Stabilized Whipped Cream made with cream cheese is the perfect dessert topping that holds its shape and doesn’t melt, just like Cool Whip!
Whether baking at home or buying treats from a bakery, the easiest way to elevate them is with toppings like Whipped Cream from scratch. Skip the preservatives and make toppings for your favorite Dessert Recipes at home.
STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
When baking, homemade toppings add a great personal touch to your desserts. Not only do you get to control the ingredients that are in them, but making them is actually really easy. Usually, everything you need to make frosting or whipped cream is in your pantry or refrigerator already.
If you’re not serving dessert right away, Stabilized Whipped Cream is a great option. Now, that might sound like a mouthful of a name, but think of perfect bakery cupcakes. When you go to the bakery and get a cake with whipped cream frosting, you may notice that it lasts a lot longer than your whipped cream at home.
This is because they are using an ingredient to stabilize whipped cream, keeping it from getting runny or melting for up to 3 full days! Some recipes for Stabilized Whipped Cream use gelatin or vanilla pudding, here’s an option that uses cream cheese.
The cream cheese in this Whipped Cream gives it a creamy, melt in your mouth frosting flavor, with the fluffiness of a fresh whipped cream. Plus, this Whipped Cream Frosting is thick enough to go in a piping bag and use for decorating. Try piping out small rosettes on a baking tray and freezing for a twist on Cream Cheese Candies. It’s also perfect as a topping for Blueberry Pie!
WHAT DOES “SOFT PEAKS” MEAN?
In this Stabilized Whipped Cream recipe, you will notice that the instructions say to whip to soft peaks form. What this means is that the mixture is thick enough to have peaks form but will not stay when the beaters are removed. Stiff peaks will stand straight up, with no curling, when beaters are taken out.
We want the soft peaks in this recipe so that the Whipped Cream is fluffy enough to use as a dollop on a pie or bread, but firm enough to use as a frosting. If you are making on a warmer day, chill your bowl and whisk and keep your heavy whipping cream cold until you are ready to make.
Stabilized Whipped Cream goes incredibly well with desserts like Pumpkin Pie at holiday parties. Using this Stabilized Whipped Cream means even if it takes an hour to round everyone up, your pie still looks gorgeous.
BEAUTIFUL, TASTY CAKES FOR EASTER
Lemon Cake Roll
Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Classic Carrot Cake
Red Velvet Cake
HOW TO MAKE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to use cream cheese that is fully softened to ensure that your whipped cream is creamy, without any lumps.
- Heavy Cream: Make sure your heavy cream is ice cold for easier whipping and so that it holds up for when the cream cheese is added at the end.
- Before Serving: Keep whipped cream refrigerated until you need it, although it will keep its form at room temperature. It tastes best when cold.
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VARIATIONS ON STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
- Extract: Use different flavors of extract to change your frosting to go with different cakes. Add almond extract for a marzipan flavor, or use cherry extract, lemon extract, or other fruity favorites.
- Food Coloring: A few drops of food coloring go a long way in sprucing up desserts for holidays or parties.
- Chocolate: Add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to make chocolate whipped cream. You can also use cinnamon or nutmeg to make a spiced cream frosting.
- Keto Frosting: To make this a low carb, Keto Stabilized Whipped Cream substitute 1 cup powdered monkfruit for the powdered sugar.
HOW TO USE GELATIN TO STABILIZE WHIPPED CREAM:
If you would like to use gelatin in this recipe, you will leave out the cream cheese. Additional ingredients you need are 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in 4 teaspoons of water.
- Place water and gelatin in microwave safe bowl for about 5 minutes.
- Microwave gelatin mixture until gelatin is dissolved, allow to cool. Should take just a few seconds.
- Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream until soft peaks form. Set mixer on low.
- Slowly add gelatin mixture until combined, then increase speed and mix until soft peaks form.
OTHER DELICIOUS TOPPING IDEAS:
Easy Chocolate Ganache (Just 2 Ingredients!)
Easy Whipped Cream
Homemade Cool Whip
Easy Pineapple Topping
HOW TO STORE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
- Serve: You want to store this in the fridge within two hours or the dairy in it could start to turn.
- Store: Stabilized Whipped Cream will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. When used on a baked cake, this frosting will last for 4 days.
- Freeze: Freezing unused frosting is not recommended. You can freeze baked goods frosted with Stabilized Whipped Cream for about 1 month.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar to your stand mixer at medium speed for 1 minutes until stiff peaks form. Remove from stand mixer and set aside.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla to the stand mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add in the cream cheese mixture and beat on medium speed until creamy, 1-2 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is delicious! I actually made this on my own the first time wanting a thinker, longer lasting whipped cream! I used it in a multi layer chocolate/ cherry/ whipped cream cake in a glass flat bottom bowl. Great for anything layered…pudding n whipped cream layers in a glass! Endless uses! ?
Absolutely ? amazing! Great form and not too sweet. Great on chocolate cake and though I wouldn’t leave it on the counter all night, it’s now one of my go-to frostings/ toppings!
This whipped cream is perfect! What could I use to make it chocolate?
I’d use cocoa powder and sugar to taste
Does it matter if the heavy whipping cream is ultra-pasteurized instead of just pasteurized? I’ve found the ultra pasteurized doesn’t whip well (because it’s heated more in processing)– but it’s almost impossible to find the regular pasteurized version.
Mmmmm, fresh strawberries and this cream on a scone, thank you.
If I put this on cupcakes the night before a party, will that be okay?
Thank you, this is delightful! I actually used another recommendation from a comment using whipped cream cheese spread. And I used on a homemade strawberry poke cake with reduced sweetened strawberries (from freezer section). I used 12oz STRAWBERRY cream cheese spread, 1.5 cups powdered sugar whisked folded into the whipped heavy cream (worked perfect by putting mixer bowl and whisk in freezer for 30 minutes first and heavy cream in freezer for 5 minutes before whipping). SO, SO, GOOD!
Hi! I’m planning on making a strawberry shortcake with pound cake, four layers, i want to use this as my filling. Do you think it will hold up in poundcake or will it be too heavy of a cake for it?
I always dread masking the princess cake for my sister’s birthday. I’m going to try this to see if it’ll stiffen up before I put the marzipan on top. Fingers crossed!
I NEEDED this recipe! Thank you!
Perfection – I saw that some had issues so to be safe I used a chilled metal bowl. It worked perfectly. This is actually better then the pie my husband made, I used this recipe to fix what he did. Put this on top of a coconut pineapple pie he made from memory. Thank you
so good. do you know how to compare it to cool whip 8oz.
Works great, easy to make and lasts for four days .
Am so hopeless. Every time I attempt to make cream cheese with whipping cream, doesn’t turn right, it turns to watery. And the chemistry shuttered. Please help am not sure where I make mistakes,
Hi! I’m sorry that keeps happening. My guess is the ingredients aren’t cold enough to start? Kind of hard to say directly what’s happening since I am not watching you do it. Try Chilling a bowl and having the heavy cream be ICE COLD?
The longer you whip cream cheese breaks it down to liquid. So just get it to room temperature and mix it about a minute or two scraping down the sides a couple of times. Then finish with the directions.
Thanks for this recipe, I will definitely try it next time I make a whipped cream topping. Can you tell me how much liquid flavouring you think could be added without affecting the stiffness of the finished product? Yesterday I made a Tiramisu Cheesecake and the whipped topping called for 1/4 cup Kahlua/espresso mixture. Needless to say, it ended up very runny. I see your recipe calls for 1 tbsp vanilla. Do you think 1 tbsp is the max or do you think it could handle more? Thanks!
I would do a little at a time and just rely on trial and error!
I used cream cheese to stabilize the whipped cream. It worked so well!! This was my first time using this method. I will definitely be using it often in the future. It does very well with Peanut Butter Pie!
Yay! I’m so glad you decided to give it a try, Paula.
Thank you so much! Turned out perfect!
You’re welcome, Roselle.
Used this recipe in my fresh fruit trifle, worked great. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Paul.
Thank you Sabrina! I lost this simple recipe for my family’s favorite frosting. After my medical issues I have no memory and didn’t write this one down because of the simplicity. My bad.
Anywho love your site and will be returning here often. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’m so glad to have helped.
I made this and tinted it pink to frost a vanilla birthday cake. It is now my hands down favorite frosting, a perfect alternative to heavy, gritty frostings that are too sweet. This was light and perfectly sweet, held its shape on the cake, and had a light tangy taste from the cream cheese. I used 8 oz of whipped cream cheese instead of bar cream cheese because I had it and thought it would make it easier to incorporate into the whipped cream. I’m looking forward to trying it with bar cream cheese.
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe, Sara.
Hafaaloha from Guam! Thank you Sabrina for this awesome recipe! I made this for my sister’s gathering. It’s so deliciously insane!!! We love it so much, I can’t wait to make it in the up coming holidays too?
You’re welcome!
Can i had cookies to this for my topping on an oreo cheesecakes
Hi! Was wondering the serving size for this? Is this amount too much for a 8 inch cake? Thank you!
Regards
This recipe will make the same amount as a cool whip container. It’ll be fine for an 8 inch cake. Enjoy!
I was making dessert for Easter dinner. My kids requested our family’s version of strawberry shortcake. I found this recipe for whipped cream so that I could make the dessert tonight and spend more time tomorrow doing fun Easter activities. I did not have powdered sugar… but sitting by mixer was a basket full of water flavoring bottles. One if which was strawberry kool-aid. I put two squirts in the cream cheese and two in the milk, and it turned out delicious! I thought I would share for anyone needing subs during this time!
This is a really informative post and indeed it’s greatly helpful. Can you please share another post like this post. Thank you so much for sharing this informative post with us.
This was delicious! My new favorite dessert topping with the added bonus of staying fresh for several days in the fridge.
So glad you enjoyed it, Bonnie.
I definitely need to give this a go – the perfect topping for desserts for sure!
Enjoy!
Love this helpful guide! I have so many uses for this recipe and it turns out perfect every time, thanks to your help!
You’re welcome, Kim. Thanks for the 5 stars.
This is the perfect topping for all my desserts! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much.
Looks delicious !! I love this cream so much. Sounds really easy and incredibly delicious. Add to my “try now” list
I hope you enjoy it.
Perfect for topping just about anything!
Definitely!
I used this recipe to pipe the whipped cream onto my strawberry/chocolate tart. It was so delicious & because it was a stabilized
whipped cream , it held up until everyone was there to enjoy it. And enjoy it, they did. Thank you!!
Thanks for coming back to let me know. I appreciate the 5 stars.
This is great addition to your catalogue of so many wonderful desserts on D-T-D …
Thanks so much!
This is great addition to your catalogue of so many wonderful desserts on D-T-D …
Thank you!
I think this is a great addition to your catalogue of so many wonderful desserts on D-T-D.
Hi! I was just wondering if the whipped frosting tastes like cream cheese after using it a s a stabilizer. My family does not like cream cheese frosting, so I just wanted to know before making it! ?
I am so sorry, I am just seeing this tonight. I am sure the recipe has long been cooked/or not but I still want to try to help.
It really doesn’t, it’s sort of crazy how much the cream cheese disappears in this recipe.
Thank you for including a keto version. I could have figured it out myself, but I’m just so happy that you thought of us low-carbers. I love your recipes but haven’t been able to use them for the past year since I’ve been doing keto.
You’re welcome!
Can gelatin still be added for extra firm cream?
Hi! I have not tested that so I am not sure what changes that would make.