We all need our whipped cream dessert to look just as beautiful tomorrow as it does today. But keeping whipped cream fresh longer can be tricky. These five simple and easy methods to stabilize whipped cream will make sure your cakes, cupcakes, and desserts look fresh longer. You can try any of these five methods that work best for your current project.

Whipped cream is pretty much perfect for any dessert. Add a dollop of whipped cream to a bowl of cut fruits, and you have turned your fruit bowl into a dessert! Whipped cream with a pie or pastry is amazing too. Isn't it? My kids will eat it out of a bowl with a spoon.

You can flavor the whipped cream with anything from vanilla to cocoa, lemon, cinnamon, liquor, strawberry the list is endless.

WHY DO WE NEED TO STABILIZE CREAM?

The most important thing about cakes with whipped cream is the consistency of the cream.

Too soft and it can make your dessert look limp.

Have you tried to pipe with whipped cream? Stabilize whipped cream and suddenly piping with whipped cream becomes a dream.

Yup, you read correctly, five different ways to stabilize whipped cream. Ah well, technically just two. So, Let's talk about them and their substitutes as well as and which to use and when.

Gelatin - This is common in bakeries and commercial dessert shops. It usually has the most extended shelf life. Your whipped cream will hold its shape longest. It's not vegetarian so perhaps not a choice for everyone. A substitute for gelatin is usually agar-agar, but I have not tried using it yet. If I do, I will update the post and let you know.

Cornstarch - is another way to stabilize whipped cream and it works well. I use cornstarch more often for home desserts as compared to gelatin. Simple and easy as adding it to the whipped cream after adding the sugar.

Confectioners sugar/Powdered sugar - Again what you are doing here is taking advantage of the starch in the confectioner's sugar which usually is either cornstarch or potato starch.

Milk powder - This works on two levels. First, it takes advantage of the starch in the milk powder which usually is cornstarch. Second, it adds a more milky flavor as compared to starch flavor to the stabilized whipped cream.

Pudding mix - You guessed it!! Pudding mix contains starch which most commonly is cornstarch or arrowroot.

SO WHICH METHOD SHOULD YOU USE, WHEN?

I most commonly use confectioner's sugar or milk powder for homemade desserts. That's because I do not keep my whipped cream desserts long. However, when it's a customer cake, I stabilize the whipped cream with gelatin.

Why? Because I cannot decorate a cake at the last minute. I need to decorate and let the cake sit in the fridge a few hours before the customer comes to pick it up. The customer again won't happen just before the party, so she still needs to keep it in her fridge for a few more hours. I want my whipped cream to hold up until it's time to serve the cake/dessert. In this case, gelatin works best.