Cream

I use various types of cream in my recipes and many people ask about them. Here’s a simple guide…

Single Cream is a thin pouring cream with about 18% milk fat. It is usually used for pouring over dessert or adding to coffee. In various countries it may have equivalents known as Light Cream, Coffee Cream or Half and Half.

Whipping Cream is a thicker cream with about 35% milk fat. It whips well but is lighter than the product from whipping Double Cream. It can also be called Full Cream, Crème Entière, Vollrahm or Schlagrahm

Double Cream has around 48% milk fat and whips easily. The resulting whipped cream can be piped onto cakes for decoration. It may also be called Extra-heavy, Manufacturer’s Cream or Doppelrahm.

Sour Cream is typically Single Cream that has been subjected to a bacterial culture that produces lactic acid. This sours and thickens the cream.

Crème Fraîche is made from cream containing around 28% milk fat. It is slightly soured with bacterial culture, but is not as sour or as thick as Sour Cream.

Clotted Cream, common in the United Kingdom, is cream that has been slowly heated to dry and thicken it. This produces a cream with a very high fat content – about 55%. This is similar to Indian Malai. Clotted cream is a key component of an English Cream Tea.