When Test Kitchen director Sarah Jampel first mentioned that she was developing a cake with whipped cream a few months ago, I thought I knew exactly what he meant. I photographed a yellow cake crowned with a fluffy cloud of whipped cream.
I was wrong.
Sara wasn't making whipped cream IN her cake. She was deciding IN cake.
What is whipped cream cake?
Everything you need to know about this cake is right in its name – the whipped cream cake is a yellow cake made with whipped cream. But most importantly, the only fat in the cake is the whipped cream – no butter or oil. And there is no other liquid – only eggs (and VANILLA AND almond extractsof course).
To make it, heavy cream is whipped until it reaches stiff peaks. Then beat in the sugar, then the eggs, making a smooth and creamy mixture. Finally, the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) are beaten. No creamed butter, no folding with beaten egg whites, and no alternating flour and milk to mix. It might be one of the simplest desserts out there.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
With her new recipe, Sarah is taking a little bit of history – the Custard Cake is a vintage recipe that has its roots in the first half of the 20'sth century. Some versions include butter in addition to the whipped cream and are baked in a Bundt pan, yielding a denser, richer, and more cake-like dessert. The version Sarah was inspired by, however, is made with just whipped cream and eggs for a lighter, more delicate result. She noticed it for the first time Maida Heatter's The Book of Big Sweets, where the legendary baker described it as an “unusual recipe” and an “old classic and established technique”.
Why does whipped cream make a great cake?
Whipped cream is like a two-in-one combination of butter and milk, so it seamlessly replaces both in a cake recipe. And actually, it's an improvement. “With the cake, the butter can sometimes seem like a struggle,” says Sarah. “No matter how much you add, it's never as soft or moist as you'd like. You have to worry about whether it's at the right temperature, or at what point you should finish the cream. It just feels complicated.”
With this recipe it is not like that: “If you can whip creamyou can make this cake.”
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Additionally, whipping the cream before making the cake batter creates air bubbles that give it a light, fluffy texture, in the same way that butter and sugar icing does. “Using fizzy whipped cream means you're starting with a super light base,” Sarah explains.
And because the cream adds so much fat, the slices are soft and plush with a fine velvety crumb – Sarah describes it as “lighter than a pound cake, but just as rich. It's buttery in texture, even if there's no butter in it.” In other words, the Platonic ideal of a yellow cake.
A dream of whipped cream
Traditionally, whipped cream cake is a simple affair, needing nothing but a dusting of confectioners' sugar to serve. But Sarah was inspired by another cake classic: the crunchy and delicious Danish Dream Cake (Drømmekage). With a thick topping of shredded coconut and brown sugar, this cake is a texture lover's dream, adding a welcome crunch to the super soft cake base. Sarah made things even better with a dirty chocolate ribbon running through the center cakegiving it serious Girl Scout Samoa cookie vibes.
Buy this recipe: Double Dark Cocoa Blend; Pure King Arthur Vanilla Extract; Pure almond extract
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
