The best whipped cream frosting has a secret
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You will love this simple whipped cream frosting: it has just a touch of sugar and better yet you can keep it in the fridge for a couple days without it collapsing into a weepy mess of milky goo.
What’s the secret? It’s not starch, and it’s nothing complicated. This whipped cream frosting uses believe it or not regular marshmallows to keep it from collapsing.
I read about this trick in one my baking books, and it intrigued me. My pro baker Mom always used ClearJel in the bakeries she worked at (easy dissolving starch), but neither of us particularly liked the taste of the starch. This trick is so simple I had to try it out for myself.
The best whipped cream frosting
Why do you need to “stabilize” cream for whipped cream frosting?
When you whip cream, you’re incorporating air into the cream itself. If you’ve ever blown bubbles in milk with a straw, you know that those bubbles will hold their shape for a while. The same is true of heavy cream, and just like with milk, those bubbles will eventually lose air.
That’s where stabilizers come into play. Stabilizers like starch or gelatin help the cream hold its shape for longer without collapsing. Additionally, gelatin gives the cream enough body that you can pipe it.
Stabilized whipped cream will hold it’s shape over a longer time, making it perfect for topping pies and cupcakes ahead of time.
Why marshmallows are the easy secret hack to getting perfect whipped cream
Marshmallows contain both starch and gelatin, packing the stabilizing powers of each in an easy to use package.
Gelatin and starch have both been used for forever for stabilizing whipped cream, but both come with their downsides. Starch must be dissolved in the sugar to avoid clumps. Gelatin, on the other hand must be “bloomed” in cold liquid first, then hot to dissolve it. Also, some gelatins are of different strengths, making it confusing which to pick.
In marshmallows though, the gelatin and starch have already been dissolved in the sugar in the making of the marshmallow. This makes the marshmallows much quicker and easier to use.
All that needs be done is to melt the marshmallows and incorporate them into your cream. Yes, it’s that easy, and even more interesting is that it works.
Ingredients for Perfect Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Heavy Cream (preferably one without added thickeners or other additives)
- Vanilla Sugar: super convenient vanilla and sugar in one (make homemade vanilla sugar or use Native Vanilla vanilla sugar for store-bought)
- Mini marshmallows (you only need a few, you can use the rest to make something like Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats).
How to flavor your whipped cream frosting if you’re not in a vanilla mood
Whipped cream frosting is pretty flexible. Sometimes you want the flavor of something else or the color from another ingredient. Vanilla sugar will probably always be my first choice for flavoring whipped cream, but you can also use:
- Lemon sugar: use it in place of the sugar.
- Raspberry Jam: add 2 tablespoons to the base recipe.
- Blueberry jam:add 2 tablespoons to the base recipe.
- Strawberry jam: add 2 tablespoons to the base recipe.
- Nutella: use 1/4 cup for 3/4 cup of cream.
- Coffee: add 1 tsp espresso powder in the base recipe.
- Matcha: add 1 Tablespoon ceremonial grade matcha or 2 tablespoons of matcha latte powder to the base recipe.
Recipes to use your whipped cream frosting
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The best whipped cream frosting
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
This easy stabilized whipped cream frosting will keep in the fridge for a couple days without collapsing into a watery mess. It’s thick enough to pipe, but it doesn’t have any kind of starchy taste that lingers on your tongue.
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream, preferably without added thickeners (236 mL)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar (use homemade vanilla sugar or Native Vanilla vanilla sugar)
- 10 mini marshmallows (see note)
Instructions
- Chill the bowl and beaters you’ll be whipping your cream in for about 10 minutes.
- When you’re ready to make your whipped cream, pour the cream and measure the vanilla sugar into the chilled bowl.
- Melt the mini marshmallows in the microwave until they are puffy but soft on the outside. It should take about 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave.
- Stir the marshmallows, and if they can be stirred into a smooth goo, they’re ready to go in the cream. If not, zap them for a few more seconds.
- Scrape the melted marshmallows into the cream, and then beat the cream until the cream holds its shape. This should take about 3-5 minutes depending on your mixer. When you can take out the beater and the cream doesn’t fall off the beater, you’re good to go.
- Use the frosting right away, either spooning or piping it on top of another baked good or using it as a filling.
See the notes for other flavor variations.
Notes
Freshness: Make sure that the marshmallows are from a new package. If the marshmallows have dried out at all, they will not incorporate smoothly into the whipped cream.
Flavors:
- Lemon sugar: use it in place of the sugar.
- Raspberry Jam: add 2 tablespoons to the base recipe.
- Blueberry jam:add 2 tablespoons to the base recipe.
- Strawberry jam: add 2 tablespoons to the base recipe.
- Nutella: use 1/4 cup for 3/4 cup of cream.
- Coffee: add 1 tsp espresso powder in the base recipe.
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: n/a
- Category: Baking Building Blocks
- Method: Mixer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 127
- Sugar: 18.4
- Sodium: 27.3
- Fat: 2.9
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25.9
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0.8
- Cholesterol: 8.5
