Make-Ahead Whipped Cream
If I want to make freshly whipped cream, say, to serve with a dessert after a holiday party, I usually drag out my Kitchen Aid stand mixer to do so. When it’s just family around, I don’t mind making whipped cream this way; however, sometimes I don’t want to interrupt the flow of conversation and make a lot of noise in the middle of a party, or I’d like to have one less thing to do during the party so I can enjoy more time with my guests. If you’ve ever tried to make whipped cream in advance or saved any leftover whipped cream in the refrigerator, you’ve probably noticed that it starts to separate after a little while and becomes watery, often to the point of no return. In an effort to make my life a little easier, I researched and experimented to see if there was a way to make whipped cream ahead of time without compromising its texture. It turns out there is! I found my answer in a Barefoot Contessa cookbook (Ina Garten to the rescue, as usual!) and the always-informative Food 52 website. And it doesn’t involve using gelatin or fake, highly processed ingredients. Simply add a couple of tablespoons of crème fraîche or sour cream to the heavy cream when you’re whipping it, and it will stabilize the cream enough that you can make it up to 24 hours in advance. Even my kids, who can identify any changes, no matter how minor, I make to their favorite dishes (including one child who dislikes sour cream), couldn’t detect any sour-cream tang in the whipped cream. In fact, they both agreed it was the best whipped cream I had ever made. A successful kitchen experiment all around!
Yield: Makes about 2 cups.
Yield: Makes about 2 cups.
Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen
Ingredients
- -- 1 cup cold heavy cream *
- -- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream **
- -- 1 tablespoon natural cane sugar
- -- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the cream, crème fraîche or sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip on medium to medium-high speed, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl and fully combine all the ingredients, until the mixture forms soft peaks. Watch carefully, as you don’t want to whip it so much that it turns into butter.
- Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. (I use a glass container with a tight-fighting plastic lid.) It’s ideally served within 4 to 6 hours of making it, but it will keep for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Just whisk it gently a few times before serving. (You don’t need to break out the stand mixer again; a handheld whisk will do just fine.)
Notes
* For the freshest-tasting whipped cream, use heavy cream that doesn’t contain any other ingredients besides cream. Some brands contain stabilizers such as carrageenan or other gums or thickeners. Although they aren’t ideal, your cream will still whip up just fine; I just prefer the clean, fresh taste of cream without these unnecessary ingredients.
** Crème fraîche—basically the “fancy” French version of sour cream—has more fat and less tang than sour cream, but it’s not as widely available and is usually more expensive. I’ve had success using either in this recipe, so feel free to use whichever you prefer.
** Crème fraîche—basically the “fancy” French version of sour cream—has more fat and less tang than sour cream, but it’s not as widely available and is usually more expensive. I’ve had success using either in this recipe, so feel free to use whichever you prefer.
Recipe by Wholesome Family Kitchen at https://www.wholesomefamilykitchen.com/recipe-hot-chocolate-mix-make-ahead-whipped-cream/