Chocolate Whipped Cream
This chocolate whipped cream recipe uses the food processor to produce a thick, creamy stabilized whipped cream that tastes of sweet cocoa. It requires minimal ingredients and just a few minutes of whipping.
Based on my stabilized whipped cream recipe, this chocolate whipped cream isn’t new on the blog; you’ve seen it on this no bake chocolate cheesecake, my brownie pie, the chocolate raspberry tart and earlier on this brown butter chocolate cream pie.
The recipe now has its own dedicated space where we can talk about the process and ingredients in detail, and I can answer some questions you might have. I have also been using it over the past year to frost cakes (some people don’t like a too sweet buttercream and I happen to live with them =p) and wanted to show you how to do it!
It has a soft and delicious chocolate flavor; it almost tastes like chocolate malted ice cream. You can use it as a chocolate whipped cream frosting on a layered cake, cupcakes and dessert pies!
Recipe Ingredients
Heavy cream: or heavy whipping cream, they are interchangeable. Light cream does not have enough fat in it to thicken so cannot be used as a substitute.
Cocoa powder: dutch process cocoa powder. Use a good quality cocoa! You can use natural cocoa powder here, the resulting chocolate whipped cream will have a lighter color and flavor. Black cocoa would work too although the flavor will be more like an oreo than chocolate. It will also be grayish in color. More on this below.
Sugar: because we are making this in a food processor, we don’t absolutely need to use powdered sugar to stabilize the whipped cream. You can use fine granulated or even brown sugar (it’s lovely and adds a hint of caramel to the flavor). However, if you do want a stiff whipped cream that will keep for awhile, use powdered sugar – preferably made with tapioca starch (not cornstarch).
Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, add just a pinch.
Vanilla: pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
What kind of cocoa should I use to make chocolate whipped cream?
If you’ve been here awhile, you know my go to is dutch process cocoa, an unsweetened cocoa powder. I think it gives the best ‘chocolate’ flavor. In the case of this whipped cream it almost has a ‘malted chocolate shake’ flavor.
That said, this one is flexible. We aren’t dealing with different acidity levels since nothing is interacting or heated so natural cocoa and black cocoa will work.
Why we’re not using the usual methods
Most chocolate whipped cream recipes will have you using a hand mixer, or a whisk, or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Those are perfectly reliable methods to making it: you whip on high speed, reaching soft peaks and stopping around stiff peaks. The problem is with these methods the whipped cream does not keep for very long and will not create a stiff enough texture to spread, pipe and most importantly: to keep.
I use the food processor because it doesn’t whip as much air into the whipped cream, instead it thickens it into a creamy texture that lasts days if kept in the refrigerator.
How to make Chocolate Whipped Cream
Before starting, make sure:
- The cocoa is sifted so you don’t have lumps of cocoa
- The heavy cream is cold, otherwise it won’t thicken
Pour all the ingredients into the food processor: the heavy cream, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, sugar and pinch of salt.
Process on high, keeping a close eye on the whipped cream
After about 1-2 minutes you’ll notice the cream is starting to thicken.
Stop the processor and run a spatula through it – does it immediately droop off the spatula? Does the whipped cream hold ‘stiff peaks’ ie., when you run the spatula through it it keeps the ‘moat’ you’ve made?
If not, process again for another minute.
Once you have ‘stiff peaks’ stop. The whipped cream is now ready to use.
Troubleshooting
My whipped cream isn’t thickening.
It’s possible it just needs more time and whipping; if it’s been up to 7 minutes and you still see no thickening it is likely the cream was too warm or has expired and not useable. You’ll have to start fresh.
My whipped cream is grainy or separated.
This is caused by overwhipping the cream. If it hasn’t gotten too far overwhipped you can fix this by adding more heavy cream; I’d start with two tablespoons and pulse the processor just for a second or two to incorporate it. Alternatively, if it looks like it’s getting there but not quite as creamy as pictured on this page, add another two tablespoons and pulse again.
However, if the cream is overly grainy and there’s a clump of cream with a liquid around it and none of this works then, well, it’s possible you’ve made chocolate butter =)
FAQ
Can I use this chocolate whipped cream as a frosting?
YES! This was actually the impetus to create this recipe page. Because it’s made in a food processor the whipped cream is sturdy and stiff enough to hold shape just like a frosting. It’s still extra creamy and absolutely delicious on cake.
How long does the chocolate whipped cream last?
Also, because it’s stabilized and little air is beaten into it, this will last 2-3 days without adding gelatin or a separate stabilizer.
Can I make a cream cheese chocolate whipped cream?
Yes! Add half a block of softened cream cheese (113g) to the mix before you add the heavy cream and very briefly pulse it to loosen it. Then add the heavy cream and process until thickened.
How best to store the whipped cream?
It’s best to immediately put this on whatever dessert you’re using it on and then to store it chilled in the fridge. I don’t recommend using the freezer for too long but if you need to, a few hours should be fine.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Recipe
Chocolate Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 480g or 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 50-65g or ¼ - ⅓ cup granulated sugar or brown sugar use the lesser amount for a less sweet whipped cream
- 30g or slightly heaped ¼ cup dutch process cocoa powder for alternative cocoa powders scroll up to the ‘recipe ingredients’ section
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Method
- Set the cold heavy cream, sugar, salt, cocoa and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor.
- Run the processor on high for 60 seconds, then check the whipped cream: is it thick? Does it leave a stiff moat if you run a spoon or spatula through it? Does it droop off the spatula right away? Most likely you’ll need to run it for another 30-45 seconds. After that, check it again and it should hold stiff peaks.
- Spread over chilled pie, cooled cupcakes or use it to frost a cake. I don’t advise making the whipped cream itself ahead of time but once it’s on the baked dish it can be kept at cool room temperature for up to 6 hours. If you need to store it longer, chill in the fridge.
Notes
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