What Tastes Better, Buttercream or Whipped Cream?
Both of them has typically the same surname, but do they’re really the same? I don’t have an exact clear line about their difference in a bunch of aspects, but one thing I know is one of them tastes like melted ice cream and I love it! Now that I know, I would like to inform you all about their differences and similarities. It will help you a lot in their applications for your baking or cooking products. So, just let’s get started!
Firstly first, what ingredients are they made from? Buttercream, as it should be from its name, is made from butter (yeah, it’s fat in common because it can be margarine or shortening too). The fat, along with sweetener and milk whipped until it reaches the consistency. The final texture should be light, but it has a rich flavor since remember, it is fat. From my experience in making buttercream, I once tried to only use margarine as the primary ingredient along with milk and sugar as the added flavor, the final texture was very light. I used them to frost my mom’s birthday cake and it came out very soft. In the next experiment, I made using half of the shortening and half of the margarine, I got a light texture, but the tougher version of it. I totally love the second one since it suits frosting better than the first.
While the other hand whipped cream is also made with fat, but probably like 30–35% fat like heavy cream. Consists of two types, dairy and non-dairy, whipped cream itself have differences among them. Dairy whipped cream is made from animal products, like fat from milk. It doesn’t that sweet so bakers should add a sweetener to it. While non-dairy is vice versa, they are plant-based, vegetarian-friendly, and also lactose intolerant-friendly. Rather, they are already sweet and barely tasted like melted ice cream. Buttercream has a light but tough characteristics, while whipped cream has an airy and very light texture. It is the main reason why a bunch of cute customized cake which has small details painted is using buttercream, not whipped cream. Ah also, whipped cream doesn’t stay long a room temperature, they are easily melted and absorbed.
Now coming into their versatility. Buttercream maybe is the winner for frosting cakes, they are the best for decorating cupcakes, and creating small details based on any theme you wanted. But then, everything has its strength and weakness, buttercream only suits sweets. Cute phrases, right? But anyways, whipped cream suits both sweets and savories. You just drink milk if you eat whipped cream so it matched everything. On top of pies, coffee drinks, or cream soup? Anything. Just get your whipped cream done and do anything you wanted to do.
So yeah, probably I can simplify it into buttercream is fat and whipped cream is milk, both of them has fat in them but they have different percentage contained so the final characteristics aren’t the same. Of course, if you think of it from a nutrition perspective, buttercream is higher in cholesterol and energy. So. if someone asked which is healthier, well you know it by yourself I think.
Anyways if you think buttercream is butter whipped into a cream, and whipped cream is cream whipped into cream, I would say… yes. Subjectively speaking, I love whipped cream better. How ‘bout you?
