Crème Fraîche Frosting
Crème fraîche makes for a magical, light texture frosting, which tastes like a luscious vanilla ice cream.
It´s perfect for filling light sponge cakes with or to pipe onto your cupcakes.
I use both the seeds and the pod from 1 vanilla bean in this recipe and one tablespoon of vanilla bean paste in this recipe; it really amplifies the vanilla flavor, but feel free to leave it out any of these two.
Instead of vanilla, you can also use finely grated lemon zest from two lemons.
I hope you will love this Crème fraîche frosting too.
Before you start
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Bakers Tip
→Make sure to use heavy cream with 36 to 40 % fat content, so it whips easily, producing a thick and stable cream.
→Make sure to use full-fat Crème fraîche with 32 % fat content; Crème fraîche is widely available in grocery stores. Resist the urge to reach for fat-free versions, though. They may belong on your breakfast table but will not work in this frosting.
→Crème fraîche with 32 % should not be watery; it should be thick; If you feel that the Crème fraîche you bought seems watery, do the following, Place a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl, and place the Crème fraîche in the strainer. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to drain for a few hours. This step is important. Otherwise, the Frosting will be too watery and will not make a proper frosting.
Crème Fraîche Frosting
- 50 gram white sugar, or powdered sugar, more or less
- 1 vanilla bean, optional
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 200 gram full-fat Crème Fraîche, 32% cold
- 300 gram heavy cream, 36 to 40% cold
Crème Fraîche Frosting
- Make sure to use cold cream 36 to 40 % and cold Crème Fraîche 32%, so it whips easily, producing a thick and stable Crème Fraîche Frosting. During summertime, place the cream and Crème Fraîche in the freezer for 15 minutes before whipping it up.
- Resist the urge to reach for fat-free versions of Crème Fraîche; they may belong on your breakfast table but will not work in this frosting.
- To get a silky smooth Crème Fraîche Frosting. Mix on low and slow; whipping on high speed will give you huge air bubbles but can deflate fast, but whisking on low speed will give you the perfect frosting.
- For the Crème Fraîche Frosting, Use a sharp knife to split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla seeds. (if using)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, Add 50-gram sugar, 200-gram cold Crème Fraîche 32%, Seeds from one vanilla bean, and put the vanilla pod in the bowl as well. One tablespoon vanilla bean paste and 300 grams cold heavy cream.
- Whip on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy and medium peaks. Resist the urge to mix at medium or high speed.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer; use the whisk attachment, and continue whipping by hand for a few seconds until the Crème Fraîche Frosting reaches the desired consistency. This way, you can ensure the mixer won't take it too far.
- Discard the vanilla bean or wash and reuse it.
- The frosting is best to use immediately but can be made up to 24 hours ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- This crème fraîche Frosting makes for a light texture, which works especially well with a light sponge cake, as a topping on a pie, pipe onto cupcakes, or on a pavlova, etc.
- When frosting a cake with Crème Fraîche Frosting, be careful not to run your spatula over the cream too many times, or you'll overwork the cream, and it'll become grainy.
For step-by-step pictures of how to make
→ Crème Fraîche Frosting
Click → here
