Whipped Cream Frosting
Need a fluffy, light frosting that holds its shape well? Look no further than this whipped cream frosting recipe! Made with just 3 simple ingredients. It’s more stable than regular whipped cream and is perfect for any make-ahead dessert!
I’m so happy to share this whipped cream frosting with you today, finally! It’s a component of many other recipes on this site, including my Tiramisu Cake, Black Forest Cake, and Banana Pudding Cake. But it’s never had its dedicated recipe post. Until now!
It’s about time!
I love this recipe, and I make it often. It works as a frosting or filling, as well as a topping.
You can pipe on cupcakes, spread it on layer cakes, or dollop it over all desserts.
It would be perfect with angel food cake or pound cake (I’ve got a lemon pound cake, chocolate pound cake, and marble pound cake recipe that you’d love), along with a handful of fresh berries.
And it’s a little more stable than regular whipped cream so you can make it up to 48 hours ahead, and it will keep its shape without deflating or weeping.
Why you’ll love this whipped cream frosting
- Easy to Make
- Simple Steps
- Only 3 Ingredients
- Versatile Recipe for Many Desserts
- Light and Creamy
- Pipes Well
What is in this whipped cream frosting recipe?
So what’s the secret to this magical whipped cream? There are a few key ingredients that make this frosting special.
If you love easy recipes, this frosting will become one of your favorites! There are only 3 simple ingredients in this frosting whipped cream recipe, but each one serves a specific purpose.
Cream Cheese: The cream cheese keeps this whipped cream extra thick and firm. The tanginess of the cream cheese is very subtle and not overpowering. It complements Red Velvet Cake or Carrot Cake perfectly.
Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese in a brick. The type in a tub is not meant for baking. It’s intended for spreading on bagels, so it’s soft, and your frosting won’t come out right if you use that. You need the high-fat content, dense cream cheese that’s sold in 8-ounce bricks for this frosting.
Mascarpone will be a great substitute if you don’t want to use cream cheese. It’s a super-creamy soft Italian cheese that has a milder, more buttery flavor than American cream cheese.
Powdered Sugar: This will serve to sweeten the topping, but powdered sugar also has a bit of cornstarch that will help stabilize the whipped cream.
Heavy Whipping Cream: If you are outside the U.S., you might know this as “double cream.” It’s very thick and rich. If you use light cream, table cream, or half and half, it will not whip up right, and you will have a runny mess on your hands. Look for “heavy” cream, “whipping cream,” or “double” cream.
How to Make Whipped Cream Frosting
Start by mixing the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Just blend them until they are smooth and combined.
It’s totally fine if the cream cheese is cold. Many dessert recipes specify that the cream cheese should be softened, but you can use it straight from the fridge for this topping.
This step can be done with the paddle attachment OR the whip attachment.
Next, you want to use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. This will help prevent lumps in your whipped cream frosting.
Get your heavy whipping cream into a spouted container, such as a liquid measuring cup. Make sure it’s nice and cold! Cream whips up best when it’s cold. For best results, refrigerate your mixing bowl and whisk attachment too. The colder the better!
Place the whip attachment on your mixer (if you’re not already using it), and drizzle in the cold cream in a slow, steady stream while the mixer runs at medium-high speed. Every so often, turn the mixer off and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl again so that any lumps of cream cheese that may be clinging get incorporated before too much liquid goes in.
Once all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the icing becomes nice and thick and stiff peaks form. This should take no more than 2 to 3 minutes. If you whip it too long, you could break it down, and it could separate or become runny. So, as soon as you see it thickening up, turn off the mixer because you’re good to go!
How to Use
There are countless cakes, cupcakes and desserts that you can use this simply delicious frosting recipe with. Here are a few of my favorites!
Expert Tips
- Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese that comes in an 8-ounce block.
- Use heavy cream. Other types of cream will cause a runny frosting.
- Add a teaspoon of almond extract or vanilla extract for added flavor.
- Don’t overwhip the frosting or it will lose its shape. As soon as the frosting thickens, turn off the mixer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this good for piping and decorating?
This frosting pipes very well. It may seem a little loose when you’re putting it into your piping bag, but somehow it magically firms up while it’s in there. If you’re concerned about it running out as you fill the bag, clip the end with a clothespin or binder clip. When you’re ready to pipe, release the clip.
I typically use an open star tip or a french star tip to pipe this whipped cream frosting on cupcakes. It pipes beautifully for this type of decoration. You could also use it for a layer cake.
I’m not sure I would use it to pipe roses or write on birthday cakes, though. For something like that, you’d probably be better off with Swiss meringue buttercream or American-style buttercream.
Can it be tinted?
If you’d like to tint this frosting, add a drop or two of gel paste icing color to the finished frosting.
How long does it last?
This whipped cream frosing is much more stable than regular whipped cream (aka: Chantilly cream), which only lasts a few hours before it starts to weep and lose shape. With this recipe, you can make and frost your cake or cupcakes a day or two ahead.
It’s best when kept cold, so keep your dessert refrigerated until you’re ready to serve it. Or store the frosting in an airtight container until you’re ready to frost your dessert.
After about 48 hours, the whipped cream starts to give off some of its moisture. If it’s on a cake or cupcake, it’s OK because the moisture soaks into the cake, which is delicious.
But if you make it ahead and store it in a bowl, you may notice that the frosting at the bottom of the bowl is looser and not as fluffy as what’s on top. So, if you’re using it as a topping, I recommend making it no more than 24 hours before serving it.
You’ll love how easy it is to make this whipped cream frosting and how convenient it is to make it ahead. Plus, there’s no fussing around with gelatin! Let me know how you decide to serve it in a comment below.
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Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese*
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 3/4 cups (654.5 g) heavy cream,, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed and pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl in a very slow and steady stream, stopping every now and then to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip until the frosting holds stiff peaks.
- Fold in the vanilla extract, if using.
Notes
- Can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
- Keep refrigerated.
- Makes enough to fill & frost 1 triple-layer 8-inch cake, 1 double-layer 9-inch cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes.
- Perfect for Black Forest Cake, Red Velvet Cake or cupcakes, Banana Pudding Cake, or Tuxedo Cupcakes.
- For a chocolate version, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder in step #1 of the recipe instructions.
What’s the difference between the cream cheese in a tub and the cream cheese that comes as a stick? How will it make a difference in my recipe if I use the cream cheese in a tub? I was just asking as I don’t have the stick and can’t go grocery shopping right now.
The cream cheese in the tub is softer. The kind in a stick has less moisture so it’s more firm.
I made this fresh Whipped cream for my Husband’s birthday bash cupcakes last weekend and lets just say people loved my cupcakes way more than the actual cake I bought from the store. The only thing I changed in this recipe is instead of Cream Cheese I used store bought Mascarpone cheese since I am not big fan of Cream cheese flavor. The cream just added so much richness to the yummy Chocolate cupcakes. I will continue to use this recipe from now on instead of buying store bought frosting.
So happy you and your guests enjoyed!
Omg. This is the most perfect fluffy, light, stable whip cream filling i have ever made. I made it tonight and will put it in the cake tomorrow. Thanks for an amazing recipe that I will use from here on out!
Please feel free to experiment! Good luck!
Hi! Can I use whipping cream instead of heavy cream? Thank you!Â
Whipping cream and heavy cream are the same thing.
Hello,, thanks for these useful recipes because as others, I used to have many issues with frostings. You already saved me with the magical cream cheese frosting. I want to try this one as well. I only have a question regarding the quantity of heavy cream we need to add in this recipe. Is it 2 cups plus 3/4 of a cup or 2 cups with 3/4 each? Thanks again and best regards from Costa Rica!!!
Hey Laura! It is 2 cups plus 3/4 cup. Good luck!
Hello
Here it is difficult to get blocked cream cheese. Can I get an alternative.
Can I freeze it to make it last longer? If so how much longer?
Honestly I have not tried so I can’t say for sure. I feel like it probably wouldn’t work, but if you want to give it a try I’d love to hear how it works out for you.
How long can I store this frosting in fridge ? I tried a small batch today it was easy and came out super fluffy and yummy but couldn’t use all of it.. my son’s birthday is after 6 days.. will it be good in fridge till then ?
This info can be found under the heading “How long does whipped cream frosting last.”
Would you recommend this for an Angel Food cake?Â
Sure!
Fantastic frosting!! Spreads like a dream and my family loved it. No more plain old buttercream for us, thank you!
How Do you make it without a mixer?
I do not but you could! Your arm will get a good workout!
I was a little hesitant about making this because I have had some serious frosting/icing fails in my time. But I wanted a pipeable whipped frosting for some strawberry cupcakes I had made for my kiddos bday. This is hands down the best whipped cream frosting I’ve ever had. From consistency to flavor it was a home run. đŸ¤© Thank you!
This is just a note to self; I wouldn’t recommend trying to pipe this in a warm apartment đŸ˜•Â
Made this recipe and it was so easy and awesome. I added lemon extract to it instead of vanilla. Texture was nice and airy. Had it in the fridge overnight and early the next morning it was still in good condition and firm, kept it in the fridge except for what I was using in my piping bag. After icing the whole thing I started taking my scraper around it.. and it all just started melting đŸ˜ the entire time I had to keep putting my tools and the cake back in the freezer. In the end everything tasted good and I was able to hide most of the problems (was just a cake for my family)Â
I think maybe the other reason was from the cake being in the freezer and then shocked by the heat when I took it out. Would really like to give this recipe another try but I wouldn’t take risks with it in the summer.
Hello!
Can I make this lemon?
Yes! Make it however you like!
Absolutely delicious!!! I used it to frost a chocolate cake and it took it to the next level! I love cream cheese frosting đŸ™‚