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Fluffy, light, and airy: this is the BEST Whipped Cream Frosting recipe for cupcakes or cakes. It’s easy to make and it’s more stable than regular whipped cream, so it’s perfect if you need to frost in advance – no weeping or collapsing. This will be your new favorite frosting recipe!
What is Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting?
I love whipped cream, but using it as a frosting isn’t always my favorite way to use it. If you’ve ever used it to decorate cakes and cupcakes you might have noticed that it doesn’t hold well for very long. It’s great if you plan to serve a dessert right away, but if you want to frost them ahead of time it’s not always the best choice. It tends to break down and weep, which means it releases moisture. So not good.
The good news is that you can have that fresh whipped cream flavor in a frosting AND make it so it’s stable and holds its shape on cakes and cupcakes. You just need to know the secret and I think you’re going to love it! This whipped cream frosting is my favorite frosting recipe to use when I want a light and creamy frosting – the taste and texture is amazing. I’ve been making this for strawberry shortcake cakes for years but I also love it on all desserts.
Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting Ingredients
For this recipe we’re basically making a cream cheese whipped cream. It works perfectly every time and it’s great if you need to make a whipped cream icing ahead of time because it holds up.
- Softened cream cheese – The cream cheese is the secret for making stable whipped cream frosting. If you leave it out, you’re basically making whipped cream. Adding it in thickens the frosting and gives it structure. Be sure to let it soften before you use it. Just leave it out at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before you make the frosting. It will be much easier to mix if it’s soft.
- Powdered sugar – I’ve tested this recipe with granulated sugar and powdered sugar and I prefer the powdered sugar. I often save unused frosting in the refrigerator and it seems to hold up better when I make it with powdered sugar. If you only have granulated sugar, you can use it but the leftovers may not keep as well.
- Cold heavy whipping cream -Unlike the cream cheese, you want your heavy cream to be very cold when you make this frosting. Cold heavy cream is easier and quicker to whip into a light and fluffy state.
How to Make Whipped Cream Frosting
You can use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for this recipe.
- Beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth in a large mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Adjust the speed to medium-high and slowly add the heavy cream. Whip the mixture for a few minutes. It will form soft peaks – keep mixing until it holds stiff peaks. You can test it by lifting the whisk (or beaters). The frosting should lift up and hold its shape without collapsing back into itself.
- The frosting will look like regular whipped cream except with a thicker consistency.
Expert Tips
- Only use heavy whipping cream and make sure it’s COLD when you start.
- Chill your bowl and beaters for whipped cream to beat up faster.
- Cream cheese needs to be ROOM TEMPERATURE to avoid lumps.
- You can use powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
- Make sure it’s mixed enough – but don’t OVER mix or it’ll turn into butter.
- You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed. It will take less time with a stand mixer.
- This recipe is thinner and less sweet than buttercream, without the sweetness of regular cream cheese frosting.
- Add flavor with other extracts, like lemon or almond!
Storage
If you aren’t planning to use the frosting right away store it in an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to two days. I do not recommend freezing this frosting.
FAQs
For this recipe, you definitely want to use heavy whipping cream. Lighter creams or half and half won’t work as well.
Yes, it’s perfect for piping! Sometimes I go for a rustic look and dollop and spread it on cupcakes and cakes, but it’s great if you want to pipe it because it’s thick and sturdy.
If your whipped cream becomes chunky that means it’s probably over-mixed. Cream turns into butter when it is whipped past the whipped cream stage. It’s not easy to save when this happens but you can try slowly drizzling heavy whipping cream into the mixer while mixing and seeing if that helps.
Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (474ml) heavy whipping cream cold
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and thick using a hand or a stand mixer (use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer).
- While mixing on medium-high speed, slowly add the heavy whipping cream. Continue whipping until the frosting forms stiff peaks. It’ll resemble whipped cream but be thicker.
- Frost as desired.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- Only use heavy whipping cream and make sure it’s COLD when you start.
- Chill your bowl and beaters for whipped cream to beat up faster.
- Cream cheese needs to be ROOM TEMPERATURE to avoid lumps.
- You can use powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
Recipe Nutrition
Whipped Cream Frosting is a great stable whipped cream for decorating cakes and cupcakes. This easy recipe is made with cream cheese, powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream and is one of the best frostings ever!
Really enjoyed the flavor but I think I messed up somewhere… so I beat the cream cheese with the whisk attachment, added vanilla, added powdered sugar and beat together. Then I drizzled in the heavy cream while it was whisking on medium high speed. After just a couple minutes it was just about perfect with stiff peaks and smoothness. While letting it still go, I walked away for not even another minute and came back to it looking deflated-ish and the texture looked less smooth… so I stopped it. I took maybe a cup of what I had and put it back in my mixing bowl and back on med high to test if it just needed longer. It became soupy… any ideas what I did? I can’t believe that just a minute difference took it from perfect to runny. The rest that I hadn’t added back in to whip longer worked to at least give my cake a light coating but even after being in the fridge for 1-2 hours, it didn’t go back to being as stable as I needed it. 🙁
It may have been over whipped. Whipped cream turns to butter/buttermilk when it goes too long so I can only assume it was mixed too much and you got a version of buttermilk.
Same with me- as there is. I direction on how long to whip I had no idea. I got just soup.
The cream cheese to me was a bit heavy. It was good but I was looking for a lighter frosting. Any ideas
Thank you
I know there are some recipes that add gelatin to just plain heavy whipped cream (plus sugar+vanilla) but I haven’t ever tried that. I have made regular whipped cream and added about 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and it’ll stay stiff for much longer than regular. You don’t taste it either (photographers secret, ha!)
Sorry I misspelled some word what I meant was can I heat it up a little to soften so I can pour it on the edges of the cake
Can I hear this frosting up so I can put it on the edges
I wouldn’t heat it up – the whipped cream might get a little funky
Flavor excellent. Not too sweet. I hate when the frosting is so much sweeter than the cake itself. It came up a little stiff for me. I may try modifying the recipe to use less cream cheese so that it has more of a whipped cream texture, less stiff. We shall see. Overall a nice alternative to buttercream.👍
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