Flavor Homemade Whipped Cream With One Breakfast Staple

Making homemade whipped cream may already feel like a lengthy endeavor when Cool Whip is right there on the shelf, but anyone who's made it from scratch can tell you there's just something special about it. We agree that the extra time truly is worth it — especially if you use a little imagination and whimsy to get creative with the variations. There are so many ways you can take your whipped cream to the next level, but for a fruity, creamy topping that can easily come together, just look to a jar of flavorful jam.

It's an easy way to add flavor to your homemade whipped cream, and the possibilities are endless. Just add about a half cup of the jam of your choice into the bowl with your heavy whipping cream, and use an electric whisk or stand mixer to whip it until soft peaks form. An added bonus? The jam will likely give a slight colorful tint to your whipped cream as natural food coloring fun.

There a few things you can do to make sure your jam whipped cream tastes and looks great. First, cold ingredients and appliances can help your cream whip up faster, which is why this hack that involves putting your mixing bowl in the freezer helps make the perfect whipped cream. Second, squeeze in a little lemon juice to amplify the fruit flavor — it turns out lemon juice works similarly to salt in enhancing pre-existing flavors, since acidity increases salivation, which increases our own perception of flavor. And don't worry — a small amount won't make your whipped cream taste like lemon. Finally, be sure you pick the right cream for the job by checking the fat content percentage on the container. A higher fat percentage will result in a sturdier whipped cream, so look for whipping cream with at least 30% fat, and a higher 36% fat content heavy whipping cream if you want really rich cream and strong peaks.

Once you have your whipped cream, use it to top waffles with strawberry jam cream, pie with pear jam cream, or hot chocolate with orange jelly cream — or use your jam cream as a filling for French eclairs. Just make sure you avoid the common mistakes people make when making homemade whipped cream. And if you want to really channel your inner Nara Smith? Try making the jam from scratch too.