Whipped Cream Frosting

It was requested that I post this recipe....

I've always loved whipped cream frosting ever since Costco began (back when it was the Price Club) and I first had one of their famous sheet cakes with whipped cream frosting....back when it was around $10! Shortly after being married, I began to hunt for a way to make that same wonderful frosting. As time went on I began to really hate sugar and butter frostings. Then, I found it.....here it is so you too can make impressive whipped cream frosting.

Whipped cream frosting is different than just whipped cream. To use whipped cream as an actual frosting, you need to stabilize it so that it can sit out and not melt. There are different kinds of stabilizers but my preferred choice is piping gel. Wilton makes a clear gel that you can buy in a small tub at cake decorating stores and some craft and party stores. Piping gel is designed to be tinted with food coloring and then used to write words on a cake or cookies or use it to make an area of your cake look like water. Using it in your whipped cream frosting makes it stabilized so that it won't melt even when sitting out. I've used this to frost wedding cakes that sit out for a few hours.

So, here's how you make it. You'll need:


2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Wilton Piping Gel
1 teaspoon clear vanilla


Why "heavy" whipping cream?
Because it will whip faster and thicker than not heavy whipping cream.


Why "powdered" sugar and not granulated sugar?
Because granulated sugar will leave a gritty texture to your frosting. Using powdered sugar will give it a smooth texture. I do not sift my sugar...there is no need to.


Why "clear" vanilla?
Because regular vanilla will turn your white frosting into an off white color. If you want pure white frosting then you have to use clear vanilla.


Directions:
First- whip the whipping cream until it begins to thicken but is still smooth.
Second- add the sugar, gel, and vanilla
Third- continue whipping until the cream begins to take on a moldable thickness. A good judge of whether you've whipped it enough to use it as a thick frosting is whether or not it holds in the beater attachment on your mixer. If it falls through, it's not done. Just be careful to not whip it so long that it begins to separate into butter and liquid (buttermilk).


The measurements above are just a guide. I actually don't measure anymore. I just dump in a large amount of cream and spoon in sugar until it tastes sweet enough....add a dash of vanilla and a couple spoons of gel and I'm good to go.