Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe

By
Carroll Pellegrinelli
Carroll Pellegrinelli
Expert baker and published author, Carroll Pellegrinelli shares her knowledge of bread baking and desserts.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/2/19
Whipped cream frosting

The Spruce

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 25 mins

Whipped cream frosting is one of the lightest cake icings you can make. Most bakers tend to have a frosting recipe of choice and try different recipes until they find one that they like best. It incorporates whipping cream and other ingredients such as butter and sugar into a vanilla-flavored masterpiece.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cups white vegetable shortening
  • 1/3 cup butter (softened)
  • 1 pound powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for frosting
    The Spruce

  2. In a bowl, cream the shortening and butter together. To do that, slice the butter or shortening into 1/4-inch pieces, and place them into the mixing bowl. Use a hand creamer or your beater to combine both of the ingredients.

    Cream the shortening
    The Spruce

  3. To the same bowl, slowly add powdered sugar. Combine it completely into the mixture.

    Slowly add powdered sugar
    The Spruce 

  4. Next, slowly add cream and vanilla.

    Add cream and vanilla
    The Spruce 

  5. Beat everything on high for about 5 minutes until even.

    Beat everything on high
    The Spruce

  6. Use with your favorite cake or cupcake recipe and enjoy!

Making Whipped Cream Frosting

Some icing recipes rely on cream cheese while others do not use the vegetable shortening included in this recipe. Others can be whisked by hand or beaten with hand mixers. Other varieties can be made by shaking it in a jar or using a stand mixer. Depending on the ingredients, it can last several days or weeks in a refrigerator, or others are best used the day they are made.

When you whip whipping cream, it will go from a liquid to a bowl of fluffy frosting in just a few minutes. When you buy whipping cream at the store, it has a milk fat content of between 30 percent and 35 percent. Heavy cream, on the other hand, has more milk-fat content (about one percent higher) so it can also be made into whipped cream.