youtube pinterest twitter facebook instagram vimeo whatsapp Bookmark Entries BURGER NEW Chevron Down Chevron Left Chevron Right Basket Speech Comment Search Video Play Icon Premium Nigella Lawson Vegan Vegetarian Member Speech Recipe Email Bookmark Comment Camera Scales Quantity List Reorder Remove Open book
Menu Signed In
More answers

What Can I Use Instead Of Double Cream For Whipping?

Asked by AllieTaylor. Answered on 21st May 2024

Full question

I no longer live in the UK, so I don’t have access to double cream. Can you tell me how to make a stable whipped cream from, at best, whipping cream (36%) for things like Nigella's trifles and pavlovas? Or a suitable substitute? Many thanks!

Raspberry and Lemongrass Trifle
Photo by Francesca Yorke
Raspberry and Lemongrass Trifle
By Nigella
  • 14
  • 2

Our answer

Nigella's trifles, such as the Raspberry And Lemongrass Trifle (from NIGELLA BITES), and Pavlovas, such as Mini Pavlovas (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS), are topped with whipped cream. UK double cream has a high fat content, so when it is whipped it holds its shape well and can be whipped in advance.

Lower fat whipping and heavy creams will whip but they do not hold very well and will tend to slump and become more liquid again if left for any length of time. The best way we have found to try and make a cream that will whip and hold in the same way that double cream does is to use a mixture of whipping/heavy cream and mascarpone. You need to substitute between 1/3 and up to 1/2 of the cream with mascarpone. So instead of 250ml (1 cup) of cream you would use a minimum of 85g (1/3 cup) of mascarpone mixed with 165g/ml (2/3 cup) of cream. However, the more mascarpone you use, the easier it is to overwhip and curdle the mixture, so go carefully. Start off whisking slowly, to break up the mascarpone a little, and then increase the speed gradually. Stop whipping when the mixture reaches very soft peaks as the mixture will thicken more as it stands, or give a couple of extra turns of the whisk very slowly or by hand, if you are serving the cream straight away.

Tell us what you think