I know homemade whipped cream isn’t rocket science, but to some of us, ahem, it is. Growing up my mom would pick up my friends and I up from school and have a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream in the car ready for us to eat. We loved it.
I then tried making homemade whipped cream when I was older and I somehow screwed it up every single time. Either it just wouldn’t whip up or I overwhipped it. Using homemade whipped cream in your desserts transforms them from good to unbelievable. I just made this Eclair Cake with homemade whipped cream and it added so much!
Here are a couple of tips to make sure you have perfect whipped cream:
1) Chill your bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. It really helps the cream whip up fast.
2) Don’t overwhip your cream. There’s about 30 seconds there when your cream will go from soft peaks to thick and butter like. You have to watch closely so that you don’t get the curdly stuff. The whipped cream pictured here is actually on the border of being overwhipped but I needed a firmer whipped cream for a trifle dish I was making (coming soon).
This is my friend Heidi’s recipe. Fruit and fresh homemade cream is a fabulous light dessert for the summer.
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons white sugar or 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavoring
Instructions
- Place cream and sugar in a chilled mixing bowl and mix on high for 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks have formed. Don't whip too much or you will end up will cottage cheese looking whipped cream.
Notes
Source: Heidi Clark
Thanks! I am 53 and terrible about making whipped cream. I’m going to give it another try!
My mom taught me to freeze the beaters and bowl and it really does work. I also throw the carton of cream in there for a few minutes. Love vanilla but sometimes lose the sugar depending on how sweet the dessert is.
Ever tried whipped creme fraiche? A little more sour but delicious with the right sweet:) Great post!
The best part about making your own whipped cream is that you can throw things in there to make flavored whipped cream. Via (the instant coffee from Starbucks) for coffee, hot chocolate mix for chocolate, matcha powder for green tea, etc.
When making red velvet cupcake from the box, I reserve a bit of the mix to make red velvet whipped cream to go on top. Sooo good!
Add a touch of vanilla and it will be that much better!
ButterYum
Also great using brown sugar and ginger – try that on peaches!
Love this recipe! Linking back to this in an upcoming whipped cream post
Can I use whole milk or does it have to be heav cream?
@Anonymous,
Sorry but you need to use heavy cream here. Milk won’t whip up like the cream will.
Can i use evaporated milk?
Im new to baking, etc.
Evaporated milk whips well, I use it to make whipped cream often. Be sure your beaters, mixing bowl (preferably stainless steel) and milk are chilled well and then you are good to go…..
1 cup Evaporated Milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on your taste for sweetness)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
POUR evaporated milk into small mixer bowl; place beaters into mixture. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until ice crystals form around edge of bowl.
BEAT on high speed for 1 minute or until very frothy. Gradually add sugar and vanilla extract; continue beating for 2 minutes or until mixture is stiff.
Serve immediately spooned over fresh fruit or your favorite dessert.
@Marla,
No, evaporated milk will not work here. It needs to be heavy whipping cream.
Kk. Thanks.
I tried it…ur right. Lol
Goodmorning !!! Is there any way to print your great recipes? Thank you and have a joyful day….dee
@Dee,
Yes. The bottom of each post has a bunch of icons and one of them is to print.
Love everything I’ve made and eaten from you blog! I made the punkin cheesecake ahead of time for Thanksgiving. Can I make the whip cream ahead of time as well or will it mess the consistency up/get runny?
Happy holidays
It will get runny if you make it ahead of time. If you want a make ahead whipped cream my friend has a great one here. I just use vanilla extract though. http://pimpmydinner.blogspot.com/2011/10/perfect-whipped-cream.html
Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!! It helped me so much because I’m in a science fair at school I’m in 5 th grade so thanks
I made your whipped cream for your Boston Cream Pie recipe last weekend, and making it again today (my husband hasn’t stopped talking about it all week)! Question for you, my husband would like for me to try the French Vanilla pudding mix, but I just can’t bring myself to purchase Cool Whip. Have you ever added pudding mix to your whipped cream to give it a more authentic vanilla taste? I added vanilla extract to mine last week, and don’t get me wrong, it was divine, the cake was gone in 24 hours! But he is wanting more of that french vanilla flavoring.
Question 2, if you haven’t tried vanilla pudding in your whipped cream, would you consider using Reddi Whip instead of Cool Whip? Like I said, I just can’t bring myself to feed my family all the junk that’s in Cool Whip. I’m just not sure how the consistency would hold up.
Any thoughts?
Ashley,
Are you talking about the filling for the Boston Cream Pie? I definitely think the French Vanilla Pudding would be great. Reddi Whip inflates immediately so it wouldn’t work so I would stick with the homemade.