Just wondering if I'm better off using my hand mixer to whip or my KA? Whichever I choose about how long should I expect to whip to get it to the stiff peak stage? I've never really had good luck whipping anything (egg whites, RI mix, or that liquid whipped icing). I don't know if I overbeat or underbeat and I don't know how to tell either way.

Thanks for your advice!

Ummm... the only time that I did whippiing cream in my KA it turned to butter. I had to throw a bunch of chocolate at it and melt it back down and turn it into ganache. NEVER again! Good luck!!!!

LOL, butter. You whipped it way too long!

You can use either your hand mixer or stand mixer. Just make sure to use the whisk attachment (if your hand mixer does not have a whisk attachment, use your stand mixer) and use it on the highest speed. You have to watch it well so you do not overbeat it, but it's really, really simple to whip cream. I do it frequently. Heck, a week ago I was too lazy to even get out my hand mixer so I did it with a fork (just a small amount for some huge, luscious strawberries I was having for dessert).

Your cream will progress from liquid to soft peaks within a couple of minutes, and then from soft peaks to stiff peaks in about another minute. Just stop it and look at it frequently until you get to the desired consistency.

I love making whipped cream, especially when it fresh! So are you using heavy cream or something like frostin pride? I always use my mixer to mix cakepro is the bomb she used a fork, you go girl. I only use mixer but if you don't really know hoe start off with med speed and just watch as it get's creamy, and thicker and eventually you'll see it stiffen a BIT. STOP your mixer and with the whisk in your hand move it around to see if the peaks stay up and droop down. That's it! If it's still droopy whip just a little more don't overdo it. Also very important don't fill your bowl with the cream start off with maybe 1/4 of your bowl full because it whips better and of course it doubles/triples in volume. Hope that works for you.

LOL, it was only like half a cup! Anything more than that and my arm would have fallen off. Great instructions on the peaks.

I forgot to add ~ if you place the cream, the mixing bowl, and the whisk in the freezer for about 10 minutes, you'll have better results.

Sweet1122, it is really, REALLY easy as these gals have mentioned! And so delicious! Use your KA because it's easier. Cakepro must have arms like Arnold Schwarzenegger! It only takes a couple of minutes. Just watch it closely and you'll see it all come together.

I make butter too. I used my food processor for that. It goes to the whipped cream stage and then suddenly *POP!* butter! Yummy.

I love all the advice. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much! I can't wait to try it with a filling for a cake (or maybe 2 if it works!) I'm making this week. I'm using heavy whipping cream, so do you also happen to know how long this will keep in the fridge? Ie. how soon can I assemble this bad boy?

And I'm so intrigued by the butter. Can you seriously make butter out of cream in the food processor? Like real butter that I can put in the fridge and actually use? Do you have to add anything to it? I'm very intrigued by this thought!

In the first unit of culinary school we weren't allowed to use a mixer to do whipped cream and some other things (some crap about learning the classic technique over using technology--they did it just to torture us, I swear) so we had to whip EVERYTHING by hand... huge bowls of whipped cream with just my balloon whisk. You do come to realize that unless you're doing a LARGE amount, it is just easier to whip out the whisk sometimes. My arms were SO toned by the time I graduated! lol

PinkZiab, that is funny! You and Cakepro are the muscle behind cakecentral, LOL!

Sweet1122, you should use your heavy whipping cream shortly after you open it. It won't go bad right away if you don't, but it just seems to whip better when it's fresher. Whip it shortly before you assemble it. If you want to whip it sooner, you might need a stabilizer. Try to find a heavy cream that is not "ultra pasteurized" because it's easier to whip, although admittedly that's hard to find. If you have to go ultra, go ultra. I buy mine fresh and unpasteurized up at a local farm. It is sooooo much thicker and yummier than the stuff in the supermarket. (YES! *gulp!* unpasteurized! I can hear the screams now....)

As for butter, leave your cream out a day or so to sour some. This is where the unpasteurized stuff really comes in handy because it sours so nicely. Most store butters have some kind of lactic acid added to give it that "twang." Me, I just use time and bacteria. Anyhow, just whir it up in your food processor and you'll see it clump up soon enough. Then you pour off the liquid, which is what real "buttermilk" USED to be (not what it is now in the supermarket). You remove the butter to a bowl and press it with a paddle (or a fat spoon). This is the tedious part. You press and press, flip and press. The more you press, the more liquid comes out and you pour it off. Press press press, ack! Then I just put it in glops onto pieces of wax paper. I start rolling it up and form a log that way. Then I put one in the fridge and freeze the other three. I make four good sized logs from a quart. Hope this helps!

Unpasteurized and unhomogenized will whip better, if you can find them and if you are comfortable using them. The best types of cream to use are those with between 30 and 40% milk fat. This would usually include heavy cream or light whipping cream.