Chantilly cream is a basic preparation widely used in pastry making, a delicate cream of French origin made with only three ingredients: fresh cream, icing sugar and vanilla. Soft and delicious, it is ideal for filling and decorating cakes, profiteroles and zeppoles but also to accompany a slice of apple strudel or plum cake or to garnish a cup of hot chocolate.

In Italy it is often confused with the diplomatic cream – in fact called Italian Chantilly – from which however it differs in terms of ingredients and complexity: while the Chantilly is based only on flavored whipped cream, the diplomat is instead born from the union of whipped cream and custard.

It seems that the name Chantilly derives from that of the castle of the same name where François Vatel, superintendent of the cuisine of the Prince of Condé, invented it in the 17th century. Its ease of execution, its delicate taste and its extreme versatility have then favored its success, so much so that today Chantilly cream is considered one of the basic pastry preparations throughout the world.

Preparing it at home is really easy, you just have to follow the procedure illustrated by our Melissa Dolci step by step: just start whipping the fresh cream with the electric whisk, then add the icing sugar, little by little, and the seeds of a vanilla bean , continuing to work until the cream is soft, firm and perfectly stable.

For a perfect Chantilly cream it is important to use very fresh and very cold cream from the fridge, making sure that it does not suffer sudden changes in temperature: the core temperature must be between 4 °C and 6 °C. The tools will also need to be very cold: put the whisks and the bowl in the freezer before using them.
So here’s how to make an exquisite homemade Chantilly cream in just a few steps.

Ingredients
FRESH CREAM
500ml
POWDERED SUGAR
60 gr
VANILLA BEAN
1/2
How to prepare Chantilly cream
Step 1
Start preparing the Chantilly cream by pouring the cold cream into a bowl and begin whipping it at medium speed 1.

Step 2
Still continuing to whip, add the icing sugar little by little 2. The icing sugar will dissolve perfectly in the cream and will allow us to obtain a smooth and velvety cream, unlike granulated sugar, which could create small granules in the cream.

Step 3
At this point, cut the vanilla pod, gently widen it, slide the blade of a small knife over the pod and remove the internal seeds 3.

Step 4
Then also add the vanilla bean seeds to the cream and continue to mix everything with the whisk 4.

Step 5
Whip until you obtain a soft cream, with a firm and slightly frothy consistency. 5. It is important not to whip the cream too much, otherwise it could separate and be too greasy in the mouth; but you don’t have to whip it too little either, because you would risk the cream losing its structure and falling apart quickly. To understand what the right consistency is, turn the bowl upside down: if the cream remains still, without dripping, it is ready.

Step 6
As well as filling and decorating desserts of all kinds, Chantilly cream is excellent when spooned: transfer it into a cup and enjoy it as it is, or decorate it with fresh fruit or whatever you like best.