Malted Milk Powder Is The Secret To Elevating Whipped Cream

Desserts are a joyous and celebratory dish, but a dollop of whipped cream on top is the finishing touch that makes them extra special. Every sweet treat, from pie to ice cream to hot chocolate benefits from the elegantly fluffy, dairy-rich topping. Whipped cream is a simple and near-perfect recipe, consisting of heavy cream and sugar. However, malted milk powder is the extra ingredient that will bring whipped cream to the most delicious heights.

Originally engineered as a nutrient-rich baby formula, malted milk powder is a blend of barley flour, wheat flour, and evaporated milk that's used as an additive to drinks and desserts, from sodas to milkshakes, not to mention the iconic chocolate Ovaltine. Perhaps the most enduring malted milk dessert are Whoppers, the chocolate malt balls you've likely seen at your movie theater's concession stand.

When added to another dairy-rich product like milk or cream, malted milk powder brings a toasted, nutty complement while also enhancing dairy richness. Furthermore, the starchy flours bring a textural heft that makes creamy desserts even creamier. Malted milk whipped cream thus bestows a deeper milkiness, creamier consistency, and complementary toasted notes for the ultimate dessert topper.

Malted milk powder is available at most major grocers, and you can find it in both vanilla and chocolate flavors. Therefore, you can create chocolate or vanilla malted whipped cream for an even wider range of dessert applications.

Incorporating malted milk powder into whipped cream is a simple step, requiring you to add a spoonful of malted milk into a cup of cream before whipping it into those dreamy stiff peaks. While suggested ratios vary between a tablespoon to a quarter-cup per cup of cream, the key is to taste as you go, adding malted milk powder a teaspoon at a time. You can add sugar for a sweeter whipped cream or leave the sugar out for a more balanced sweet and savory result. You can also add a teaspoon of liqueur or extract as an additional flavoring agent. If you plan on making a small batch of whipped cream, a hand emulsifier is the most efficient and effective appliance.

Malted whipped cream would be a delicious garnish to enhance the dairy richness of a butter tart or a chocolate cream pie. The toasted, nutty notes in malted whipped cream would also pair well with pecan pie or apple walnut cobbler. A chocolate malted whipped cream would be the most delicious topping to a bowl of fresh cherries or strawberries. Top hot chocolate or a chocolate milkshake with vanilla malted whipped cream to complement the chocolate's bitter finish.