This luscious, creamy, light, and fluffy Whipped Cream Frosting takes the cake! Made with 5 ingredients, regular whipping cream, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and crème fraîche, it’s essentially a stabilized whipped cream. But when it’s baking time, my children must arm wrestle me (or offer to do some serious chores) to get to lick the spatula. It’s the best whipped cream frosting I’ve ever had!
It blew everyone’s mind this past Mother’s Day and I promise it will not disappoint!
Why we love this frosting recipe
This Whipped Cream Frosting has all the fluffiness of pure, fresh whipped cream but the cream cheese and crème fraîche give it stability, body and just the right amount of tang to balance the sweetness. As much as I love frosting, I’m very particular about what goes into my frostings. Too much sugar? No good. Hydrogenated shortening? No way. Rich, creamy, buttery, decadent, light, fluffy, frosting? That’s my jam. Thus, this Whipped Cream Frosting is a house favorite.
The trick is to make sure the cream cheese and crème fraîche are at room temperature so that they can be incorporated easily without forming lumps. Also, it is worth sifting the powdered sugar if it is not a fresh box to make sure it is smooth.
Why only 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar, you might ask?
Honestly, I think some frosting and icing recipes are overly sweet and they leave an unpleasant oversweet aftertaste that leaves me running to brush my teeth. This recipe has plenty of sweetness, but the lasting flavor is that of light, fresh, buttery cream. It’s all about balance.
What type of cake is this Whipped Cream Frosting best for?
This creamy frosting is ideal for a layered cake. The flavors work beautifully with a vanilla cake, chocolate cake, lemon cake, or berry cake, which is what I made this weekend. I added layers of this frosting between layers of fresh berries and vanilla cake layers. Sooo delicious.
This recipe would be amazing on a carrot cake as well, but I haven’t tried the combo yet.
How long will the frosting hold its shape before melting?
Indoors, at room temperature (70°-72°F) it will hold for several hours. I frosted my most recent cake at 1pm and we enjoyed it at 7pm and it was perfect! However, this is not an icing to take on a picnic in July when the temperature is in the high 90’s! It may only last an hour or so before beginning to soften. I’d recommend a buttercream or cream cheese frosting for such an event.
Why add crème fraîche or cream cheese?
Freshly whipped cream can be used to frost a cake but it will lose its shape and stability really fast and you will end up with runny rivulets of whipped cream and soggy cake. Adding the extra density and fat of the crème fraîche or cream cheese helps the whipped cream hold it’s form for the party without compromising it’s fluffiness. Another word for this method is stabilizing the whipped cream.
What about adding instant pudding powder, milk powder, or gelatin?
I prefer the cleaner, fresher flavor of cream cheese and crème fraîche to the other stabilizers. I think it let’s the flavor of the cake shine through better. But many other recipes do use those items to stabilize the whipped cream.
What is the difference between this frosting and buttercream?
This Whipped cream frosting is much lighter and fluffier than buttercream. Buttercream creams butter and sugar together and has a more dense texture. By whipping heavy cream in this recipe, the result is a lighter textured frosting that a is still sturdy enough to pipe, but more delicate than American style buttercream.
What if I overmix the frosting?
If you overmix the frosting and it becomes lumpy or grainy, add a Tablespoon or two of whipping cream to the bowl and whisk by hand until smooth.
TIPS and TRICKS
- This whipped cream frosting works beautifully spread on a layer cake with a spatula or piped onto cupcakes using a piping bag.
- This recipe yields enough to ice three 9″ rounds.
- If you’d like to add color to the frosting, I recommend using a gel food coloring to avoid adding liquid. Add the color during step 3.
Whipped Cream Frosting
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
This Whipped Cream Frosting takes the cake! It has all the fluffiness of pure, fresh whipped cream but the cream cheese and crème fraîche give it lovely stability, body and just the right amount of tang to balance the sweetness.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
6 oz cream cheese
4 oz crème fraîche (or mascarpone cheese)
1 ½ cups confectioners powdered sugar
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- While you read through the ingredients and method, place your mixing bowl in the fridge or freezer to get it nice and cold!
- Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or hand-held mixer) and large mixing bowl. A chilled metal bowl is best for this recipe.
- Add the softened cream cheese, crème fraîche, pure vanilla extract, and powdered sugar, to the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until perfectly creamy (1-2 minutes).
- Make sure the sugar is fully incorporated to avoid lumps in the frosting.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and salt. Beat the cream with the electric mixer on medium speed until combined (1 minute). Soft peaks should begin to form.
- Switch to high speed and beat an additional minute or until the mixture thickens enough for medium peaks to form. If you are not sure if it’s ready, pause the mixer and test the frosting. A large spoonful should cling tight to a spoon when lifted and you should be able to tilt the bowl without the whipped cream moving. Do not overmix.
- Keep frosting chilled until ready to frost the cake or cupcakes.
- Frosted cake or cupcakes should be served the same day.
- Leftover frosting or frosted items can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Notes
TIPS and TRICKS
This whipped cream frosting works beautifully spread on a layer cake with a spatula or piped onto cupcakes using a piping bag.
This recipe yields enough to ice 3 9″ rounds.
If you’d like to add color to the frosting, I recommend using a gel food coloring to avoid adding liquid. Add the color during step 3.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
