- I’m sure you can dye it.
- You probably can smooth it out but I don’t think water will smooth it out- hot water works with buttercream because it melts the butter in the icing and it gets smoothed out like that, but whipping cream is a different thing entirely.
- Yeah, I think it will break- whipping cream icing is great for, well, icing and its really fluffy yummy icing, but I wouldn’t decorate the cake with fondant bits in that case. I’d pipe/ice it using the cream in patterns instead. Check the recipe from last page that I posted for the Oreo cookie cupcakes- its delicious!
I found this answer on the Wilton msg boards-
*Hi,
I often use the Wilton recipe for stabilized whipped cream, which calls for piping gel mixed into it. I find it stands up very well - last fall I made a tiered wedding cake that sat out for about three hours before they got to it (I didn’t know in advance that this would happen), and not only did the whipped cream still look perfect, but it still tasted good enough that people went back for seconds and thirds and the bride and groom barely had a chance to save a piece for themselves.
I find many people prefer the taste of real whipped cream over buttercream icing.
I find that the stabilized whipped cream does very well for borders and something like simple rosettes or stars, but for more complicated decorations, I use buttercream or marzipan. I haven’t had much of a problem with color from the buttercream or marzipan bleeding into the whipped cream, but I usually try to delay putting on those decorations if I can.*
*Here’s the Wilton recipe for Stabilized Whipped Cream:
1 c. heavy cream (make sure it’s well chilled)
2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. piping gel
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond extract)
Whip cream and sugar to soft peak stage (easiest to do with an electric mixer; make sure your bowl and beaters are dry before you start) (soft peaks means that when you lift the beaters, the peaks flop over).
Add piping gel and vanilla extract. Whip to stiff peaks (this means that when you lift the beaters, the peaks stay put).
Do not overbeat.
Yield: 1 1/2 - 2 cups (I usually double the recipe to have enough to cover a cake and do borders)
If it’s hot and humid in your kitchen, chill the bowl and beaters before starting, and then chill the end product before icing your cake.
If you find that the whipped cream isn’t holding well when you’re covering your cake or doing the border, either return it to the mixer and beat it some more ( but don’t overbeat) or chill it for a while.*