When I started baking 3 years ago, frosting was one of the scariest things! There was no one to teach me what cream to use, how to use it, or anything about. Frosting to many is still a frightening story, because we don't take an effort to read, explore & understand!

Whipping cream(Dairy)- generally refers to dairy based heavy/double cream made from milk whose fat content is above 30%

Major problem with using dairy based cream for frosting is,

🔻Highly unstable

🔻Very sensitive to temperature

🔻Low sustainability

🔻Expensive

Which is why most commercial establishments prefer non dairy whipping cream for frosting across the globe.

Whipping Cream(Non-Dairy)- generally referred as Whip Topping/Non-dairy Cream.

This cream is made from different sources. Common sources are Soy, Coconut and Palm Fat. Advantages.

🔺High stability

🔺Withstands moderate temperatures

🔺Very sustainable

🔺Cost effective

There are numerous brands out in the market, Tropolite and Richs are two major leading brands.

⏩Where to buy?

It's available at most bakery supply stores. These days also found at many super markets.

⏩How to identify a non dairy whipping cream?

It's usually placed in a frozen section of a store, look for the ingredients it should not have milk in the list. Will have one of the following, Coconut/Soy/Palm.

⏯How to use?

Thaw the cream and whip it in medium speed until the peak are stiff. Make sure the cream doesn't reach the room temperature, ensure this by transferring the whipped cream immediately to the refrigerator. If you are living in a humid town then whipping in an airconditioned room is highly recommended

⏯How to colour the cream?

Cream is liquid based and hence tends to absorb the colour, so prefer to use a airbrush if your target is for darker shades like jet black, blood red or royal blue.

Always choose to colour the cream after the cream is whipped to the required consistency.

⏩Which colours to use?

You can use any type of food colour that is fssi certified. All gel colours, liquid colours work well. Refrain from using oil based colours or powdered colours.

⏯How to flavour the cream?

You can use any flavouring oil after the cream is whipped. However incorporating real flavors need experience in managing failures, if any. That case, opt for mild flavouring as heavy flavouring might end up ruining the cream if it doesn't come with its own stabilising capability. Here are some of the easy fail proof flavouring options,

• Cocoa Powder

• Chocolate Ganache

• Vanilla Custard

• Strong Coffee

• Caramel Sauce

• Flavouring Oils

⏩How to add fruits?

Fresh fruits and berries taste brilliant with whipped cream but they come with high amount of natural enzymes so use fruits freshly chopped and not as a purée. If you want to use purée then cook it with sugar to make a compote before using.

⏩Should any sugar or stabiliser be added to whipping cream?

No, not necessary for frosting. Whipping cream is already sweetened & stabilised. Maintaining cold temperature is more than sufficient.

⏩How to resolve airy & porous whipped cream?

This happens with one or more of the below reasons

• Whipping the cream at high temperature

• High speed causing too many air pockets

• High Humid conditions

Ensure the cream is always kept under 15°c for best results. There's no other magic, understand it's the nature of the cream to set and become porous! Keep it at cold/chilled temperatures & environment and it will save your day.

⏩How long can a cake frosted in whipped cream stay?

•Fresh for next 7 hours

•Good& Consumable for next 15 hours

•Non dairy cream hardly becomes stale in days, doesn't mean we can use it.

⏩How to store whipped cream?

•Take necessary amount from the pack, cover it freeze it for months.

•Once whipped can be frozen and used upto 3 weeks,

⏩How to reuse whipped cream?

Thaw the whipped cream and add little more raw cream to adjust the consistency and beat again with hand or in a blender at medium speed.

• Cream stored in fridge has to be consumed within 2 days

⏩Consistencies

Piping- Soft Peak

Filling- Stiff peak

Frosting- Medium stiff

⏩Does your cake crack?

This happens due to many reasons

•Over beating cream

•Sudden temperature change in layers

Ps- this is an original content and am the sole author for this document, it has taken a lot of effort in creating this so please respect the work and give due credits when you are sharing, using it in your references