It’s never a bad idea to serve pie with plenty of whipped cream. Think your pie is sweet enough? You can leave the sugar out—ain’t nothin’ wrong with plain ol’ whipped cream. For a luxurious twist, try the mascarpone variation below.

　　

Ingredients

1, 3, or 4 cups, depending on the batch you choose

　　

Half batch (for covering only a portion of a 9-inch / 23-cm pie or for a very thin top layer):

118 g / ½ cup heavy cream

　　25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

　　3 g / ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

　　

Full batch (for generously covering the whole pie):

235 g / 1 cup heavy cream

　　50 g / ¼ cup granulated sugar

　　5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

　　

Mile-high batch (for when you’re feeling all fancy-pants):

353 g / 1½ cups heavy cream

　　66 g / ⅓ cup granulated sugar

　　7 g / 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

　　

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the cream on medium-low speed until it begins to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, then continue to whip to medium peaks. Add the vanilla, if using, and mix to combine.

　　

Step 2

Do Ahead: Plain whipped cream is best made just before it is used, but you can intentionally under-whip the cream (to just under soft peaks), then finish by whipping by hand when you’re ready to serve. It will hold this way for up to 4 hours. The mascarpone variation can be made up to 6 hours ahead and held in the refrigerator. Whip a few times gently to refresh before using.

　　

Variation

Step 3

Mascarpone Whipped Cream: Reduce the cream by half. For a half batch, use 75 g / ⅓ cup mascarpone; for a full batch, 113 g / ½ cup; and for a mile-high batch, 170 g / ¾ cup. Place the mascarpone and sugar in the mixer bowl and whip on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl well, then reduce the speed to medium-low and add the cream in a slow, steady stream. Raise the speed to medium-high and whip until the mixture is smooth and reaches medium peaks. Add the vanilla, if using, and mix to combine.

　　From The Book on Pie © 2020 by Erin Jeanne McDowell. Photography © 2020 by Mark Weinberg. Reproduced with permission from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.