A generous spoonful of whipped cream makes each dessert even more delicious. However, this greedy cloud of air, water, and fat tends to sag rather easily. If you can stabilize the whipped cream, you can use it to decorate cupcakes, frost a cake, and make sure it retains the right consistency as you transport the cake into the car. Professionals prefer to use gelatin for this purpose, but there are many other methods to prepare perfect stabilized whipped cream in compliance with a vegetarian diet.
Ingrediants
- 240ml whipped cream and one of the following ingredients:
- 5 ml of tasteless gelatin
- 10 g of skimmed milk powder
- 30 g of powdered sugar
- 30g vanilla flavored instant pudding powder
- 2-3 large marshmallows
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Gelatin
Step 1. Wait for the gelatin to thicken in the cold water
Sprinkle 2.5g in 15ml of cold water and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until slightly thick.
All doses are calculated for 240 ml of cream which will double its volume once whipped
Step 2. Stir the gelatin constantly over low heat
You have to mix it until all the powder is well dissolved, without lumps. Don't let the liquid come to a boil.
- Use the bain-marie technique that allows you to heat the gelatine slowly and evenly.
- The microwave speeds up the time, but it is a risky method. Heat the gelatin only at 10-second intervals to avoid overheating it.
Step 3. Wait for it to cool down to body temperature
Take it off the heat and wait until it is the same temperature as your finger. Don't let it cool down any further, or it will start to solidify.
Step 4. Whip the cream until it becomes a little thick
It must be compact, but without the "snow" consistency.
Step 5. Incorporate the gelatin
Let it fall into the cream in a steady stream without stopping working the mixture with the whisk or beater. If you let the gelatine sit in contact with the cold cream, it will form solid strands. Continue whipping the cream as usual.
Method 2 of 3: Alternative Ingredients
Step 1. Use powdered sugar
Most of those you find in the supermarket contain cornstarch which allows you to stabilize the cream. Replace the granulated sugar with an equal amount of powdered product.
- If you don't have a kitchen scale, replace each tablespoon of granulated sugar with 1.75 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Generally, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (30 g) are used for 240 ml of cream.
- Whip the cream firmly before adding most of the stabilizing ingredient. If you incorporate the sugar too soon, you reduce the volume of the cream and make it less fluffy.
Step 2. Before working the cream, add some powdered milk
10 g is enough for 240 ml of cream. This way you incorporate the protein without altering the flavor.
Step 3. Mix some melted marshmallows
Melt one or two large sweets in the microwave in a large bowl. Heat them in 5-second intervals or melt them on the stove in a large, greased skillet. Marshmallows are ready when melted and can be mixed together. Wait a couple of minutes for them to cool and then add them to the whipped cream until stiff.
Mini marshmallows may have traces of cornstarch which helps stabilize the cream. However, some cooks find they are more difficult to melt and incorporate
Step 4. Try the instant pudding mix
Add 30 g, vanilla flavored, once the cream has reached a fairly firm consistency. This trick allows you to have a very stable cream, but it could turn yellow and take on a different flavor. Experiment at home before using this cream to garnish your friend's wedding cake!
Step 5. Stir in the crème fraîche or mascarpone cream if you want it to be slightly firm
Add 120 ml of crème fraîche or mascarpone only when you have partially whipped the cream which, in the end, will be firmer than usual, but not as firm as with the other stabilizers. This technique is perfect for slightly acidic glazes, but you won't be able to use the pastry bag.
- Remember that this version melts with heat, so keep the cream in the fridge or freezer.
- Use the whisk attachment to divide the mascarpone into small portions and prevent it from splashing on the outside of the bowl.
Method 3 of 3: Change the Technique
Step 1. Use a food processor or hand blender
Whip the cream with a series of short pulses, so as to incorporate a lot of air. Once you have reached the desired consistency and you do not run the risk of it splashing everywhere, you can operate the appliance continuously until the cream is whipped completely. It will take 30 seconds and you will not have to cool the container or the whips. By doing this you will have a whipped cream that will not collapse for at least a couple of hours.
Do not work the cream for too long or at excessive speed, or you will turn it into butter. If you realize early enough that the whey is separating from the fat, you can sometimes solve the problem by working the cream with a hand whisk
Step 2. Chill both the ingredients and the tools before whipping the cream
The colder it is, the less likely it is to separate. Store it in the coldest section of the refrigerator - usually in the back of the bottom shelf. When working with a hand whisk or electric beater, chill both the bowl and the whisks in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Metal bowls stay cold much longer than glass bowls, and you need to remember that glass bowls don't always withstand low freezer temperatures.
- If it is very hot, put the bowl you whip the cream into in another container with water and ice. Work the cream in an air-conditioned room.
Step 3. Store the whipped cream in a sieve placed over a bowl
Over time, cream loses water and this is the reason why it tends to sag and become liquid. If you pour the cream into a suspended, fine-mesh sieve, the liquid will fall into the container below instead of taking it apart.
Line the sieve with cheesecloth or kitchen paper in case the holes are too large to hold the whipped cream
Advice
The higher the concentration of fat in the cream, the more stable it will be. The product that offers the best result, in this sense, is the one with 48% fat, but it is not always available. Also, don't forget that the higher the fat content, the greater the risk of whipping the thicker cream than you want
Warnings
- Gelatin is a product of animal origin, so it is not suitable for most vegetarians.
- Return cream filled desserts to the refrigerator or freezer if they are not to be consumed immediately. Even stabilized whipped cream can collapse at high temperatures.
