We're not sure where so many beginner home cooks got the idea that making homemade whipped cream without an expensive stand mixer would leave them with carpal tunnel, but we're here to tell you there's nothing to be afraid of. Whipped cream is about as simple of a dessert-topper as you're gonna get, and adding a dollop of the homemade stuff to your next pudding, cobbler, or pie will make all the difference. (Now meringue is a different story, but that's for another time.)
Here are a few simple steps you can take to make sure that you are, in fact, whipping it good.
1. The Setup
All you need is heavy whipping cream, a large bowl and a large whisk. (Pop the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for a bit before you get started, as a cooler surface will help the whipped cream keep its shape.) The heavy cream should double in size as you whip it, so for every cup of cream you'll wind up with about two cups of whipped topping. Try not to fill the bowl more than a quarter of the way, so as to give the cream plenty of room to move.
2. The Technique
Whisk the cream in the shape of a figure-eight. Try to lift the cream out of the bowl in small arcs, which will allow more air to sneak inside.
A good sign you're getting there is when the whisk starts to leave a lasting trail in the cream.
3. Soft Peaks
Peaks refer to the shape the whipped cream takes when you lift the cream-covered whisk out of the bowl. After a few minutes, soft peaks—Bon Appétit's preferred consistency for most recipes—will begin to form. Soft peaks quickly lose their shape, slumping over in a soft, cloudlike texture.
4. Stiff Peaks
For some recipes, you may want a firmer whipped cream, which will form what are called "stiff peaks." You'll know you've got stiff peaks when the cream on the whisk approaches the consistency of cotton and is able to stand up in firm points. It's a fine line between soft and stiff peaks, and even more so between stiff peaks and curdy, halfway-to-butter whipped cream. So easy, cowboy. You can always re-whip an under-whipped cream. But once it's too far whipped, there's no going back.
5. The finishing touch
For very sweet desserts, a one-ingredient whipped cream will do the trick. If you're looking to sweeten up a tart dish, add one tablespoon of powdered sugar or maple syrup per cup of cream just before you've reached the desired consistency. (It may not seem like it, but even a few extra whisks can take you over the edge.) And voilà, you've got yourself homemade whipped cream! Now all you need is a cherry on top.
