Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream is a creamy and luscious dessert topping with a subtle chocolate flavor that can also be used as a filling or frosting. Using cream cheese as a stabilizer gives the whipped cream a subtle tanginess and prevents it from deflating too quickly! Genius, if you ask me! If you love the rich, creamy texture of chocolate stabilized whipped cream, you will definitely want to try my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cream Cheese: I love how the cream cheese is the ‘stabilizer’ in this whipped cream. No need to use gelatin or cornstarch.
- Sugar: I used confectioners’ sugar to sweeten the whipped cream and give it a smooth texture. If you substitute granulated sugar, it should be finely ground for the best results.
- Cocoa Powder: Look for unsweetened cocoa powder. If you don’t have regular unsweetened cocoa powder, you can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. However, it will change the flavor and color of the whipped cream a bit.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy whipping cream, or heavy cream, has more fat than other types of cream like light cream or half-and-half. (It usually has 36% or more fat.) If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half-and-half instead. Just remember, half-and-half has less fat, so the whipped cream might not be as creamy. Add a little bit at a time so it blends in smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Vanilla: Even though it’s a small amount, the vanilla extract brings out the richness of the cream and the cocoa powder.
- Salt: I know it is only a pinch of kosher salt, but don’t leave it out! It helps balance the sweetness and brings out more chocolate flavor, which I cannot argue with!
Stabilized vs. Regular Whipped Cream
Stabilized Whipped Cream: Stabilized whipped cream has a stabilizing ingredient, like cream cheese (in this recipe) or gelatin, that helps it hold its shape and prevents it from breaking down or deflating over time. This makes it great for use in multi-layered desserts and for piping decorative designs.
Regular Whipped Cream: Regular whipped cream is made by whipping heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. While it’s perfect for topping pies, cakes, and other desserts, it lacks stabilizing ingredients, so it can quickly lose its texture and deflate. This makes it unsuitable for decorative or multi-layered desserts.
Five Delicious Desserts To Make With Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream
Here are a few of my top desserts to make using chocolate stabilized whipped cream:
- Cakes: I love to use it as a frosting for chocolate cakes like my perfect chocolate cake, layer cakes, or as a filling between cake layers.
- Cupcakes: Top my ultimate chocolate cupcakes with dollops or swirls of the stabilized whipped cream.
- Pies: Pipe it on top of pies like my Easy Chocolate Pie for even more chocolate flavor!
- Brownies & Bars: My mouth is watering just thinking about what this whipped cream can add to my already perfect best brownie recipe!
- Hot Cocoa: Use the whipped cream as a creamy, chocolatey topping for a mug of hot chocolate.
How To Store Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream
To store chocolate stabilized whipped cream, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last up to 2-3 days. For longer storage, freeze the stabilized whipped cream.
Freezing Stabilized Whipped Cream
To freeze stabilized whipped cream, store it in a freezer-safe container for up to 1-2 months. When ready to use, transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw. After thawing, give the whipped cream a good stir or whip it again to restore its texture. If I want to get a head start on decorating, I pipe the whipped cream into dollops or shapes, freeze them until solid, and store the shapes in a freezer-safe container. This way, I can easily grab a ready-made, nicely shaped dollop to place directly onto my dessert without needing to thaw and re-whip the cream!
Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (62.5 g) confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup (29.5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (476 g) heavy whipping cream, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder. Start mixing on low speed, gradually increasing speed until fully combined (3-5 minutes), stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. It should look like a thick paste.
- With the mixer off, add ½ cup heavy cream. Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat these steps three more times, adding ½ cup heavy cream each time.
- Once all of the heavy cream has been added and mixed, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the cream cheese.
- With the mixer back on medium speed, mix until stiff peaks have formed. (Stiff peaks refer to the whipped cream peaks that stand straight up and hold their shape firmly.)
- Finally, add in the vanilla and a pinch of salt, being careful not to overmix.
- Serve it with your favorite desserts!
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Rich and perfectly creamy! I was hoping for a little stronger chocolate flavor, but the texture is perfect!
Elizabeth
I would love some of this on my ice cream or in my hot chocolate! It is so creamy with a subtle chocolate flavor.
Bella
I love how this whipped cream stays firm, but still tastes light. I really like this chocolate whipped cream!
Annabelle
I am not a huge fan of buttercream, so I loved this alternative! Great for cake decorating and easy to work with.
Selena
Great texture and flavor! It’s a versatile whipped cream that holds up well and pairs wonderfully with desserts.
