Chocolate Whipped Cream: National Whipped Cream Day

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

Another day, another food holiday. Today is Whipped Cream Day. I've posted lots of recipes that call for whipped cream including chocolate whipped cream for National Cream Puff Day. So today, I'm posting two recipes for Chocolate Whipped Cream.

Chocolate Whip Cream is terrific to add to desserts.  It's easy to make and delicious. You can use with just about anything including as an icing or filling (tarts, pies, etc). Just about anything you would use regular whipped cream for, including Strawberry Short Cake!

The first recipe for Chocolate Whipped Cream is from Martha Stewart.   Martha uses chocolate whipped cream for the filling of chocolate sandwich cookies. Fabulous! This first recipe uses Milk Chocolate. You can always switch and use dark chocolate, or make the second recipe.

I love these Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Whipped Cream, but you can use any chocolate cookie recipe--or big store-bought cookies.

Before you make either of the following two recipes, have a look. The second Chocolate Whipped Cream Recipe uses a lot more chocolate, and it's dark chocolate. Which you choose depends on what you like and need!

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM I (from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients
4 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar

Directions
1. Place chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat sugar and 1 cup cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved.
3. Pour cream mixture over chocolate; stir until chocolate has melted. Let cool.
4. Transfer chocolate mixture to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add remaining cup heavy cream and beat on medium speed until thick and fluffy.

How easy is that?

Chocolate Whipped Cream II (from Sherry Yard)

I really love this recipe from Sherry Yard for Chocolate Whipped Cream. It's definitely more of a rich whipped ganache, but then isn't that what it's all about?  Sherry Yard was the executive pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills and shared this recipe on Cookin' with Good Morning America (December 25, 2003). It's also in in her book Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts.

Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Directions
1. Using serrated knife, finely chop chocolate into 1/4 inch pieces and place in medium heatproof bowl.
2. Bring cream and sugar, if using, to boil in small saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour hot cream over chopped chocolate. Tap bowl on counter to settle chocolate into cream, then let sit for 1 minute.
Using rubber spatula, slowly stir in circular motion, starting from  center of bowl and working out to sides. Stir until all chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour ganache into medium container, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. It should be  consistency of peanut butter.
4. Once ganache has chilled, transfer to large bowl. Using balloon whisk, whip ganache by hand until it just reaches soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Be sure to lift the whisk out of cream with each pass to bring in as much air as possible. Do not overwhip. Don't worry if cream doesn't seem firm enough. It will have consistency of mustard but will solidify a little more after it sets in refrigerator. You can also use hand mixer.
5. Use this cream immediately to fill pastries, tarts, and cakes. After dessert is filled, refrigerate it for about 1 hour to set the Chocolate Whipped Cream.