Real Homemade Whipped Cream

A dollop of homemade whipped cream on pumpkin bread pudding.

During the holiday season, I usually make whipped cream to garnish various desserts.  Homemade whipped cream is so easy to make, and it has only three ingredients: cream, sugar, vanilla.  If you read the labels on canned whipped creams you will see that there are a number of added ingredients that don't sound so appealing.

Get your ingredients together:  1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (the heavy has more butterfat and is easier and quicker to whip), 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.

Three ingredients: heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract.

Make sure that your bowl and beaters are cold.  I put them in the freezer for about 10 or 15 minutes before I start making the whipped cream, and of course have the whipping cream cold.  You could use a hand whisk, but I prefer to use an electric hand mixer. I like to use a two cup measuring cup for beating the cream. 

Cold measuring cup and cold beaters for hand mixer.

Beat on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form, add sugar and vanilla, and continue beating until soft peaks reappear.

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.

Beat until soft peaks form.

Caution:  If you beat too long, the cream will turn to butter.  After I remove the whipped cream and place it in a serving bowl,  I often leave a bit of the cream in the bowl and continue whipping it until it turns to butter.  I add a tablespoon of maple syrup and continuing beating to blend it in and I have maple butter that will be good on toast.

Whipping cream whipped so long it turns to butter.

A dollop of whipped cream on pumpkin bread pudding.

I used the whipped cream to garnish our pumpkin bread pudding.  The bread pudding is from Trader Joe's and is quite delicious.  It can be defrosted in the fridge and then heated in the microwave or in the oven.  I prefer heating it in the oven. 

Pumpkin bread pudding from Trader Joe's/

Whenever I do use ready made whipped cream, I use the Cabot's whipped cream from Trader Joe's.  It tastes much like homemade, but still has added preservatives. 

Cabot Whipped Cream.

As you can see it is very easy to make homemade whipped cream.