work fine!
MrsMajHoff says
I think cool whip might already have it in it? Cool whip is one of those weird things to me- I think it's non-dairy? I haven't used it in years. It would probably be just as easy to use fresh cream.
MrsMajHoff says
In the past if I skipped gelatin it wouldn't hold its shape. I'm still working on perfecting the chocolate version. Thanks!
Yvonne says
May the Goddess bless you for giving instructions on how to freeze flowers. After they are frozen, you suggest storing in a baggie or freezer container. Do they need to be single layer in a container? Will gently stacking them (I have to make a lot) damage the finished flowers? Thank you so much for your great site. I love it!
Rene says
Well help I’m not sure what’s wrong but I didn’t work
Andrea says
What am I doing wrong? I followed the recipe exactly down to mixing and warming the gelatin before whipping the cream. It seems to start to thicken up but then doesnt and gets soupy? I never seem to get sturdy peaks. Roughly how long do I mix? Can i mix it too long? I am using a 300 watt 10 speed kitchenaid mixer with whisk attactment. Help!
Meisha says
Can you add cream cheese to this recipe with similar results?
Dawn says
I used this recipe several times for my cheesecakes. I spread it on like a normal topping and freeze the cheesecakes. My son drove in the Texas heat 7 hours in a cooler and by the time he got to the boat it was perfectly ready to eat.
MrsMajHoff says
Your story warms my heart! This makes me so happy! And I love that your son is a fisherman like my boys 😉
MrsMajHoff says
I've never tried it, but I might in the coming weeks so I can give you a good answer! Thanks for asking!
MrsMajHoff says
Ahh Andrea! Your comment makes me so sad. You could have under whipped or over whipped. I'm not really sure. I think based on temperature and humidity the time will vary. I will time the next time I make mine. Are you adding the gelatin after the peaks have started? Thanks!
MrsMajHoff says
I'm not sure either. I have a lot of people who have luck and then some who don't. If I had a bit more info I might be able to help you troubleshoot. Thanks!
MrsMajHoff says
I've never tried it, but possibly? Let me know if you do try it please, I'd love to see how it turned out!
MrsMajHoff says
Ahh, Elizabeth. Alas, they are not the same. America hasn't gotten it together when it comes to cream in my opinion. My guess is you have double cream which is a much higher percentage. If you have that-- use it! (And I'm jealous, it's my favorite thing in the world). In America heavy whipping cream has the highest percentage- around 36% or higher.
MrsMajHoff says
I'm sure you could add more! Let me know if you try it! Thanks!
MrsMajHoff says
Maybe?, I get a good 48 hours out of it. But with our boys scarfing it down I've never had it longer than that to test it. If you do, please let me know! Thanks!
MrsMajHoff says
I don't think the grass tip would work-- I think it's too skinny. The bigger the piping tip the better for this one. I've never used pectin or jello or coconut cream, sorry I can't help more!
MrsMajHoff says
Great idea. I was going to test this with several methods, I'll let you know which one was the most successful!
MrsMajHoff says
I've never tried it! I have no idea, sorry 🙁