Chantilly Whipped Cream Stabilizer

Couldn't remember whether or not I put a post about this yet...apparently, I took pictures, but never wrote a post. Anyway, the dilemma of using whipped cream to ice cakes...especially wedding cakes. I have always used a non-dairy whipped topping base, along with the whipping cream...2 parts base to 1 part whipping cream. Over the years, I have used several different brands...Pastry Pride when we lived in AZ, Rich's whipped topping when I had a supplier here in the Springs, and then another brand that I purchased frozen from Cake Crafts in Denver. Never liked it quite as much because it tended to leave a funny aftertaste. So, after doing some research online, I found good reviews about a product called Chantilly Whipped Cream Stabilizer. It is in a powdered form that I add to 100% heavy whipping cream, along with a little powdered sugar and clear vanilla. Works like a charm, tastes great, icing smooths on really great, and the icing holds up well. No more funny aftertaste. A little pricey, but worth it to be able to just have it on the shelf and not have to keep it frozen. It is basically a gelatin-based product. Yes, I could probably cook up my own gelatin to add to whipping cream, but sometimes time is of the essence when decorating, and it's just nice to have a product I can just add to the cream and whip up. Yesterday, along with the wedding cake, I also had an order for a chocolate mint cake, with chocolate mint mousse filling, iced in chocolate whipped cream...so I added a small amount of cocoa powder, along with a bit more powdered sugar to sweeten, and it turned out great.

And the wedding cake...

Chocolate Mint Mousse Wedding Cake

A visitor to my website requested some information about making a chocolate mint mousse cake for her daughter's wedding. First of all, she lives at a very high altitude, so it is necessary to make a few changes when baking the cake. For the chocolate mint cake, I use Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate and add 1 tsp. of mint flavoring to each cake mix. I also add 1/4 cup flour and an extra egg (4 total) to each mix. If I am using 2 mixes (I never mix more than 2 mixes at once), I add 7 eggs instead of 6. Also, be very careful not to put too much batter in the cake pans. Too much batter will also make the cakes sink in the middle. I used to always bake my cakes at 325 degrees instead of the recommended 350 degrees because the cakes turned out moister. At high altitudes, I have to raise the temperature slightly to 335 degrees. Just be careful not to overbake the cake. 


The layers of the cake are torted (split) and filled with a chocolate mint mousse. The recipe is as follows:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

Approx. 1/3 cup cocoa powder

Approx. 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 cups of whipped topping

Andes mint pieces

Beat cream cheese until soft and smooth. Scrape bowl and gradually add the cocoa and powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy, scraping the bowl often. Fold in the whipped topping and mint pieces.

I would normally ice this cake in a chocolate whipped cream with Andes mint pieces sprinkled on top, but for a wedding cake, I would ice it in a regular whipped cream. One of my past entries will give you the best recipe for a stabilized whipped cream icing. It is important that the cake stays refrigerated after decorating it until just before setting it up. Here are two pictures...one shows the chocolate mint mousse cake, and the other shows a wedding cake iced in whipped cream.                                           

Chocolate Mint Mousse Specialty Cake

Wedding cake iced with whipped cream icing