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Whipped Cream Frosting

Whipped cream frosting is light and refreshing and not too sweet. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make it stable enough for piping and for smooth frosting on cakes. I'll also share how to store it and how to fix it if anything goes wrong!

What is stabilized whipped cream?

To frost or pipe with whipped cream you'll need it to hold its shape. Different ingredients can be added to whipped cream to stabilize it including cream cheese and sugar. My favourite combination is gelatin and powdered sugar or icing sugar. The sugar adds a bit of sweetness to the cream but doesn't make it nearly as sweet as other frostings like my 4 Minute Buttercream. Gelatin thickens the cream so you can pipe textured details that will hold their shape for days.

How to make stabilized whipped cream frosting

To make stabilized whipped cream frosting, the key ingredient is gelatin. Mix it with cold water until there are no big lumps but it will still be very grainy. Leave it to rest, called blooming, while you start on the whipped cream.

let gelatin bloom for smooth whipped cream frosting

It’s best to chill your mixing bowl and whisk in the fridge, which will give you the thickest whipped cream. Pour heavy whipping cream or double cream into the mixing bowl and add powdered sugar or icing sugar and vanilla.

chill mixing bowl and whisk in fridge before making Whipped Cream Frosting

Whip the cream using a speed no more than 4 if you’re using a stand mixer. This allows you to watch the cream closely and don’t overmix it. After about 2 minutes you’ll notice that the cream looks thicker and a bit foamy around the edges. Stop mixing now.

when to add gelatin to Whipped Cream Frosting

Your gelatin should be a solid jelly now. This means it has bloomed and it will give you the smoothest whipped cream frosting.

how to bloom gelatin for smooth Whipped Cream Frosting

Put it into the microwave for 10 seconds to make it liquid again and stir it until it’s smooth. It shouldn’t be hot but if it is, let it sit for a few minutes until it’s barely warm.

how to use gelatin for Whipped Cream Frosting

Start mixing your cream again, still only using speed 2 or 4. Very gradually pour the gelatin into the mixing bowl. By incorporating it gradually you'll avoid any lumps.

how to tell when Whipped Cream Frosting is ready

Keep whipping the cream for about another 2 minutes. You’ll see that the whisk is leaving very defined texture behind it. You'll know the whipped cream is ready if the texture doesn't sink back into the cream when you stop the mixer. If you drag a spatula through it, you should leave clear trails in the whipped cream. It should hold peaks when you pull the spatula up. If you take your whisk attachment off and hold it up, the peak should still point upwards. Look how gorgeously smooth and silky this is!

Whipped Cream Frosting with perfect consistency for frosting and piping

Why does my whipped cream look curdled or lumpy?

The most common challenge with whipped cream frosting is that the consistency isn’t right. Let's do some troubleshooting to fix these problems.

If you stop whipping the cream before it forms peaks, it won't be stiff enough to hold its shape. When you pipe or spread it onto cakes or cupcakes, it will droop or sink or slide off.

why is my Whipped Cream Frosting grainy or lumpy

When whipped cream looks curdled and lumpy it’s either overmixed or there’s a problem with the gelatin.

If you mixed the cream for too long, add some more cream. Fold it in and the whipped cream should become smooth again.

As far as the gelatin, make sure you let it bloom after you mix it so that it becomes solid. Then remelt it and stir it so it’s smooth. Make sure it’s not hot when you add it to the cream and also make sure you add it slowly while the mixer is mixing. If you add it all at once when the mixer is turned off it will make the whipped cream lumpy. Even after scraping around the cake several times with a cake comb, the whipped cream frosting will not look smooth:

how to fix grainy lumpy Whipped Cream Frosting

If that happens, I think the best solution is to frost the cake and then add some rustic texture. Press your offset spatula gently into the frosting and spin the cake, slowly pulling it up the cake. This will disguise the slightly uneven consistency of your whipped cream.

how to add texture to whipped cream frosting on cakes

How to frost a cake with whipped cream

You can use this whipped cream to fill and frost cakes and cupcakes and you can also pipe with it. Once you’ve assembled your cake, cover it in a crumb coat. This is a very thin layer of frosting to trap any crumbs so that they don’t get into your final layer of frosting. Don’t worry about making this frosting very neat because you’re going to cover it up in a moment.

how to frost a cake with Whipped Cream Frosting
Whipped Cream for Frosting cakes

Spread the final layer of whipped cream frosting more thickly. Then scrape around the cake several times to get smooth, straight sides. Touch up any indents by spreading more whipped cream frosting over those areas and then scrape again.

Whipped Cream for Frosting a cake

Make sure you spread the frosting up above the top edge of the cake so that it sticks up. This way you’ll create sharp angles from the sides to the top of the cake. 

smooth frosting on cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

How to pipe with whipped cream

This stabilized whipped cream is stiff enough to pipe borders and swirls and other details. The border around the bottom of this cake is a #32 open star tip. I used the same tip to pipe swirls onto the top of the cake. You can see all the definition of the texture in the piping because of the gelatin in the whipped cream, which makes the whipped cream frosting stiff enough to hold its shape.

how to pipe with Whipped Cream Frosting
whipped cream frosting for piping on cakes and cupcakes

How to store whipped cream

To store a cake frosted with whipped cream, put it in the fridge in an airtight container like a Tupperware. Cream absorbs the taste of anything else in the fridge so being airtight is important!

The cake will taste best about an hour after taking it out of the fridge as it comes to room temperature and gets softer. This is my Very Vanilla Cake with strawberry jam filling.

Whipped Cream Frosting for cakes and cupcakes

After slicing the cake, if you don’t finish it press cling film or Saran Wrap against the sliced cake. Push it gently into the frosting around the edges to secure it. Then put the cake back into the fridge.

how to store whipped cream cakes

Store any leftover whipped cream in airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. 

I hope I’ve answered all of your questions about whipped cream frosting! If I didn’t, ask me in the comments!

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Whipped Cream Frosting with perfect consistency for frosting and piping

Whipped Cream Frosting


  • Author: Emily
  • Yield: Frosting for a tall 4" cake or a short 6" cake

Description

Whipped cream frosting is light and refreshing and not too sweet. By stabilizing it you'll be able to frost a cake and pipe with it!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 teaspoon gelatin
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or double cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. For the thickest whipped cream frosting, chill a metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for an hour before you start this recipe.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk cold water and gelatin until there are no big lumps in it. It will still be very grainy. Set it aside.
  3. Pour heavy whipping cream or double cream into your cold mixing bowl and add powdered sugar or icing sugar and vanilla. Whip the cream using the cold whisk attachment on medium low speed (no more than 4 if you’re using a stand mixer) for about 2 minutes. When the cream looks thicker and a bit foamy around the edges, stop mixing.
  4. Your gelatin should be a solid jelly now. Microwave it for 10 seconds to make it liquid again and stir it until it’s smooth. If it feels warm, let it sit for a few minutes until it’s barely warm.
  5. Start whipping your cream again, still only using speed 2 or 4. While the mixer is on, very gradually pour the gelatin into the mixing bowl. After about another 2 minutes you’ll see that the whisk is leaving very defined texture behind it, which doesn’t sink back into the cream even if you stop the mixer. It should be smooth and hold peaks on a spatula or whisk.

Notes

This recipe makes enough whipped cream frosting for a three-layer 4" cake or a two-layer 6 cake.

For a three-layer 6" cake or a two-layer 8" cake, double the recipe by clicking "X2" at the top right of the recipe.

You can store this whipped cream frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.

You can also watch a video tutorial on this whipped cream frosting:

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19 comments on “Whipped Cream Frosting”

    1. On the stove it's best to use the double boiler method to control the heat. Simmer water in a saucepan and place the gelatin in a glass bowl on top to reheat it gently.

    1. I haven't used leaf gelatin for this but two sheets should be the equivalent to 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatin. Good luck - please let me know how it goes!

    1. It could be that the cream or bowl wasn’t cold. Try putting the bowl in the fridge for an hour before you start and you can also try adding the sugar gradually instead of all at once

  1. What if we can’t have gelatin? What is the substitute and how much for each of those portions? Thank you so much for making this video. You are great! I love watching your videos.

    1. I haven't tested an alternative for gelatin but using powdered sugar / icing sugar will stabilise whipped cream too - not as much as gelatin, but more than using it on its own 🙂

  2. This whipped cream frosting looks fantastic and I can't wait to use it on my strawberry shortcake! Thank you!

  3. I tried it n yes- the whipped cream pipes well! Loving this recipe and it’s not so sweet! But to check, after mixing in the colour (I used gel colours), it seems like the whipped cream became softer n seemed a little runnier. Was it because I mixed it too hard? I had to rush it to the freezer/fridge for a while to “harden” a bit before using it again. Or could it be that I didn’t whip it long enough at the beginning?

    1. When you add colour you want to fold it in gently so that you don't knock the air out of the whipped cream. You can add it while whipping the cream just before the end so that the cream isn't quite stiff enough yet and the colour will be mixed in during the very last part of whipping it. Hope that helps!

  4. Hello! This looks delicious.
    Can you use this frosting to frost a cake then pop it in the freezer? I tend to bake and decorate my cakes in advance. Thanks

  5. Which frosting is good to use for cakes, butter cream or whipped cream. Also does buttercream frosting dries out and forms the crust on the top when decorated on cake.

    1. It's up to you! They have very different flavours so as far as which tastes the best, it depends on your preference. There are several cake decorating techniques that are only possible with buttercream (e.g. stencils and buttercream transfers) because it gets so firm when it sets.

  6. Hi
    Can I add edible gold leaves to cover this frosting?
    Also can I dust gold powder on it will that work on this frosting? (I do t want to use a spray)
    Thanks shani

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