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Chocolate Whipped Cream is the light, fluffy, cocoa-rich topping that makes everything from pies to hot cocoa feel fancy, and this stabilized version holds its shape for days. I whipped up a bowl on a lazy Saturday to top strawberries and Maddie ate half of it straight off the whisk while Lizzie asked for it on her waffles. It is as easy as our classic Stabilized Whipped Cream, just chocolate.
A little cocoa powder and a spoonful of cornstarch turn heavy cream into a sturdy, pipeable chocolate whipped cream that will not weep or deflate.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 8 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 8 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 16 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 113kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light, fluffy, and rich with sweet chocolate flavor
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
Quick Answer
Add cold heavy cream and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and whip to soft peaks. Add cocoa powder, cornstarch, and vanilla, then whip until medium to stiff peaks form and the cream stands on its own. The cornstarch stabilizes it so it holds its shape for days without weeping, perfect for piping and topping desserts.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Whipped Cream Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chocolate Whipped Cream FAQs
- Other Recommended Dessert Topping Recipes
- Stabilized Chocolate Whipped Cream Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cornstarch stabilizes it. A spoonful of cornstarch keeps the whipped cream firm and pipeable for days instead of deflating in a few hours.
- Cold cream whips best. Starting with very cold heavy cream (and a chilled bowl) helps it whip up tall and hold air.
- Cocoa adds flavor without weighing it down. Unsweetened cocoa powder gives deep chocolate flavor while keeping the texture light and airy.
- Powdered sugar sweetens smoothly. Powdered sugar dissolves instantly and its bit of cornstarch adds to the stabilizing effect.
- Do not overwhip. Stopping at stiff peaks keeps it silky; whip too far and it turns grainy or buttery.
- It is endlessly useful. Pipe it onto pies, dollop it on cocoa, or layer it into parfaits, it holds up beautifully every time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Whips up in under 10 minutes with just five simple ingredients.
- It holds its shape for days, unlike regular whipped cream, just like our classic Stabilized Whipped Cream.
- It is the perfect make-ahead topping for pies, cakes, parfaits, and hot chocolate.
Key Ingredients
You only need five simple ingredients to make this Chocolate Whipped Cream, and the cornstarch is the secret to keeping it stable.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: The base; use cold cream with a high fat content so it whips tall and holds its shape.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa adds rich chocolate flavor without making the cream heavy.
- Cornstarch: The stabilizer that keeps the whipped cream firm and pipeable for days.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the cream and dissolves smoothly, with a little extra stabilizing power.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the chocolate with warm, sweet flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This Chocolate Whipped Cream is easy to flavor and adjust to your taste.
- Make it mocha: Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder for a coffee-chocolate topping.
- Go darker: Use dark cocoa powder or add a little extra for a deeper, less sweet chocolate.
- Add a liqueur: A splash of Kahlua or Baileys makes a grown-up dessert topping.
- Sweeten to taste: Add more powdered sugar for a sweeter, frosting-like cream.
- Pipe it: Spoon it into a piping bag with a star tip for pretty dollops on pies and cupcakes.
How to Make Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Add the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
- Begin whipping at medium-low speed until soft peaks form, then add the cocoa powder, cornstarch, and vanilla.
- Continue whipping until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the cream thickens into a smooth chocolate whipped cream.
- Whip just until medium to stiff peaks form and the cream stands up on its own. Do not overwhip, then use right away or chill until needed.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Chill your bowl and beaters. Cold equipment helps the cream whip faster and hold more air.
- Use cold heavy cream. Take it straight from the fridge; warm cream will not whip properly.
- Sift the cocoa. Sifting the cocoa powder prevents little brown lumps in the finished cream.
- Do not overwhip. Stop at stiff peaks; a few seconds too long turns it grainy and buttery.
- Make it ahead. Thanks to the cornstarch, it keeps its shape covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Pipe for a pretty finish. Use a piping bag and star tip for bakery-style dollops on desserts.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Chocolate Whipped Cream is a dreamy topping for almost any dessert. Pile it onto pies and cakes, or layer it with berries the way we do in our Strawberry Cheesecake Bundt Cake.
Dollop it over a slice of our Italian Love Cake or our Golden Oreo Cheesecake Bars for an extra-special finish. It is also incredible spooned onto hot cocoa or a sundae.
Use it anywhere you would use regular whipped cream that needs to hold up. For another make-ahead topping, try our Fluffy Coconut Frosting next.
Chocolate Whipped Cream FAQs
The easiest way is to whip a tablespoon of cornstarch into the cream along with the cocoa and powdered sugar. The cornstarch absorbs excess moisture so the whipped cream holds its shape and stays firm for days instead of weeping.
Stored covered in the fridge, it keeps its shape for up to 3 days thanks to the cornstarch. Give it a quick stir if it softens slightly before using.
Yes, that is one of the best reasons to stabilize it. Whipped to stiff peaks, it pipes cleanly through a star tip and holds its shape on pies, cupcakes, and parfaits.
Grainy whipped cream is almost always overwhipped. Stop the mixer as soon as stiff peaks form. If it is just starting to look grainy, you can sometimes smooth it by folding in a splash of fresh cold cream by hand.
Yes. Pipe dollops onto a parchment-lined tray, freeze until solid, then store in a container. Set the frozen dollops on desserts and they will thaw in a few minutes, holding their shape.
It is perfect on pies, cakes, cupcakes, parfaits, milkshakes, hot chocolate, fresh berries, brownies, and ice cream. Anywhere you want a light, chocolatey topping that holds its shape.
Need a classic version too? Try our Stabilized Whipped Cream next.
Top a square of our Red Velvet Brownies with a dollop of chocolate whipped cream.
Use it to top our creamy chocolate mousse.
For a fudgy, veggie-packed treat, try our sweet potato brownies.
Prefer something richer? Try our chocolate cream cheese frosting.
For more no-bake sweets, make our tiramisu dip.
Pipe gorgeous swirls with this easy whipped cream cheese frosting.
Top it the easy way: our chocolate tres leches cake is crowned with homemade chocolate whipped cream.
Top a sundae with a scoop of our marbled red velvet ice cream for the ultimate dessert.
Pile homemade whipped cream on top of our chocolate poke cake for the ultimate chocolate dessert.
Stabilized Chocolate Whipped Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the cold heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or with an electric hand mixer and a large bowl), stir in the powdered sugar, adding slowly.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- At medium-low speed, whip the cream to form soft peaks.
- Slowly add in the remaining ingredients until incorporated and whip until medium to stiff peaks form. Just until the cream will stand up on its own. Do not over whip or you will have chocolate butter!1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Video
Notes
- The addition of cornstarch to this recipe helps it stay thicker and last longer.
- You can substitute vanilla bean past with vanilla extract 1:1.
- Do not over-mix this recipe or you will turn out with butte, you will want it to form peaks that will stand up on their own when lifted.
- You can make this richer by adding special dark cocoa powder instead.
- This is stable enough to frost cakes, use as toppings for cupcakes or use in layered desserts without the worry of it melting.
Nutrition
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Excellent!
It really depends on the mixer. Are you mixing it by hand, electric hand mixer, stand mixer? I can whip cream faster by hand sometimes than by electric hand mixer. It really depends. It is ready when it will hold it’s shape when you hold the whisk upside down, it will start to droop slightly. Hard peaks are when they hold firm. Anything past that is butter or like you said a chocolate soup mess.
I’m so frustrated I could literally cry. There is not a single recipe that I could find, this one included, that offered an estimated time frame for whipping. For beginners who may not recognize “soft peaks” right away, providing just a tiny clue- it doesn’t have to be exact! Just a simple 2-4, 4-6, 10-12 minutes would be SO helpful. Because I just ruined ANOTHER frosting because when I Googled “how long to whip cream frosting” and the only answer I found was 9 minutes and that’s obviously too long. Now I have a cake, no more ingredients and no idea what to do with this awful grainy chocolate soup besides throw it away.