Frosting. I love most kinds: French buttercream, Italian buttercream, straight up American powdered sugar buttercream. Cream cheese frosting. Ermine. Ah!
Sometimes, though, a thick and decadent frosting is not What Is Needed. Sometimes what is needed is a light and poofy frosting. One that will enhance rather than overpower. Oh, okay, I know that all frosting is supposed to enhance, but the trend these days seems to be to pile on as much frosting as possible so the poor cake doesn’t even know what to do with itself. I feel especially sorry for cupcakes.
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I admit, the leaning tower of frosting looks great, but since most frosting tends to be rather dense and rich (and sometimes cloying), the 4:1 ratio of frosting to cake ends up landing you in a sugar coma.
Here’s away to have your leaning tower of frosting and eat it too. Make a fruity whipped cream frosting. And to help it stand up proud and tall, stabilize it with some gelatin.
I still think 4:1 is a bit much, but if you want to go for it, this frosting feels fairly light on the tongue and in the tummy, and using sharp fruit such as raspberry or passion fruit adds a lot of flavor while keeping the overall feel light and bright.
As a bonus, it can also be served as a light dessert. I wouldn’t try that with cream cheese frosting unless I was by myself! Just add a bit extra of the fruit puree. The standard ratio for the frosting is 2:1 cream to puree (1 1/2 cups cream to 3/4 cup puree), but if you up the puree to say 3:2 (1 1/2 cups cream to 1 cup puree), you’ll have a lovely fruit mousse made without eggs. Hooray!
As far as stabilizing goes, I generally go with 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin per cup of liquid for a soft and fluffy set (think Whips from Yoplait) although you could go as high as 1 teaspoon gelatin per cup for a much firmer set.
And there you have it. Short and sweet. I will write this up as a recipe, but know that it’s really more of a technique. And if you don’t want to make fruity whipped cream, leave it out. In that case, bloom the gelatin in a tablespoon or two of cold water and then melt it over low heat until it’s not grainy. Whisk that madly into your cream to prevent any gelatin nubbins from forming.
Gelatin-Stabilized Fruity Whipped Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 6 oz or up to 8 oz fruit puree/purees of choice
- heavy pinch of salt
- 2 oz 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
Instructions
- Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the puree. Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Heat the puree and gelatin mixture over medium-low heat, stirring often or swirling the pan, until the gelatin has all melted and the mixture is completely smooth and not grainy, about 5 minutes. Do not let it come to a boil.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer. The mixture should not be very hot to begin with, but make sure it cools to at least 90F before proceeding.
- Whip the cream and salt on medium speed, adding in the sugar a bit at a time, until you've reached medium peaks.
- Scrape the bowl and whip in the cooled fruit puree.
- Scrape the bowl again and whip to make sure the mixture is blended.
- Pour or pipe into dessert dishes (for mousse) or use to decorate your favorite cakes/cupcakes.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
And there you have it. Short and sweet today. And fruity!
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Thanks for spending some time with me today, friends, and I hope you have a lovely day.
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Hi There,
I came across your website looking for an answer to my sisters question about adding fruit puree to whipped cream for some cupcakes. Thanks for all the helpful advice regarding stabilizing whipped cream.
I am curious about the addition of salt in this recipe. Is it for taste or does it help with stabilizing the cream?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hey, Louise! Glad you found the post helpful! I always put salt in everything. I don’t look at it as a way to make things taste salty, but as a way to make things taste more like what they are. Just a small amount of salt–maybe 1/8 teaspoon or so per cup of heavy cream–really brings out the buttery flavors in the cream. Give it a try! And as far as I know, it has nothing to do with stabilizing the cream and everything to do with bringing out flavor. =)
Can I freeze for later use?
Hi, Dianne, I wouldn’t freeze it for fear of weeping upon thawing, but you can make it a day or two in advance, leave it in the fridge and then just lightly whisk it before using. Hope that helps!
Could I use the same stabilizing technique for a cake made up of layers of cognac infused lady fingers and chocolate whipped cream? The recipe I’m trying to make is Greek and they typically use a Greek vegetable whip that isn’t available in the US. Aside from wanting to use local ingredients, I’m also thinking that the cake would taste great with real cream vs. vegetable whip. Thanks!!
I would think you’d have great luck stabilizing your chocolate whipped cream with some gelatin. And I agree with you–vegetable whip sounds like a not-so-great idea when you can whip your own, fresh cream! 🙂
I am seriously wondering how this would work with peaches. I bought a huge batch in St Jacobs and need to get crackalacking on some recipes. Love the video, you always demystify things that scare most people.
I think it would work with most any fruit, Kim. And peaches and cream are a natural combo! =)
What a superb gelatin -whipped cream dessert as only you PCO can make it. I love it. I would attempt to try doing this, but it may not come out as gorgeous as yours. What I would like is to just come over and share a slice, over some good tea and a nice warm afternoon of laughs and friendship. Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe, Jenni!
I am positive that it would turn out beautifully, but sharing is much more fun, BA. Feel free to come down for a visit and some mousse!
Fantastic video, Jenni! Love whipped cream so the info you presented is important. Thank you!
Quick Question: If using say strawberry puree with the gelatin, shouldn’t I allow it to cool a bit before adding it to the whipped cream?
You are very welcome! I said in the “recipe” portion to make sure that the puree has cooled to below 90F–it doesn’t have to be completely cooled, and if you chill it, it would start to set up and get chunky. As long as your cream is at medium peaks, it will be able to support the puree, even if it is not quite at room temp. If you are especially concerned, you can cool it quickly by stirring it in an ice bath, but gelatin melts at just over 100F, so it won’t be too, too hot to begin with. Hope that explanation helps! 🙂
Fantastic video, Jenni! So helpful. I love whipped cream so mixing it up for a more stable hold is important. Thank you!
Quick Question: After the gelation is dissolved say in strawberry puree, shouldn’t I cool the mixture a bit before adding to the whipped cream?
GREAT video, and very helpful. I never thought of folding fruit puree into whipped cream. Why is this? I love this idea especially when passion fruit is involved.
Thanks for the video feedback! I’m glad you found it helpful! And now that this fruity whipped cream thing is on your radar, the sky is pretty much the limit (but passion fruit is an excellent place to start)! =)