Whipped Cream Substitute

It often happens that when we need a particular ingredient, just on that day, we either don't have it at home or can't go to the supermarket for any reason. This is where substitute ingredients come into play, which can perform the function of the original ingredient to a greater or lesser extent. But if you don't have whipped cream, this substitute whipped cream I'm going to explain today doesn't just replace the original; it's identical.

Cream is a fat present in milk that can be separated from it quite easily. If they sold us milk with this component, pouring it into a glass would cause the cream to rise and form a certain thickness on the surface.

Cream is liquid and thick, but it can be solidified simply by beating it to incorporate air. This air gets trapped by the fat molecules, forming what is called a colloid. In practice, the resulting volume is double what it was before whipping. If you keep beating, the fat droplets stick together to form butter.

For cream to be whipped, it needs to have at least 30% fat content. Supermarkets typically sell whipping cream with fat content ranging between 35 and 38%. Naturally, it will be easier to whip cream with 38% fat.

To whip cream, simply beat it with manual or preferably electric beaters, adding powdered sugar when it starts to solidify. There will come a point when the liquid solidifies, still easily moldable, making it possible to use it for cake fillings or in any other pastry product.

Now let's see how to make whipped cream if you don't have any cream.

For this, we need whole milk, which contains cream but in an amount much lower than the minimum 30% needed for whipping. To achieve this, we'll use a thickener, which can be of various types, but in this case, we'll use unflavored gelatin.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 grams (2 teaspoons or 5/6 sheets) of unflavored gelatin (powder or sheets)
• 50 ml (1/4 cup) of cold water
• 1 cup (200 ml) of whole milk
• 50 ml (1/4 cup) of powdered sugar

In a saucepan, pour the cold water and add the gelatin powder or sheets, stirring until dissolved. To ensure perfect dissolution, heat the mixture over low heat and stir with beaters until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a bowl, mix the milk with powdered sugar. Then add the water mixed with the gelatin prepared earlier. Stir well and place it in the refrigerator, in the bottom part.

This mixture should remain in the refrigerator for 90 minutes, but every 15 minutes, take it out to beat it with manual beaters for about a minute.

After 90 minutes, take out the bowl, and now, using electric beaters, whip until the non-cream solidifies. You'll see that the appearance and taste are practically the same as whipped cream made with real whipped cream. It can be used in the same way for cake fillings, decorating our cakes, or adding to a good hot chocolate.

What we've achieved with the gelatin is to give the milk a thicker consistency, promoting the trapping of air.

You'll find it challenging to differentiate this substitute whipped cream from the original!