This stabilized whipped cream frosting recipe makes lightly sweetened, thick and fluffy, perfectly pipe-able frosting that doesn’t weep or lose its shape! This recipe comes together in 15 minutes and can be used to ice cakes or cupcakes or anywhere in place of store-bought whipped cream! Recipe includes a tutorial video!
A Sweet & Simple Frosting
I’ve received a record number of requests for this whipped cream frosting recipe, and here it is! While I love my existing whipped cream recipe and have bragged often about how stable it is, I’ve also advised that that one is not ideal for icing cakes or cupcakes.
Sure, it’s great, fluffy, un-fussy and so tasty, but if you want a whipped cream frosting, one that is guaranteed to hold its shape, not melt, and last for several days, you really need to stabilize it first.
This requires a simple extra step and a sprinkle of gelatin powder.
The end result is a frosting that’s lightly sweetened (those of you who want a frosting that’s “not too sweet” will love this one), fluffy and creamy, but still stable enough to pipe over cupcakes or frost a two or three layer cake. Pictured above it’s prettily piped over a batch of cupcakes that I made out of my vanilla cake recipe (of course I tossed in a few sprinkles for good measure!)
Let’s get to it!
What You Need
- Gelatin. This is what makes this recipe a stabilized whipped cream. Gelatin stabilizes the cream and keeps the frosting sturdy (even at room temperature) and keeps it from melting over itself or weeping, as classic, un-stabilized whipped cream may be prone to do. I recommend using unflavored gelatin, which, as the name indicates, doesn’t taste like anything so that the natural flavors of the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract can shine through.
- Powdered sugar. Those of you who don’t like sugary frostings will be thrilled to hear that there is only ½ cup of sugar in the whole recipe! (Compare that to classic buttercream frosting, which uses 4 cups or 8x as much sugar for the same amount of icing!). This is just enough sugar to sweeten the stabilized whipped cream and help it hold its thick, fluffy shape.
- Vanilla extract. Added for flavor. Of course I like to use my homemade vanilla extract for best flavor!
- Heavy whipping cream. This is the base of our stabilized whipped cream. It should be as cold as possible (without being frozen) in order to achieve a thick and fluffy frosting. You can use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, or double cream. “Whipping cream” will work, but since it contains less fat the results aren’t quite as stable as those made with the other creams listed.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I chose them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- Add the gelatin to a microwave safe dish and add cold water. Whisk until the gelatin is smoothly combined with the water and set aside. The gelatin is the fussiest part of this whole (otherwise very simple) recipe. Make sure to follow my notes and you shouldn’t have any issue, though!
- In a separate bowl, combine cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. For best results, use a chilled metal bowl and chill your beaters, too! The colder everything is the better your results will be. Beat the ingredients with an electric mixer and stop once the cream has begun to thicken, but just before reaching soft peaks.
- By now, your gelatin/water mixture should have solidified. Heat it briefly in the microwave just until it’s re-melted and briefly mix it with a whisk (you don’t want it to be very hot, but the gelatin mixture should be 100% liquid and totally smooth or you could end up with a frosting that stays runny or have lumps in your frosting). This usually only takes 5-10 seconds in the microwave. Turn your electric mixer to low-speed and, while beating the cream mixture, slowly whisk in the gelatin.
- Gradually increase the speed on your electric mixer until your whipped cream is fluffy with stiff peaks. It should look like Cool Whip, thick and fluffy!
It may seem counter-intuitive at first to liquify the gelatin and allow it to set up only to re-liquify it again by melting, but it’s important! This is a process known as “blooming” the gelatin, which ensures that the end result is not only smooth (rather than grainy or lumpy) but also that it stabilizes properly.
SAM’S TIP: While the cream must be beaten very well, it is possible to over-beat your cream, leaving you with a rough, curdled-looking mess. If you accidentally overdo it, don’t panic, you might still be able to salvage things! Simply add 1-2 Tablespoons of heavy cream and mix until you’ve reached the proper consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several reasons this can happen. Most likely, you simply need to keep beating the mixture, it can take some time and requires patience! However, if your gelatin was very, very hot when you added it to the cream, if the cream was not cold enough, or if you are in a very warm kitchen, your cream may not thicken as it should. Set yourself up for success and make sure you follow the steps for blooming the gelatin and use cold cream and a cold bowl (and beaters, too!).
This frosting lasts up to 4-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge in an airtight container. While it does well at room temperature due to the gelatin, it’s still a dairy-based frosting and so is not ideal for high heat for long periods of time (such as outdoor parties in the summer!). I recommend keeping it chilled. At room temperature (below 75F/24C) I wouldn’t leave it out for more than an hour or two.
Unfortunately I don’t recommend it. If you have a cake that you’d like to use fondant with, I would recommend using my classic buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting instead.
There are many different methods for making whipped cream frosting, but personally I found that this method yielded the most stable results with the most authentic whipped cream taste.
I tried many methods including using more powdered sugar (made the frosting too sweet and did not last as long as this version with gelatin), using a food processor (didn’t hold its shape long enough and still melted), adding cream cheese (tasty, but changed the taste far too much) and using powdered milk (this worked fairly well, but did not hold its shape as long and modified the taste a bit). Ultimately I recommend sticking with the method written in my recipe below.
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Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (this is usually sold near the Jell-O in the grocery store)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cold water
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream cold
- ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Sprinkle gelatin into a microwave safe measuring cup or other small microwave-safe dish (preferably one with a spout to make it easy to pour later on).1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- Add water and whisk gelatin and water together until all gelatin has been absorbed. Set mixture aside to sit for 5 minutes.1 ½ Tablespoons cold water
- While gelatin is sitting, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl (preferably a chilled metal bowl). Use an electric mixer to beat until the mixture is thickened, but stop shy of reaching soft peaks.1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- At this point, check your gelatin. It should have solidified at this point. If so, pop it in the microwave just until the mixture has re-liquified. This usually takes me 5-10 seconds. The mixture should be liquid, but should not be very hot. Use a whisk to briefly stir the contents together to make sure they are smooth.
- With electric mixer on low speed, drizzle liquid gelatin into the cream. Slowly increase speed to medium/high then continue to beat until you have reached stiff, fluffy peaks.
- Immediately pipe or ice cake or cupcakes as desired, or use as desired in place of store-bought whipped cream!
Notes
Storing
I recommend using the frosting for decorating immediately after preparing for best results, but alternatively you may store in an airtight container in the fridge for several days before using as desired. Stabilized whipped cream will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. This recipe may also be frozen once it is piped onto your dessert.Make it chocolate
Add 3-4 Tablespoons of cocoa powder in with the sugar for a chocolate stabilized whipped cream. If your cocoa is lumpy, make sure to sift before adding.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sara Blais
I made this and it came out amazing taste so good!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear this, Sara, thank you so much for trying my recipe!
Sara Blais
I made a vanilla cake and used this topping and brought it to an event dinner for one of the desserts and it was a hit all gone and I was asked to make it again for another event we will be having later this month. I’ve made different whipped topped but always melt away. Your whipped with the gelatin to stabilize made all the different and still tasted absolutely amazing. Thank you so much!
Danielle Fifer
I’d like to make a cookies and cream frosting. Have you ever tried that? Do you think this would hold up if I (carefully) folded in Oreo cookie crumbs after whipping it?
Sam
Hi Danielle! I have a different Oreo frosting if that helps but yes if you want to carefully fold in Oreo cookie crumbs to this recipe I do think it would work fine. Enjoy!
Bonnie M
I can’t wait to whip this up. I need to make a 2 tier wedding cake. So if I’m Reading this correctly this will be stable enough for a 2 tier cake?
How much would one recipe cover?
Sam
Hi Bonnie! This frosting will be stable enough for a 2 tier cake (the cake itself is more of what you need to worry about than the frosting). One batch makes 3.25 cups of frosting, which I consider to be enough to cover a 2 layer 8″ or 9″ cake.
JenC
I have never made cake frosting in my life! Made this last night and it was:
A) So easy to folllow your instructions, and
B) DELICIOUS!
Thank you for rescuing me from high-fructose corn syrup frosting!
Ian
The moment I put the first drops of gelatine in, the whole thing separated. Adding more cream didn’t help.
Unmitigated disaster.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear that, Ian! That shouldn’t happen, and I’ve never encountered this issue. I would recommend checking out the video to see how mine looks when I make it. I hope that helps. 🙂
Barbara Dunayev-Horner
This recipe is spot-on for creating the perfect whipped cream frosting that is, well, stable and has the perfect consistency and heft to stay put and not get runny …genius and super-easy to make! This will now be my go-to cake frosting as you can sweeten and flavor the cream to your liking. Bravo!
Karen
If I pipe this on cupcakes the day before I am serving them will it hold up if cupcakes are kept in the fridge?
Sam
Hi Karen! You shouldn’t have any issues with this holding up for a day or two. 🙂
Chalee
Can you use unflavored beef gelatin?
Sam
Hi Chalee! Even though it is unflavored, it may carry a flavor with it. Having not tried the brand you have I can’t say for sure how it would turn out.
Zoe
will these measurements cover a two-layer cake?
Sam
Yup. 🙂
Rachel
Can you color this icing?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Melany
Can you use pure vanilla instead of vanilla extract?
If yes, is the amount same or different?
Sam
Hi Melany! Did you mean a scrape from the vanilla bean pod? If so that will work just fine. You probably wouldn’t need to use a whole bean because it’s so potent. If your bottle says “Pure vanilla extract” on it, then that is the same thing and you will want to use that. 🙂
Noel
can I frost the cake the night before?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Chava Witkes
I made this with vegan unflavored jello powder instead of gelatin. It worked amazing for the birthday, but the leftover frosting split and was gross.
Alaina
Did you try re-whipping it?
Rochelle
Can you add food coloring? And if so when should the food coloring be added in?
Sam
Hi Rochelle! You can stir in some food coloring close to the end. 🙂
Sandy
Would it be possible for you to send this recipe to my email address?
Sam
Hi Sandy! I’m not sure what you are asking here? You can print the recipe, by clicking the print recipe button and that will give you just the recipe. You could then save that as a pdf to your computer to always have. 🙂
Janice
If I double this recipe to cover a two-layer, 8-inch round cake can I add Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder to make it a Strawberry Whipped Cream Icing? And how much powder to add to the doubled recipe? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Janice! I think that could work just fine. I’m not sure on an amount though. I would probably start with a smaller amount and adjust as needed. 🙂
JanL
Is it possible to substitute the gelatin with vegan gelatin? have you tried it and how does it change the texture
Sam
I have not tried vegan gelatin so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. If you do try it, let me know how it goes. 🙂