Can I Make Whipped Cream Ahead of Time?

I used to think whipped cream could only be made at the last minute.

Even at the tipsy end of hosting a dinner party (or a big feast like Thanksgiving), I’d pull out my electric mixer before dessert, inevitably making a mess. I’d learned the hard way that pure whipped cream never stays perfect and pillowy for long—it starts to deflate, leaving a weirdly grainy substance as the fat separates from the liquid. No thanks.

Then I started adding a bit of sour cream to my whipped cream. At first, I did it for the subtle tartness it added—I loved the way the blend helped balance sweeter desserts. But I noticed that sour cream-whipped cream mix was holding up way better than I expected, even after sitting out for a couple hours. There was none of the weeping and wilting that used to happen to my unadulterated whipped cream.

Now I always make my whipped cream in advance, with a little help from sour cream (and science).

Extra fat = stronger whipped cream

Why did that little bit of sour cream make such a difference? Food science writer Harold McGee to the rescue as usual: Whisking makes the magic of whipped cream happen. The proteins in the membranes of fat molecules are stripped during the whisking process, causing the cream’s fat to bond into a “skeleton” that holds air bubbles.

A few things help this process happen more easily. Keep everything involved in making whipped cream—bowl, cream, whisk—as cold as possible. But it turns out adding a little bit of acid can help, as can adding a little extra fat. Bingo: sour cream has both acid and fat, so that’s why it helped stabilize the whipped cream. Crème fraîche works great too. So does full fat Greek yogurt.

Make Your Whipped Cream Bulletproof

So I knew the sour cream method worked great for an indoor dinner party, but I wanted to put it to the test. Could it hold up to traveling on a hot and humid summer day? Last week, I had a birthday party to go to, and I had a grand surprise planned for the birthday boy: three layers of sponge cake drizzled in a cardamom cognac syrup sandwiched with thick layers of whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries.