Capture the intoxicating scent of spring flowers in sweetened, floral Lilac Whipped Cream! The homemade, flavored whipped cream made with edible flowers is delicious on spring dessert recipes.
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It's easy to make a unique, gourmet whipped cream topping from scratch! Homemade Lilac Whipped Cream is infused with delicate, floral flavor thanks to fresh lilac flowers you can pick right off your own shrubs.
Use the flavored whipped cream on cakes, ice cream, and other spring and early summer favorite desserts.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A simple, homemade whipped cream infused with the gorgeous scent of a favorite New England spring flower: the lilac. It's a unique way to capture the fleeting aroma.
- You'll love this part: It's surprisingly easy to make this gourmet topping at home, and the whipped cream is delicious on cakes, fruit, and ice cream.
- How it's made: Steep fresh lilac blossoms in heavy cream, then beat the cream with sugar until stiff.
Jump to:
Lilac season
Lilac bushes are quite modest for most of the year: bushy, often unkempt, and in summer covered in heart-shaped, dark-green leaves. They're so common that I barely notice them growing in almost every yard, along most fences, and down so many streets.
That all changes in May and early June, when the lilac blossoms light up the landscape, bursting forth in shades of candy pink, pale purple, white, magenta, and burgundy.
The scent of lilacs is intoxicating, and their time is so fleeting that try to find as many ways as I can to enjoy them before the blooms fade away. I bring armloads of sprigs inside and place them in large and small vases throughout the house. A few times a day, I try to find my way past a lilac shrub to breathe it in.
One more way to enjoy the beautiful flowers is to eat them! Specifically, you can capture that scent in Lilac Whipped Cream.
FAQs
The flavor of lilacs is just like their scent, which can be hard to describe! Lilacs are richly perfumed, with a floral scent and flavor that's sweet and similar to lily of the valley, honey, and rose. In other words, lilacs smell like spring. Steeping them in cream gives this ice cream a gentle flavor and scent of lilacs without overpowering it.
Blend a few drops of red and blue food coloring into the infused cream before beating it, for a delicate purple color.
It should take between 3-4 minutes to whip the cream into peaks. Make sure the cream, the bowl, and the beaters are very cold to get the best results.
Yes, heavy cream will work in this recipe as well.
It will turn to butter! Lilac-flavored butter. Whip the cream only until firm peaks form—any longer and it will begin to separate, and then it's too late.
Cover the whipped cream tightly and store it in the fridge. It will only last a day or two before getting liquidy, so try to use it up fast!
Why you'll love this recipe
This is an easy, infused whipped cream recipe that you can make with no fuss. Basic, homemade whipped cream is just a matter of beating heavy cream with sugar until it forms stiff peaks; done in only about five minutes.
While lilac whipped cream does require an overnight rest in the fridge, to create the floral-infused s cream, it's a hands-off step that happens while you sleep. You'll taste the edible lilacs in the whipped cream, and you can add a few, fresh lilac buds as a pretty garnish.
This whipped cream is a delicious spring dessert topping. Below are all the ways that you can enjoy the delicate, floral flavor of lilac whipped cream.
How to serve Lilac Whipped Cream
- Dunk slices of fresh fruit or whole, fresh berries in it.
- Spoon lilac whipped cream it over shortcake made with peaches or strawberries.
- Layer the floral cream in a berry fruit trifle.
- Enjoy a dollop on a slice of cake.
- Have lilac cream with a fresh fruit salad.
- Use this whipped cream in a no-bake strawberry icebox cake.
- Spoon some into a cup of hot chocolate.
- Ooh, vanilla wafer cookies are yummy dunked into this whipped cream.
- Top your favorite ice cream sundae with lilac whipped cream. Add a few lilac flowers and a cherry, of course!
🔪 How to make Lilac Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
- Lilac Blooms: Pick sprigs of fresh lilacs in any color as soon as they bloom.
- Whipping Cream: Keep whipping or heavy cream very cold until you're ready to begin, so it will whip up quickly.
- Confectioners' Sugar: It adds sweetness and cornstarch in the sugar also helps stabilize the cream.
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Infuse the cream
Take fresh, clean lilac blooms and submerge them in the cream in a jar. Pop it into the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Prepare the mixing tools
Pop the bowl and whisk attachment from your stand mixer (or a mixing bowl and beaters from a hand mixer) into the freezer for at least 15 minutes before making the cream.
Strain the cream
Set a small strainer over a bowl, and pour the cream through so that all the lilac flowers are strained out.
Use your hand to press down on the flowers to squeeze out any liquid hiding in the flowers.
Whip the cream
Whisk the cream on high speed for a minute, then pour in the confectioner's sugar. Resume beating for another two to five minutes until it has firmed up.
Enjoy!
Spoon the whipped cream onto your dessert or plate or bowl... or eat it with a spoon!
A favorite New England flower
According to the Farmer's Almanac, lilacs love a good, cold winter—that certainly explains why the shrubs are abundant throughout the Northeast! Lilacs can also be found across a good-sized swath of the country to the Northwest coast. Some lilac varieties even do well in warm winters, growing in parts of the Southern U.S.
Lilacs signal the beginning of summer in New England and (in most cases, anyway) the end of surprise snow squalls and killing frosts. During these few weeks, lilac festivals are everywhere, like at the Lilac Family Fun Festival in Rochester, NH and at the Bellamy-Ferriday House in Bethlehem, CT. All are lovely excuses to spend time in the sunshine, breathing in the intoxicating scent.
At some of these festivals, you may even find goodies flavored with the very edible lilac blossoms, like sweets, drinks, and baked goods. This flower only sticks around a short time, so we like to get our fill in every way that we can!
Tips:
- Choose vibrant lilac blooms that have just opened and that aren't yet turning brown. A few unopened buds are okay. You will get the best flavor from sprigs that have just bloomed.
- Lilac blooms grow in cone-shaped clusters. You want three of these clusters for this recipe.
- You can give your lilac blooms a gentle wash under cool, running water to rinse off any critters or dust. Gently shake out as much of the water as you can, and pick off any dead leaves or shriveled petals.
- I used confectioner's sugar in this recipe because it dissolves smoothly. Confectioner's sugar also contains cornstarch which helps the whipped cream keep its peaks.
The Lilac Whipped Cream recipe is below! Here are a more summery desserts and recipes using lilac flowers to try:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Lilac Infused Whipped Cream
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Ingredients
- 3 sprigs clean, washed Lilac flowers: this looks like three 4-inch to 5-inch conical sprigs of lilac flowers.
- 1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream will also work)
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- Optional: extra lilac flowers for garnishing
Instructions
Infuse the cream:
- Tuck the lilac blooms into a jar or container. (You can snip the lilacs into shorter pieces if you need to.) Pour the cream into the jar over the lilacs. Use a spoon to push the lilacs down to completely submerge them. Cover the jar and refrigerate the cream for 24 hours.
Prepare the mixing tools:
- Pop the bowl and whisk attachment (or a mixing bowl and beaters from a hand mixer) into the freezer - do this at least 15 minutes before making the whipped cream.
Strain the cream:
- Place a small strainer over a bowl, and pour the cream through the strainer to remove the lilacs. Press down on the lilacs with your hand to squeeze out excess cream that's hiding out in the flowers. Discard the lilacs.
Make the whipped cream:
- Assemble the bowl and whisk onto your stand mixer. Pour the infused cream into the bowl and beat it on high speed for about 1 minute. Pause the mixer, pour in the confectioner's sugar, and resume beating the cream on high speed. It should take between 2 and 5 more minutes for the cream to firm up and form peaks.
- Serve the whipped cream with your dessert or drink right away, and add a few lilac flowers as a garnish if you wish.
- Store leftover whipped cream in a covered container for up to three days. Makes about two cups of whipped cream.
Notes
- Choose vibrant lilac blooms that have just opened and that aren't yet turning brown. A few unopened buds are okay. You will get the best flavor from sprigs that have just bloomed.
- Lilac blooms grow in cone-shaped clusters. You want three of these clusters for this recipe.
- Give your lilac blooms a gentle wash under cool, running water to rinse off any critters or dust. Gently shake out as much of the waters as you can, and pick off any dead leaves or shriveled petals.
Nutrition
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