We use whipped cream to dollop over our favourite dessert or use it to make the perfect mousse, the options are endless. There are different tips and tricks to whip cream and how to fix your cream when you have over-whipped it. You will need a medium to large size mixing bowl because the cream is going to almost double in volume so you want to have enough volume to whip it without overflowing.
Start with cold cream in a bowl out of a fridge, the colder it is the faster it will be to whip, add a teaspoon of icing or powdered sugar and vanilla extract, or other flavours like zest from orange and lemon or spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. Start to whip the cream gently at first and increase the speed as it starts to thicken, you can whip the cream by hand using a whisk, with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer.
The time of the mixing depends on the amount of your cream and how fast you whip it. After a few minutes of whipping you will notice that your cream is a lot more viscous or basically thicker, it suddenly changes at this point so if you are using a stand mixer make sure to turn the speed to the lowest setting. Continue whipping the cream stopping every twenty seconds to check how whipped it is.
One common mistake when whipping cream is using the wrong type of cream, basically, to whip cream you need at least 35% fat, anything under and it won’t work too well. The soft peak stage when whipping cream is the most popular and desired way to serve cream, it has a light and smooth silky appearance and when you scoop it up with a spoon it holds its shape making it perfect for dolloping over desserts.
Use it for topping on a pavlova, or piping into cupcakes, or cakes. If you continue to mix for a few seconds, you will reach the stiff peak stage where the cream completely holds its shape, when you pull the whisk out of the bowl, the cream sticks up in stiff peaks. This can also be used for desserts, topping cakes, or piping.
When you reach a stiff peak, you should stop the whipping or you risk over whipping your cream. It is very easy to go past the stiff peak to overmix the cream and when you do, add a small amount of cream and use a spoon to gently fold the cream together until you are back at the soft peak stage.
Ingredients;
- 250ml / 1 Cup Cream
Instructions;
- Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl.
- Use a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer to beat the cream.
- After a few minutes, the cream should have thickened, turn the setting to low.
- Check the cream every twenty seconds, when it just starts to hold its shape it is whipped.
