Ask Milk Street: Is Whipped Cream the Secret to Loftier Pancakes?

Today, we’re answering all the whipped cream questions you didn’t know you had. We’ve got answers about aeration, deflation, and what the difference is between all those heavy options in the dairy aisle.

Question: Can I leaven pancakes with whipped cream?

Whipped cream works for super light and tender —it should hold for pancakes, right?

No. I’m so sorry—I wanted it to be true, too.

I had my suspicions that whipped cream is better as a garnish for pancakes, rather than as the leavening agent. But it wouldn’t be the first time I was proven wrong, so I ran some pancake tests. I made three rounds of pancakes. One basic recipe as a control, one with only whipped cream as the leavener, and one with all the leaveners (the recipe’s regular baking powder and baking soda, plus whipped cream).

The control turned out as expected: springy texture, average height. The whipped cream as the sole leavener test turned out almost completely flat with a few bubbles and little lift. That small bit of height was mostly owed to the egg in the recipe which provides some lift. Overall, this one was essentially a fat crêpe. The final test, with the basic recipe plus whipped cream, was exactly the same in height as the control, but the texture was notably different. There was a lot of richness from the fats in the cream, and it produced a more delicate texture. This tracks since heavy cream is a tenderizer.

Question: Does it matter… What kind of heavy cream I use?

The cream variations you see at the store might all be different, but your choice won’t ruin your dessert. You’ve probably waffled between heavy cream and whipping cream before. Heavy cream products need to be a minimum of 36% milk fat, while whipping cream’s minimum is 30%. You’ll get a denser whipped cream with heavy cream and a slightly airier result with whipping cream.

Pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized cream are heated differently, with the latter variety heated to a higher temperature than the former. This denatures more of the proteins, leading to less volume and stability, and a longer whipping time. Unless medically directed otherwise, you’re better off sticking with the regular stuff.

In regards to flavor, organic heavy creams are worth considering over generic store brand options. In a side-by-side test, an organic brand of heavy cream had a sweeter flavor that I can only describe as pure “dairy.” The store brand was lackluster in flavor comparatively, with an almost plastic-y aftertaste. If you’re using your whipped cream as a topping, like on Chris Kimball’s Fresh Peach and Raspberry Crostata or on a strawberry shortcake using our 2-1 High-Hat Biscuits, it’s worth springing the extra three dollars to get a more flavorful product.

However, if the whipped cream is folded into a strongly flavored base, like with chocolate pudding for a no-bake pie filling, then you can get away with the cheaper cream.

Ask me how I know… gelatin is not a forgiving stabilizer

I got my first cookbook in high school. It had a recipe for a chocolate peanut butter pie that looked luxurious and devastating—I had to make it. The filling was a simplified peanut butter mousse with gelatin as a stabilizer. Despite having never worked with gelatin in the past, I figured, how hard could it be?

Well, I messed up. I blame the gelatin. Gelatin is not a forgiving stabilizer for whipped cream and cold whipped fillings. It needs to bloom in cold water first, then it needs to be hot in order to liquify. When it’s liquid, it can be seamlessly incorporated into fillings. As it cools down, ideally in the fridge for a few hours, the gelatin solidifies. The idea is that the entire dessert solidifies as one unit.

But if you pour hot gelatin into something very cold, well, it solidifies much quicker. Maybe even instantly. As I whipped the fridge-cold cream for this peanut butter pie, I poured the liquid gelatin into the mixture and whisked it all up. I tasted it, as a good beginner chef does, and I was confused. I didn’t expect lumps of gelatin in my pie filling. The gelatin set before blending into the mixture and the entire filling was studded with the pastry version of gristle. Sadly, once this happens, there’s no fixing it and you have to start over.

Or you can try a different stabilizer. We found that in our Flavored Whipped Cream, the acids in crème fraîche, sour cream, and Greek yogurt stabilize the fat network of whipped cream, so it holds up longer and firms it up.

In my test, after two hours of sitting in the fridge, the regular whipped cream started to liquify and slide around, while the Greek yogurt-stabilized cream was still in great shape. Gelatin in high doses can be way more stable (even rubbery), so depending on your recipe, these sour dairy options are not exactly interchangeable. But if you’re looking for firmness that doesn’t sacrifice the light quality of whipped cream, these are a good stand-in. Plus, there’s no worry of hard chunks developing when you combine the two. The acids do lend a tangy flavor, but it’s not overwhelming, and at times we even prefer it.

Want to hear more from Allie? Sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

And if you're looking for more Milk Street, check out our livestream cooking classes with our favorite chefs, home cooks and friends for global recipes, cooking methods and more.

Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Allie Chantorn Reinmann is a Digital Staff Writer for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. She’s a Thai-American chef who earned her diploma for Pastry and Baking Arts at The Institute of Culinary Education and worked professionally for over a decade honing her craft in New York City at places like Balthazar, Bien Cuit, The Chocolate Room, Billy’s Bakery and Whole Foods. Allie took her know-how from the kitchen to the internet, writing about food full-time at Lifehacker for three years and starting her own YouTube channel, ThaiNYbites. You can find her whipping up baked goods for cafés around Brooklyn, building wedding cakes and trying her hand (feet?) at marathon running. She’s working on her debut cookbook and lives in Brooklyn, NY.