Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

If you’ve recently made a pie of mine before or anything that would be topped with whipped cream, you’ve made my stabilized whipped cream. Most recently you saw it in a shocking thickness on my key lime pie, but it’s been here without any fanfare or introduction since this pomegranate pavlova. 

This is the *only* way I make whipped cream and here’s why: it leads to a creamy but thick consistency that holds shape for days. There’s no weeping or seeping, it doesn’t deflate or fall apart at all. Plus, because it’s so wonderfully thick, it almost has the texture of a meringue. 

→ I have gone so far as using my food processor whipped cream in place of buttercream on a layer cake and after two days in the fridge, it still held its original shape! 

But first, why do we need to stabilize whipped cream for frosting? 

Truthfully many times we don’t; if you are dolloping whipped cream on a pie to serve or strawberry shortcakes, it’s fine to grab a (cold) bowl and a whisk then add the cream and flavorings and whip until you have medium peaks. 

But, if you are making whipped cream as a pretty topping for a pie, or if you want something that will hold shape overnight or simply hold shape to pipe or spread over a cake you want to stabilize it so it doesn’t deflate and start to separate (weep). 

How is whipped cream usually stabilized? 

If you have come across stabilized whipped cream before, it’s likely not something about the method that changed. The whipped cream is made as usual: whisked by hand or with a hand mixer or a stand mixer and the whisk attachment. In all of these methods, a lot of air is introduced to the cream, expanding the network of fat molecules. 

The stabilizing usually happens with the addition of a ‘stabilizer’ i.e. a thickening ingredient: gelatin (bloomed by water), cornstarch or instant clearjel. Occasionally you’ll see other, thicker dairy ingredients added like cream cheese, mascarpone or even yogurt. 

With this method I’m sharing here, there’s no thickening agent needed.. 

Recipe Origins 

A few years back I came across Paola Velez on insta suggesting using an immersion blender for the best whipped cream. I don’t remember if I ever tried using that method (I usually ignore my immersion blender unless I’m making cranberry curd or a lentil soup!) but I thought at the time, I wonder if I could just throw everything into a food processor and run it until it gave me the right ‘peaks’? 

I discovered if I timed it correctly: yes it absolutely does and it is 100x better than a regular whisked whipped cream! It’s consistency was not only stable and thick, it’s still so utterly creamy. Why is this the case? Because we aren’t beating as much air into the whipped cream which will later deflate, we are agitating the cream very, very quickly (much more so than you can accomplish with a whisk) which will thicken it. 

 Let’s talk about how to do this so you can forgo the whisk and all whisk attachments in favor of your food processor. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Heavy Whipping Cream: or heavy cream (they are interchangeable here as the fat percentage is negligible). I use ultra pasteurized heavy cream. Also: it must be cold.  

Sugar: we have a few options for the sugar, let’s talk about them: 

• My usual go to is fine granulated sugar, this is when I don’t want any other undertones and I want a stable but creamy result. 
• If I’m pairing the whipped cream with something chocolate or nut based, I’ll use brown sugar (light or dark), the slight flavor of molasses that comes with brown is just lovely. 
• If you want whipped cream that will be ultra stable and last a few days or for piping, use powdered sugar made with tapioca starch. The added starch will further hold it in shape. 

Salt: a pinch of fine sea salt (fine dissolves quicker, sea salt isn’t as ‘salty’ in flavor as table salt) will bring the cream & vanilla flavors more forward. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste or the scrapings of a fresh vanilla pod. 

How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

My food processor method is extremely simple: set everything in a the machine and run it until thick. 

But, and this is the tricky part, you need to know when to stop. This is going to depend on the size and power of your food processor and how much you are making. 

Start by adding the cold heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and salt into the food processor. 

2. Affix the top and start running the machine on high, after 60 seconds, stop the machine and check on the cream: can you run a spoon through it without it drooping? 

3. If you’ve made half of the recipe below (1 cup heavy cream, etc) and have a strong food processor you could be close. If not, the whipped cream will need more agitation: give it another 30 seconds and check.

4. Then check after about 20 seconds, you should be there or at least very close. 

Making Perfect Whipped Cream Frosting

The most important thing is knowing when to stop whipping:

• You will see ‘lines’ start to develop on the outer rim of the food processor, when the lines towards the middle are not yet there the cream isn’t quite fully thickened.
• Stop the machine after a minute and use a rubber spatula to draw a moat in the center: if the ‘moat’ holds shape you’re close. 
• If you see the lines in the inner circle, you can draw the moat without it drooping and you can lift some of the cream up with a spoon without it dripping off, chances are your cream is done. 

Overall, the process shouldn’t take more than 3-5 minutes. 

What to do when the whipped cream turns grainy 

This means you’ve run the processor a tad too long but as long as you haven’t actually made butter yet. You can easily fix it by adding more heavy cream to the bowl and instead of mixing it in with the machine, do it by hand with a rubber spatula. 

If the blades from the machine are getting in the way, transfer the overwhipped cream to a bowl and add two tablespoons at a time to the cream and stir until it’s thick. 

Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe 

Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

Thick and creamy stabilized whipped cream without any special ingredients, made in a food processor. Can be used to spread on a pie, cake or piped onto cupcakes!

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Yields: 2 cups

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream cold straight from the fridge
• ¼ cup fine granulated sugar brown sugar or powdered sugar made with tapioca starch (see which sugar to choose by consulting the ‘ingredient’ section above)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract vanilla bean paste or scrapings of one vanilla bean pod
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt if using table salt, use just a pinch

Method

• Set all the ingredients in a large food processor; first the cream, then the sugar, vanilla and salt.
• Affix the top to lock the food processor then start processing on high. Let the machine run for about 60-90 seconds then stop to check it.
• Use a rubber spatula to swoop through the mix, then lift the spatula; if the cream holds the shape you ‘swooped’ and does not drip off the spatula, it’s likely done. If not, process for about 20 seconds at a time, checking for the right thickness.
• How quickly the cream thickens will depend on the strength of the food processor and how much is being made; if you are making half the recipe and your machine is strong, you’ll likely be done in less than two minutes. If you are making the 2 cups listed and have a standard machine, it should be done in roughly 3 minutes. If you’re making more than 2 cups, it can take up to 5 minutes. As always, do not rely on timing listed, these are general guides, instead rely on visual cues: look for the cream to hold a stiff shape and not droop off the spatula.
• Spread over your pie, dollop onto cupcakes or shortcakes, or, use between cake layers. At room temperature the cream will last about 2 hours. If kept in the fridge, about 3 days.

Notes

Note: makes enough to top a 9 inch pie or 8 cupcakes.
Tip: if you only need a bit of whipped cream and will be halving the recipe, you can use a mini food processor.

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