This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve sung the praises of heavy cream and its many superpowers when it comes to transforming dishes savory and sweet. But without a doubt, its ability to aerate into a fluffy, rich cloud and make our favorite desserts more beautiful and more delicious is cream’s greatest talent. No pre-whipped version can hold a candle to the results of whipping it yourself by hand or a machine, or even in a jar flavoring them. And if you make it from scratch, you have a chance to infuse whipped cream with flavorings, or even booze. These 20 delicious ideas use whipped cream to take a dessert over the top.
This celebratory pie is only as good as the quality of your ingredients: look for a premium ice cream and top-shelf liquor. English-style digestive biscuits have a distinctive wholemeal texture with a buttery richness and an undertone of brown sugar.
Get the recipe for Lalla Rookh Pie »
This sweet pudding-like dessert from Sickles Market in Little Silver, New Jersey, gained popularity in the United Kingdom during the 17th century. You can discard the solids after straining the berries, but we love eating them on top of it along with freshly whipped cream. Get the recipe for Blackberry Flummery »
Norwegian Wafer Cookies (Krumkakes)
These Norwegian wafer cookies, eaten across Scandinavia during the Christmas season, are light and crisp and perfumed with cardamom. They're made like waffles on a special griddle that imprints an intricate design, and then they're rolled and filled with whipped cream. Get the recipe for Norwegian Wafer Cookies (Krumkakes) »
This pudding takes the best part of a traditional mont blanc—the chestnuts—and dispenses with the fussy meringue, so you can enjoy chestnuts in all their toasty glory, with no distractions. Get the recipe for Chestnut Pudding with Nutmeg Whipped Cream »
Rhubarb-Lime Icebox Pie
This rhubarb-lime icebox pie recipe is adapted from The New Midwestern Table by Amy Thielen. Get the recipe for Rhubarb-Lime Icebox Pie
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The Best Flourless Chocolate Cake
The oldest and most popular dessert at San Francisco's legendary Zuni Café, this gluten-free chocolate cake boasts a fine, tender crumb and bold chocolate flavor. Get the recipe for The Best Flourless Chocolate Cake »
This nearly forgotten recipe comes to us from the beloved Ships Diner in Los Angeles that closed in 1995. The whipped cream filling doesn't require any cooking—no custard here—while some slices of banana and toasted almond add texture and flavor. A fast, easy-to-make pie from a bygone era that deserves a comeback. Get the recipe for Classic French Banana Cream Pie »
The addition of buttermilk in this ultra-retro dessert keeps it from being too cloying and renders cookie salad totally appropriate for the adult palate. Get the recipe for Buttermilk Cookie Salad »
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Grasshopper
At the Greenwood Supper Club in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, the minty grasshopper gets a soda-shop twist with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Get the recipe for Grasshopper »
Almond Cheesecake with Macerated Strawberries and Mint
My mom, Ellendean, would occasionally surprise me with this creamy chocolate pie when I came home from school, then watch as I devoured a quarter of it while watching "M*A*S*H" reruns. —Keith PandolfiGet the recipe for Chocolate Pudding Pie »
A scoop of vanilla ice cream and a hefty slice of pie go into the blender together, and out comes the ultimate dessert: A creamy shake with buttery crumbles of pie crust and ribbons of gorgeous fruit filling throughout. Get the recipe for Blueberry Pie Milkshake »
