I was recently buying some stuff from my bakery supplier when I overheard two girls discussing which cream can they buy for the ganache. I could sense that they did not understand the different jargon generally thrown around. They were also confused about whether they could heat up the heavy cream being sold there.
And these are valid doubts. I mean if you would have asked me the same thing a couple of years ago I would have had no idea. Plus there are so many terms around creams that it is very easy to get lost in all of that.
Indian supermarkets, on the other hand, do not stock all kinds of cream, making the right cream even difficult to find. The one cream which we find readily is Amul fresh cream which doesn't serve most of the purposes.
So here I am cutting all the clutter around various kinds of creams we can use in cooking, how, and why.
Heavy cream Vs whipping cream Vs fresh cream? Are they same?
Most commonly, there are three different types of creams used in cooking and baking. The three kinds of creams differ in their milk fat percentages and therefore their texture & consistencies. The fat percentage is also what makes them differ in behavior on being whipped.
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Heavy Cream - Heavy cream aka Heavy Whipping Cream is a high-fat content cream with >36% fat content in it. It's a smooth dense cream that can be whipped and used for decoration on cakes and beverages(e.g. your coffee in Starbucks). Heavy cream whips very nicely and holds its shape consistently for a long period of time. So this is the one you should use when making ice creams and cakes and even ganache. It is also used in gravies like Tikka masalas to give them thick and creamy feel.
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Whipping Cream - It is almost the same as Heavy Cream however has a lower fat percentage (between 30-35%). The usage and application are exactly the same as the heavy cream and can be used in place of it as well. It will also hold its shape but is more likely to lose its loft and become liquid earlier than the heavy cream. It can be used on tarts, waffles, and more where you are looking for a lighter, softer, and airy cream and not particular about cream holding its shape too long.
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Fresh Cream - This is the most commonly found cream in our supermarkets. Fresh cream contains 25% fat content and can be used for thickening coffee and savory dishes like soups and gravies. However, because the fresh cream has a lower than 30% fat content, it cannot be whipped and shaped for decorative purposes. If you want to whip your cream for cakes and coffees, do not go for this.
So the tip is to check the fat percentage when you are buying the cream. The more the fat percentage, more versatile it is for most of the tasks.Buy Heavy Cream or Whipping Cream when you're gonna whip the cream.
In the video, Mousse is being decorated with a dollop of whipped cream and grated chocolate.
Which cream to use for making Ganache?
Chocolate Ganache (or just ganache) is a mixture of chocolate and cream used as topping & filling for various desserts like Donuts, Croissants, and Cakes.
For making ganache, heavy cream(>35% fat) is heated to just near boiling temperature and poured into chopped pieces of chocolate.
The idea is that the heat from the cream is enough to melt the chocolate and form a silky chocolatey mixture. Ideally, both chocolate and heavy cream are taken in a 1:1 ratio for making the ganache.
Which cream is used to make frosting for cake?
As described above, both heavy cream and whipping cream can be used to make frosting for decorating and filling the cakes. In India, we usually use heavy cream having 35% and above fat content.
What is a non-dairy whip topping?
Apart from milk cream, a non-dairy Whipping Cream(also called Whip Topping) is also available in the market which gives the same look and feels like a whipping cream (both before and after whipping). Though this is not a milk-based product, this is used quite often in the replacement of whipping cream. It is made up of vegetable oil, is cheaper than the milk-based creams, and is used more often in commercial bakeries.
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17 comments
Hi Vikki, Frosting is basically the thick fluffy mixture that is used to coat the outside of a cake. Frosting can be made in various ways: using whipped cream, using ganache, using buttercream or even cream cheese. These all can be used as a frosting on cakes. For example, if you use only whipped cream to decorate your cake, you have used a whipped cream frosting. If on the other hand, you make a frosting with hot cream and chocolate (Ganache), it is also another kind of frosting. So broadly speaking, frosting is a generic term for anything which is used to decorate the outside of a cake. Buttercream is also a kind of frosting made with butter and sugar.
What is frosting ? A lot of baking sites refer to use of frosting on cakes and pastries. How is it made and how is it different from creams mentioned above ? Also, what is butter cream ? also used on cakes.