Could I add butter to single cream to make whipped/double cream?
I want to make some whipped cream for millefeuille but I only have single.
If I added butter to single cream and whipped it, would that add enough butterfat to it to make it suitable for whipping?
Thanks in advance.
Best Answer
Yes, this is possible but you need a high-speed blender like a Thermomix or Vitamix to do so. There's actually a recipe on the Thermomix website:
http://www.ukthermomix.com/recshow.php?rec_id=29
Ingredients
250 gm unsalted butter
250 gm milk (full cream or semi-skimmed)
Method
Weigh butter in pieces and milk into the Thermomix bowl. Cook 3 minutes/ 90C/ Speed 1. Blend 30 seconds/ Speed 8. This emulsifies the butterfat back into the warmed milk and makes a perfectly delicious cream. Chill in the fridge 4 hours to use as pouring or spooning cream. Chill in the fridge 8 hours or more to be able to whip the cream.
I presume you could tweak the ratio to account for the difference in fat between milk and cream to make your double cream.
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Can you make double cream from single cream?
Single cream will not whip and will curdle if boiled, so it can't be a substitute in recipes that call for whipping or double cream. Whipping cream has around a 36% fat content, which allows air to be trapped when whipped, roughly doubling the volume.Can you turn single cream into whipped cream?
Single cream won't whip but whipping cream (36%) and double cream (48%) will. Thick cream and clotted cream don't need whipping, they have a different, heavier, smoother texture than whipped cream. Whipping cream will be lighter and fluffier than double cream.Can you whip single cream with butter?
Unfortunately if it is a recipe that requires the cream to be whipped then usually it is not possible as single cream does not have a high enough fat content to whip - it will not hold any air but will eventually turn into butter if you keep whipping it.Can I add butter to heavy cream to make double cream?
Melt the butter gently on medium heat, pour melted butter into your mixer, begun mixing on low and drizzle your heavy cream into that. Don't mix too long or you'll start to whip and or turn it back into butter. It's going to come out real thick at any rate and you want to get it in the fridge and cover it quickly.How to Make Butter from Cream
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Answer 2
No, it won't work.
Michael's comment explains why. Whipping cream is not just fat and water mixed, it is fat and water emulsified. This is a big difference.
If you had some special reason to do this on a regular basis, you could get it to work by adding emulsifiers. You can beat any fat with water and lecithine or xanthan and get a creamy result. As far as I know, this is how plant based cream substitutes work.
But if the issue is that you just don't have whipping cream right now at home, then it is easier to go buy whipping cream than to go find emulsifiers (I buy mine online, don't know if there are brick-and-mortar B2C stores which sell them). If for some reason you absolutely can't do it in time, I would suggest using a different filling. Pastry cream works well with millefeulle, buttercream can work too, lightened with whipped eggwhites if necessary.
Answer 3
You can buy attachments for the Kenwood mixer and buy hand operated cream makers which require warmed milk and butter. I must get one because the lower fat creams available in Germany where I now live just don't work in my recipes. You can buy cream that whipped but its very loose
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