The Sugary Mistake You Might Be Making With Whipped Cream

When mixing up something as deliciously light and sweet as whipped cream, it is understandable that culinary impulses might get the better of you. Your favorite desserts and fruits are waiting to be crowned with fluffy, dollop-sized peaks of a sweet, creamy, and freshly made whipped topping, and you are ready and eager to deliver the creamy stuff. Taking time to get a handle on your senses can make a significant impact on the final result, however. 

As tempting as it might be to get started on beating cream into submission to make your favorite honey whipped cream recipe, be sure to remember to add a touch of sweetness before you start mixing too furiously. The presence of sugar in your cream can result in firmer peaks and fluffier dollops, as the addition of the sweet ingredient acts as a stabilizer in your beloved whipped cream recipes. In the April 2022 edition of the journal Food, scientists confirmed that the more sugar you add to your creams, the less time you'll need to spend whipping up the mixture, and the firmer your creamy topping will be.

Practice is key when perfecting your whipped cream recipes, as you'll need to master the precise point at which you add sugar. Even if you're making a smaller batch of whipped cream, remember that a sugary mixture can yield a whippier product — just time the inclusion perfectly. Should excitement get the better of you and you forget to include sugar in your cream before plugging in the mixer, you'll likely panic, throw it in late in mixing, and overwhip your batch in an attempt to save it. 

Most whipped cream recipes will ask you to beat the cream until soft peaks appear, and then introduce your choice of sweetener before resuming mixing. This brief pause in the whip gives time for the cream to develop a bit of texture before any sweetener enters it, and your patience will result in a nearly fail-proof process, leading to whipped, creamy perfection. And, really, isn't that what we're all looking for?