Perfect Chocolate Whipped Cream
Chocolate whipped cream is SO easy to make and it goes well on just about anything – from cakes and cupcakes to pies and ice cream. Nothing beats its light, sweet, chocolaty flavor. Plus, with only three ingredients, you can make this recipe in minutes.
It’s great on my raspberry cupcakes, but of course it works perfectly when piped onto chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes!
While I love buttercream, cream cheese frosting (both regular and chocolate), and ganache, sometimes I want a really simple and airy chocolate topping for my desserts. That’s when I choose this recipe.
Ingredients
Whipped Cream
Like Chantilly cream (sweetened vanilla whipped cream), the most important ingredient in chocolate whipped cream is cold heavy whipping cream. Depending on where you live, you may also see heavy whipping cream sold as heavy cream, whipping cream, or double cream. These all have slightly different fat percentages, but they will all work just fine.
Tip: Make sure to keep your heavy whipping cream cold. When the fat is warmer, it collapses easier. If you want a more technical explanation of this, read the Cook’s Illustrated article on whipped cream temperature.
Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder gives chocolate whipped cream its chocolate flavor. You can use any cocoa powder that you like.
The flavor of the cocoa powder will have a big impact on the flavor of the whipped cream, so be sure to pick a cocoa powder that you love. If you want to try something different than the typical grocery store brands, give Cacao Barry Extra Brute [paid link] a try. It has a rich flavor and a really dark color.
Sugar
Cocoa powder is not sweetened, so you will need to counter its bitter flavor with sugar. I use regular granulated sugar and love the results. Some people insist that powered sugar or superfine sugar work better, but I haven’t found that to be the case.
How It’s Made
The easiest way to make chocolate whipped cream is with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whisk the cold heavy whipping cream on high speed. As you whisk, you’ll notice that the cream will begin to get bubbly and then thicken.
Keep on whisking until it is thick enough that it doesn’t collapse when you lift up the whisk or place some on a spoon.
When it gets to this point, add the cocoa powder and sugar. Give the cream one final short whisk.
Use a disher (ice cream scoop) to plop a pile of it onto your dessert, or place it into a piping bag to create beautiful patterns with it.
Expert Tips and FAQs
If you overmix whipped cream, you’ll find that it goes from a fluffy cloud back to more of a liquid. To correct overmixed whipped cream, gently mix in some more cream until the proper consistency returns.
Make sure the heavy whipping cream is cold and make sure you have whisked long enough. Making whipped cream takes a few minutes, so keep whisking cold cream until it is the desired consistency.
Yes! You can whisk by hand – use a chilled metal bowl and whisk vigorously for around five minutes straight. You can also use a blender or immersion blender – be careful not to overmix with this method as the cream will whip very quickly.
Mix in pureed berries, alcohol, or spices (like nutmeg or ground ancho chilis) to take this to the next level.
Use an airtight container and keep it in your refrigerator for up to one week. You may notice that after a couple of days it starts to become a little liquidy. If this happens, simply re-whip it for thirty seconds or so to bring it back to life.
Related Recipes
- Strawberry whipped cream
- Peach whipped cream
- Chantilly cream
- Macerated strawberries
- Baileys whipped cream
- Ancho chili whipped cream
- Chocolate cream cheese frosting
- Chocolate buttercream
- Chocolate ganache
- Chocolate cupcakes
Chocolate Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream cold
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the cold heavy whipping cream on high speed. As you whisk, you’ll notice that the cream will begin to get bubbly and then thicken.
- Keep on whisking until it is thick enough that it doesn’t collapse when you lift up the whisk or place some on a spoon.
- After this happens, add the cocoa powder and sugar and whip the cream one final short time.
- Spread or pipe onto desserts or fresh fruit.
Notes
- Make sure the heavy whipping cream is cold.
- If you are trying to whisk whipped cream by hand, use a metal bowl and chill it in the refrigerator before whisking.
- Making whipped cream takes a few minutes, so keep whisking until the cream is the desired consistency.
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