
Homemade whipped cream is a beautiful thing! Pillowy clouds of sweetness. I love using whipped cream instead of frosting on simple cakes or as the topping for a sweet pie. But trying to get whipped cream
to hold it’s shape for decorating can be a challenge. Especially when it’s crazy hot for half the year because even when you keep your goodies in the fridge, the few moments things are on display or in transit mean a melted mess!
There are several ways to stabilize cream but most use gelatin which is not vegetarian and frankly a little icky. Piping gel is another option but the home baker probably won’t have it on hand. Yep, there are vegetarian/vegan gelatin substitutes but some split and become slimy if used with dairy – also ick! I’ve tried a few methods with various powders but the texture has been off. I wanted a Vego solution that was really accessible.
In Australia, most whipping cream is already stabilized with vegetable gums like carageen. These help but can also increase weeping but most of the icing sugar here also has a little cornflour which works to prevent weeping. And because of that, adding cornflour as a stabilizer can make the texture unpleasant.
So it’s arrowroot for the win! Arrowroot is easy available in the baking isle of the supermarket and vego! I used this stabilized cream on some cupcakes and they looked perfect after 4 days in the fridge as you can see in the pic! My family kept their at room temp for hours and they still looked perfect! Success!
Ingredients
- 250ml whipping cream, very cold
- 2 tblsp icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)
Instructions
- If you can chill your metal mixer bowl for 15 mins, do it. I don’t bother unless my kitchen/the weather is hot because I’m lazy and I don’t always think ahead.
- Add your cream to you (maybe) chilled bowl and using a stand mixer or hand beaters, whip until soft peaks.
- Add in the icing sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat gently after each addition. If you are doing more than 500mls, just do a few additions.
- Add the vanilla and beat gently until combined. Add the arrowroot and beat to desired texture. Pipe, smooth or dollop, as desired!

Cakes
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Misc Sweet
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14 Comments
If I made cream butterfly cakes with your whipped cream recipe tonight, would they still be perfect for a bake sale tomorrow morning?
Sorry, I saw this late. Yes!They should be fine. Let me know what you went with and how it worked. S xx
How many cupcakes could you pipe this with?
Oooh! From memory this did a dozen but I can’t remember if I had any left overs. Happy baking!
When you say whipping cream, is that just fresh pouring cream? Not thickened cream? Also can this be used inside layers of a cake that is going to have buttercream on the outside?
I just use whatever whipping cream I find in the supermarket. It can be used with a buttercream covered cake. Happy baking xxx
Hi. Thank you for the recipe. I’ve made this whipped cream but it didn’t turn out that well. When I piped it as a filling, it was a bit watery. Can you advise me on this? Thank you. 😊
I’m sorry this disn’t work well for you. Hmm, I’ve never had that happen but I think it might if it’s whipped too much. If I find any more info, I’ll updated here.
What a wonderful idea to use arrowroot as a stabilizer. Its suppose have a gelatine like effect right? I want to make a chocolate mousse for my birthday cake. In The Netherlands we have cream that is 30-35 % fat so about 10 procent less then other countries. Stabilize is a must.Thanks for confirming arrowroot powder as a stabilizer. Looks good your stabilized whipped cream.
I think that will work well for your cake, let me know how it turns out. Happy baking xx
Hi, which brand of arrowroot did you use?
Could I use tapioca as a substitute?
I’m not sure which brand, I keep it in a tupperware. I have not tried tapioca but I think it might cause a slimy texture. Let me know if you try it
I think I must have over whipped it too because when I went to pipe it it was also watered down and curdled.
I’ve never had that happen, I think the arrowroot has to go in right at the end.