Chocolate Whipped Cream is decadent enough to be a dessert in and of itself, but if you can resist eating it all on its lonesome, you'll also find that it is a total dream and the perfect chocolatey touch when added to just about any sweet treat. Plus, it only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes to make!
We're talking light, fluffy, and oh-so-creamy, not to mention it's literally bursting with chocolate flavor! This makes a great topper for pie, crisp, cobbler, and pound cake and even works as a fruit dip. Serve it as part of your Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board or to top off our Spiked Hot Chocolate!
NOTEWORTHY INGREDIENTS
Cream | You are more likely to find success using a heavy whipping cream (also labeled heavy cream) over whipping cream. Heavy cream possesses a higher fat content which is especially handy for whipped cream that is easier to both pipe and drop controlled spoonfuls on top of your desserts.
Powdered Sugar | It's important when making Chocolate Whipped Cream that you use powdered sugar, also known as confectioners sugar. Powdered sugar is far superior to granulated sugar when making whipped cream because of the small amount of cornstarch it contains. The cornstarch helps to keep your whipped cream from weeping (i.e. when liquid separates from the cream).
Cocoa Powder | You can use just about any brand or type of cocoa powder you like; both natural or Dutch process cocoa powder will work for this recipe. However, you do want to make sure it's the unsweetened stuff from the baking aisle and not the old-school instant cocoa mix you would use for chocolate milk or hot chocolate.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM
Add all of the Chocolate Whipped Cream ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. You could also use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
Mix the ingredients on medium speed for 5-6 minutes for soft peaks and 6-7 minutes for stiff peaks.
Beating on medium speed rather than high speed will give you more control. Going from stiff peaks to overwhipped cream to a near butter consistency happens quickly.
This is a very easy mistake, and there is no undoing it once it is done. Beating on medium speed rather than medium-high to high speed might require more patience, but it can save you from wasting time and ingredients!
STAGES OF WHIPPED CREAM
Soft Plop | In the soft plop stage of whipped cream, you will begin to see trails in the cream that don't dissolve immediately after the whisk or beaters move through the mixture. In this stage, the cream will not cling to the whisk once removed from the bowl.
Soft Peaks | At this stage, the whipping cream will appear to have almost doubled in volume, and appear soft and cloudlike. The cream easily clings to the whisk, however, the peaks will lose their shape when the beater or whisk is held upward toward the ceiling. Soft peaks are ideal when using Chocolate Whipped Cream as a dessert topper.
Stiff Peaks | At the stiff peak stage, peaks do not lose their form when the beaters or a whisk is held upward toward the ceiling. This consistency is ideal when using whipped cream as icing for sheet cakes, layer cakes, and cupcakes... or pretty much anytime you want the cream to hold its shape.
HOW TO MAKE WHIPPED CREAM BY HAND
If you don't have a stand mixer or a hand mixer, you can still make this Chocolate Whipped Cream! You'll just need a large, chilled bowl, a handheld whisk, and a little elbow grease on standby. Note, if you are whipping cream by hand, it is going to be especially important that the heavy whipping is very cold.
Add all of your ingredients to the chilled bowl and whisk in a figure 8 pattern until you've reached the desired consistency.
6 MORE CHOCOLATEY RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- No Bake Chocolate Pie
- Chocolate Waffles
- No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chip Brownie Recipe
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (From Scratch)
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Pie
Chocolate Waffles
No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Brownie Recipe
Chocolate Whipped Cream is incredibly easy to make and only takes a few ingredients. A perfect way to dress up any sweet treat!
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
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Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for about 5-6 minutes for soft peaks and 6-7 minutes for stiff peaks.
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Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Makes 4 cups.
Sources: Serious Eats | Cream Science; Epicurious | Sweetened Whipped Cream