The Tangy Addition To Elevate Whipped Cream

If you're anything like us, you may be a little bit too obsessed with sour cream. No matter how often you opt to scoop above-average amounts of sour cream on top of your supreme nachos, garlicky pierogis, or Eastern European soups, it may come as a surprise that sour cream is just as good paired with sweet foods as it is savory.

As per Serious Eats' suggestion, if you're planning on baking a cake or whipping up muffins anytime soon, you may want to have your sour cream ready. According to the site, the tangy flavor in sour cream easily adds a much-needed complexity to the strong sugary taste of many baked goods. It can also improve the texture by making them extra moist. But, adding sour cream to batter isn't the only area of the dessert world where the tangy dairy product has a place.

If you thought whipped cream couldn't be any better, you might want to think again. Adding sour cream as a secret ingredient elevates any homemade batch of whipped cream so much so that you may never make it the same way again.

Making whipped cream is quite easy. The first step involves beating heavy cream until it has a fluffy texture. However, if you'd like to try a tangier version, Food Network recommends adding a bit of sour cream to your heavy cream before mixing. The site notes you should only add a few tablespoons of sour cream to your batch. There is also the option of folding it in afterward for a rich and complex flavor.

Looking for another reason to add sour cream to your whipped cream besides an elevated flavor? According to Epicurious, the extra fat from a dollop of sour cream can add extra strength to your fresh batch. Food science writer Harold McGee notes that the "proteins in the membranes of fat molecules are stripped during the whisking process, causing the cream's fat to bond," which gives whipped cream a very fluffy texture. Long story short, adding more fat and acid allows your homemade batch to hold its shape better and longer. 

Your whipped cream's new tangy flavor profile is perfect for pairing with many desserts. Fruit-based dishes pair especially well because the tartness from the fruit and tang from the whip cuts the sugary flavors nicely and adds a great balance (via America's Test Kitchen). Plopping some fresh whip into a warm cup of hot chocolate or coffee is also recommended.