One of my favorite parts of baking is getting to try new things and perfect recipes. Any chance to try making something new is one that I jump at. Recently, I have had a couple of opportunities to be creative with desserts.
The first one was more of a craving/trying to treat my husband who said he had been craving chocolate cake. I made my attempt of a black forest cupcake with a stabilized whipped cream frosting. Cookies, I feel very confident in, but cake or cupcakes, I still have some work to do when it comes to perfecting. The cupcake idea was a yummy chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips and maraschino cherries in it with a light whip cream frosting. There are so many different frosting options, but I was trying to find something a little lighter since my husband doesn’t love super sweet frosting. The chocolate cake part was scrumptious. The bites that included the dark chocolate chips really added some additional texture and that chocolatey goodness that every chocolate lover needs in their lives. I chopped up the maraschino cherries and mixed them in right before I baked them. I went light with the cherries since it was my first time baking them into a cake and I didn’t want it to over power the actual chocolate cake flavor.
Next, I moved on to the stabilized whipped cream frosting. Having never worked with unflavored gelatin before, this was my biggest challenge during this process. I learned a lot from my “fail” with the gelatin. I read many different recipe blogs about powdered gelatin versus gelatin sheets. Ultimately, I decided to go with gelatin powder. From my experience, I learned it is super important to keep a close eye on the gelatin when warming it. Unfortunately, this was my fail during this adventure. The gelatin over cooked resulting in liquid with small chucks of gelatin instead of a clear smooth liquid consistency. Over cooking the gelatin can happen in just 2 seconds which is where I learned that you have to really watch it and continuously check and re-check it until its perfect. I topped the cupcakes off with a cherry on top. My husband really enjoyed them, but of course, technical difficulties can always be a great learning opportunity.
Going forward, there are a few tweaks I would make to the recipe which I will test out in the future. Once I perfect it, I will share it. The combo of chocolate, cherry and whipped cream is one that reminds me of an ice cream sundae. Soooo yummy!
The second dessert I got to play around with was one for a family gathering. Vanilla cupcakes with a coconut whipped cream frosting. This is where I was able to perfect the stabilized whipped cream process and recipe. Paying close attention when warming the gelatin was key to the success this time. I will provide the recipe at the end. As I continue to gain new baking knowledge and skills, I am confident I will find my go-to cake recipes. The vanilla recipes I tried this time, I used AP flour and canola oil, which I concluded to why my vanilla cupcakes were a bit more dense than I wanted. The flavor was good though and when paired with the coconut whipped cream frosting, it was just delightful.
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 Cups heavy whipping cream cold
- 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp unflavored or flavorless gelatin powder
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2-1 tsp any flavor extract this will be the hint of flavor your frosting will taste like, if you just want vanilla as the flavor use 1 tsp total
Instructions
- Measure out the 2 Tbsp of water and add it to a small, microwave-safe bowl.
- Take your gelatin powder and sprinkle it evenly across the top of the water and let it sit for 3-4 minutes.
- Put the gelatin mixture into the microwave for 3 seconds. Take it out and stir it. You are looking for the gelatin to be completely dissolved with no little chunks. Depending on your microwaves power, you may need to microwave it a few times for it to dissolve completely. Each additional time, only add 3 more seconds and re-check mixture. This process is super important for smooth stabilized whipped cream, so make sure to pay close attention.
- Once the gelatin is completely dissolved, mix and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the heavy whipped cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whip on medium until soft peaks form.
- Turn your mixer to the low speed and pour your gelatin mixture slowly until well combined.
- Turn your mixer back up to medium speed. Add any additional extract flavors for different flavors of whipped cream frosting. You will know your frosting is done when you see stiff peaks form.