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This Whipping Cream Cake is an example of vintage recipes at their finest! This luscious cake is both simple and unique and is sure to become a family favorite.
There are a lot of recipes on this site that my husband really loves.
Easy Fettuccine Alfredo is a family favorite and he can’t get enough of Dominique Ansel’s Banana Bread.
But I’m not sure I’ve ever made a recipe he loves as much as this Whipping Cream Cake. As soon as I turned the cake out of the pan, he was all over it.
Within a matter of hours he had devoured the bottom part of the cake. You know the part that is on top when baking in a bundt pan but becomes the bottom when you turn it out? On this cake, that part becomes so crunchy and delicious, so he nibbled away all of it and begged me to make the cake again.
I mean, how could I say no to that?
WHAT IS WHIPPING CREAM CAKE?
This Whipping Cream Cake recipe became internet famous after being shared on Reddit. I stumbled across it and of course had to give it try – you know how I love old-school recipes like 7Up Pound Cake, Tomato Cake, and Ambrosia Cookies.
This cake is sort of a cross between a pound cake (like Cream Cheese Pound Cake) and more of a sponge-style cake (like Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes).
Most pound cake recipes have a lot more butter than this recipe does and don’t use an additional liquid. This cake uses less butter and uses an additional liquid, but has a lot of eggs in it, similar to a pound cake.
The result is a texture that’s almost hard to describe. It’s dense but still light. It’s rich, but doesn’t weigh you down.
WHAT MAKES THIS CAKE RECIPE SO UNIQUE?
The first thing that makes this Whipping Cream Cake so unique is that it uses a cup of whipping cream instead of milk.
Whipping cream is rich and of course a lot heavier than milk, so it’s not usually used in cake recipes. The extra fat in the cream does magical things in this cake, though.
The other thing that makes this cake recipe so unique is the way that it is baked – it is actually baked starting in a cold oven, and not a preheated one!
WHY DO YOU START THIS CAKE IN A COLD OVEN?
For most cake recipes (and baking recipes in general), you preheat the oven before you put the cake in to bake.
But for this recipe, you put the cake in a cold oven, then turn the heat to just 325°F while it bakes. There’s actually a reason for this weird step, though!
This cake is so dense, if you started it in a hot oven or baked it at a higher temperature, the outside would burn before the inside baked all the way through.
By starting the cake in a cold oven and letting it slowly warm up, it makes sure the inside of the cake and the outside of the cake are done at the same time.
HOW TO MAKE WHIPPING CREAM CAKE?
Like a lot of classic recipes, you only need a few basic ingredients to make this amazing cake:
- 1 cup room-temperature unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 room-temperature eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
The original recipe calls for 3 cups of flour and does not call for any salt. But after testing the recipe a few times, we decided that we like it best with slightly less sugar and with a small amount of salt added.
I also recommend adding some lemon zest to make this into a lemon whipping cream cake, but that’s a topic for another time.
Start by beating the butter and sugar together until they’re light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Don’t skimp on this step! You want them well combined.
(Psst! Did you forget to leave your butter out to soften? Learn how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature.)
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, then alternate adding the flour and the whipping cream. Start and end with the flour.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the vanilla just until combined.
Add the batter to a prepared bundt pan, then bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, starting in a cold oven and heating to 325°F while the cake bakes.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 45 minutes before turning it out onto a serving plate.
CAN YOU FREEZE WHIPPING CREAM CAKE?
This cake would freeze well! It makes a lot, so unless you’re sharing it with a crowd, you’ll probably have leftovers.
The cake will keep for 3-4 days covered at room temperature. For longer-term storage, cut it into slices and wrap each one in plastic wrap, then store them in the freezer in a zip-top freezer bag.
That way, you can pull out a piece whenever you get hungry for a slice of Whipping Cream Cake. Which might be often, so consider yourself warned.
Whipping Cream Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream do not whip
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray – preferably one for baking. This will help ensure a clean release of the bundt cake from the pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes.
- Add one egg at a time, beating after each egg.
- Add salt to the measured flour, whisking to combine and aerate the flour. Then alternately add the flour and heavy whipping cream starting and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides and mix to combine. Add in vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- Start the cake in a COLD oven by placing the cake into the oven, closing the door and heating the oven to 325°F. Bake for 1 hour and 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
- Top with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! This is a huge hit!! Thabk you!!! Do you think I can add coconut to the batter or on top? I’m thinking of adding coconut along with the lemon zest? Thanks a ton!!
Hi Kate! I actually did add coconut to the coconut lime version of this cake if you want to check out that post: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/lime-coconut-cake/ Hope this helps! Happy baking.
-Jamie
As you said earlier, you have a thought of adding lemons zest, do we mix the lemon zest in the cake mixture or adding it on top of the cake as a garnishing?
Hi Jack โย I made a lemon version of this cake that you can take a look at here: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/lemon-whipping-cream-cake/ Happy baking!
-Jamie
Hi, Instead of heavy whipping cream can I use light cream instead? Will there be a difference in the cake after baking?
Hello! I havenโt attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, Iโd love to know how it turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
@Jamie, Thanks for replying, if you tried it out, please tell me the difference between heavy and light cream.
Hi there โ There are lots of articles with details on the differences between the two. Here is one that was helpful: https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-half-and-half-light-cream-whipping-cream-and-heavy-cream-73203 Happy baking!
-Jamie
Hello,
Is it possible to use a natural sweetener, such as maple syrup or purรฉed dates? If so, how much would you add and do we need more flour/ reduce the liquid somewhere else?
Hi Jacquie-
I have not tried this substitution, but if you do, please report back on how it goes!
-Jamie
This is great! I added a bit of lemon zest and it took a bit longer to bake but was a bit hit!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Just made this cake. Very tasty!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cake, Judy! Thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your thoughts!
-Jamie
Hi,
I used Hungarian High Altitude flour, 3 cups of Sugar minus 3 Tbs, Dutch processed salted butter (omit salt) and lined the pan with parchment paper, decreased the temp to 315 and added 12 minutes to the time. It came out great! We are at 7500 ft.
I have baked this cake 3 times in high altitude. all three cakes stuck to pan [kugelhoph mold]. I followed pan instuctions, baking spry and lastly dusted with almond flour. Does anyone have high altitude suggestions?
Why if you forget to start in a cold oven. How bad is it??
It’ll be totally fine.
what can i use instead of egg ??
Hi Bela-
I have not tried this recipe with an egg substitute, but maybe someone that has will chime in to help!
-Jamie
@BELA, I just made the cake yesterday evening and I only had 4 eggs. Found a web page that first explained it is important to make up for the volume of a raw egg, which they estimate at 1/4 cup. Of the substitutes, the one they liked best and the one I used was club soda. Since I was short two eggs, I added 1/2 cup plain seltzer. Worked like a charm. Cake is awesome. Kind regards, SHA
So glad you enjoyed the cake and that the substitute worked for you! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie