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.
Kari
Any ideas for a vegetarian substitute for the gelatin (besides vegan gel, which doesn’t seem to be available in my area)? Some people at our party will be vegetarian, so I’d like to make cupcakes without gelatin. Would agar agar work?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kari! We have never used agar agar powder before, so we are not sure how it would work here. Hopefully someone who has tried this can chime in though!
Sandy
I can’t find the faq section, how long will this stay stay in room temp and does it hold up when piped?
Ashlyn
If you are looking for a vegan stabilizer, I would try piping gel.
Nancy
Will adding a little more powdered sugar to make it slightly sweeter affect the outcome of the icing?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Nancy! Adding more sugar won’t be a problem here. Enjoy!
Kathy Keegan
The frosting is delicious. Put it on a pumpkin spice cake. I used real vanilla. Sprinkled cinnamon on it. Similar to a recipe I made years ago but lost it. Thank you.
Heather
I honestly never leave comments but I absolutely needed too for this recipe! It was super easy and so delicious! It held together perfect and the taste was great! Thank you so much for sharing!
Amber Jean W.
Thank you so much for this! I followed a recipe on a different website that did not explain the whole gelatin process, it basically told me to just mix it with water and dump it in with my cream. Needless to say I ended up with a pretty lumpy, almost tapioca-like whipped cream, and it was disappointing to use on the cupcakes I had worked so hard on. After reading your recipie and watching your video it makes so much more sense. Understanding the science behind it and the whole “blooming” process, I’m looking forward to all my future cupcake escapades using your method. Thanks again and I will definitely be reading through more of your recipes! xoxo -Amber
Louise
I don’t know what I did wrong but after I added the liquified Gelatin into the mix I got these little stringy pieces of Gelatin thru out. I couldn’t handle that feeling of them and tossed out the whole batch. Help what did I do wrong. I mixed with water. Let it sit and then microwaved it till liquid. Remixed it to ensure it was not too hot??
Sam
Hmm was it fully dissolved in the water? It sounds like it started to solidify again. 🙁
Jeff
I just made this recipe and it left an aftertaste in my mouth. It It also didn’t have a taste to it really. So I’m not sure what I did the wrong but any suggestions are helpful. One thing I did and I might just throw this in the trash. I used the Celebakes vanilla artificial flavor. so I’m not sure if that had an impact or not. Other than the aftertaste I wish it had more flavor so again I don’t know what I might’ve done rowing. It might’ve been the vanilla artificial flavor. Any suggestions will be helpful. I’ve always made my Granny’s red velvet cake with the icing is sweet buttercream with the flour and milk to buy together and then mixed into the cream. It’s always too sweet I was looking for an alternative. Thanks.
Sam
Hi Jeff! Unfortunately, the flavoring you added would have produced that aftertaste. Whipped cream is a milder frosting and by nature won’t have a really strong flavor to it.
Jeff
I agree. I remade the whipped frosting using vanilla extract and it tasted great. I threw the imitation vanilla into the trash.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The imitation stuff can just cause issues sometimes. 🙂
Hillary
Do the proportions change if we are adding cocoa powder for my son’s Minecraft birthday cake? Or would we be better off adding brown food coloring?
Sam
Hi Hillary! I actually have notes on how to make it chocolate underneath the recipe. 🙂
Steph
Could use add a bit of lemon for flavour?
Sam
A little bit of lemon zest could work here. 🙂
Nell Pretorius
oh my goodness! easy enough and absolutely delicious. for those wondering, no the gelatin taste doesnt come through
Elly
Couldn’t you just add the gelatin directly to the cream and start mixing?
Sam
Hi Elly! You really need to dissolve the gelatin in the water before adding it to the cream.
Jennifer Gantt
can you add gel color and get the same consistency?
Sam
Gel food coloring will work just fine, make sure to not to add a lot. Stir it in briefly before you are done mixing it. 🙂
Laura
Tastes great but I ended up with some gelatin goobers in my fristing, despite following the liquefying steps.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re sorry to hear that, Laura 😕 Gelatin can be a little finicky. If you watch the video Sam explains everything to help completely avoid this issue–hopefully that helps for next time!
Z Rel
Hello! How long does a cake last at room temperature with whipped frosting? I have a request for a 2-tiered cake for a baby shower in February and I feel the cake has to be refrigerated until ready to serve? Thank you for your response.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hello! We actually cover this within the FAQ section of the post 🥰
Michelle Sweet
Can you color the icing?
Can you double the recipe or do we need to do each separately? Thanks
Sam
Hi Michelle! You can double this recipe without issue. You can also color it, by adding in some food gels before it’s completely finished mixing. Be careful to not add too much. 🙂
Sherry
what if you don’t have a microwave?
Sam
Hi Sherry! You could warm it up on the stove top so it is in liquid form again. You will want to be careful to not heat it too much though. 🙂
sue
Making black icing. Do you think it will stay stable after 🤔adding the food gel? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sue! As long as you don’t add a ton of the food gel, I think it will be just fine. 🙂
Nikki
Used this for tres leches cupcakes and it blew my mind!! It was for a bridal shower and I needed them to sit outside for a few hours, this was so easy and super convenient.
Teresa Martino
Recipe works wonderful. The video tutorial was a great help. This worked perfect for my granddaughter’s first birthday smash cake!
Nicole
I loved it but I think I may have done something wrong? there’s balls and little pieces of hard gelatin throughout my icing 😔
Sam
Hi Nicole! Gelatin can be a little finicky, but if you watch the video I explain everything to help completely avoid this issue. 🙂
Nicole
I watched it as I was making it but maybe the gelatin wasn’t completely liquefied, I also had to double the recipe so maybe that’s it too. I’ll try again, thank you 😊
Brandy Kerr
I’m wanting to use your recipe for my son’s cupcakes. I want to make them today and have them at the party tomorrow. Do you think if I decorate the cupcakes tonight they will still look and take great tomorrow afternoon for the party?
Sam
Hi Brandy! This should hold up just fine covered in the refrigerator overnight. 🙂