Soft Peaks
When your whisk or beaters are leaving faint tracks or trace lines in the thickened cream, stop your mixer and lift the beaters up. If the cream holds its shape, but folds back down over itself, you’ve reached soft peaks.
Medium Peaks
When your cream is at the medium peak stage, the cream will hold its shape a bit better. When you pull the beaters or whisk out, it makes a point, but the point doesn’t really stand up straight. You might notice that the tracks or trace lines left by the beater are more prominent at this stage.
Firm Peaks (also known as stiff peaks)
This is what you want. At the firm or stiff peak stage, when you lift up the beaters, your cream will hold its shape without collapsing back over itself. The mixture should be smooth, glossy, thick, and almost spreadable.
Step by Step: Making the Perfect Whipped Cream
- As soon as you reach the stiff peak stage, STOP WHIPPING! Even a few extra seconds could result in over-whipped cream, which can be… let’s just say “less than good.”
- Timing is key. I recommend making your whipped cream right before serving, because it tends to deflate over time.
- Don’t add any sugar or other flavoring until you reach the soft or medium peak stage. Sugar can weigh down the cream before it’s aerated, making it impossible to get good peaks.
- Use confectioners' sugar instead of granulated sugar if you can. Confectioners' sugar has some cornstarch in it, which helps keep the whipped cream from separating later.
