Can you whip ice cream like whipping cream? That's the question on tap for today's #whathappenswednesday.
If you were to ask me what happened when you whip ice cream in the manner you would whipped cream, I'd probably guess that it would whip just fine. I mean, it's creamy, it's thick, it's already halfway there, right?
Plus, ice cream usually has stabilizers so I figured this would just make it a really nice, thick whipped substance.
But as you probably know, guessing about this type of thing isn't my style. I like to get my hands dirty and to keep my sweets interesting. I wanted to see for myself what would happen. So basically, I was already on the way to the store five minutes after the question had occurred to me, and I bought some ice cream. To keep it interesting, I bought a peanut butter cup ice cream.
I let the ice cream soften, until it was not totally liquid but close to it. Then I loaded it into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
And I whisked away, just like I would if it was heavy cream.
And I whisked. And I whisked. It progressed from definitely ice cream to much more liquid-y.
After a while, I began to have visual cues of whipped creaminess. The mixture thickened and increased in volume, and the cream began to create those little spatters on the side of the bowl that happen when the cream transformation into whipped cream begins to happen. I got excited.
When I stopped the mixer, the ice cream even stuck to the whisk attachment the way whipped cream would when it has formed soft peaks. So I mixed just a little longer.
While the mixture retained soft peaks, they never progressed to stiff. And even the soft peaks became sort of drippy after just five minutes.
All the same, the whipped ice cream had a fascinating quality. It had the texture of a Wendy's Frostee, but the flavor of ice cream.
See how it becomes a different thing entirely when whipped?
So, to answer the question...what happens when you whip ice cream?
Well, you don't get some sort of superpower ice cream flavored whipped cream. But you do get a smooth, frosty treat with a texture somewhere between soft serve and a thick milk shake.
So while you won't get a whipped cream-like substance, you will be rewarded with something tasty.
Were you surprised by the results?