Admission time! I am quite partial to buying those donuts filled with the snowy-white mock cream available in some bakeries and also occasionally in the bakery section of a certain supermarket chain. I have no idea how they made those mock creams, but they sure are delicious. Although I have a suspicion they maybe made from non-dairy cream.
Anyway that started my interest in mock cream. Recently I came across a recipe for washed mock cream which required you to wash creamed butter with water. It sounded like a very unique way of making mock cream and that led me to a few other mock cream recipes which just add water directly instead of doing the washes! I tried the direct water-adding method and it was fantastic and very similar to the icing on those petit four cakes in Asian bakeries. This mock cream is also not as cloyingly sweet as the usual buttercream which invariably incorporates a copious amount of sugar. I had even tried substituting the water with blueberry juice and that worked just as well and gave the cream a lovely lavender colour!
Makes 1 heaped cup (about 250g) cream
[Ingredients]
125g butter, softened
75g (1/2 cup) icing sugar mixture
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
40ml (2 tablespoons) boiling water
20ml (1 tablespoon) water at room temperature
https://cornercafe.wordpress.com/
[Preparation]
Mix boiling water and room-temperature water; set aside. Cream softened butter and icing sugar until light, pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add the warm water, one teaspoon at a time, and beat well to incorporate after each addition. As you add the water and beat, it might be a good idea to beat by hand (or using the lowest speed if using electric beater) to prevent the water splashing about.
Taste: Delicious silky smooth mock whipped cream
Consume: Best used immediately to ice cakes or as filling for biscuits/cookies as the mock cream will harden if chilled
Storage: –
Recipe Reference(s): From various sources
Corner Café 
Hi SD,
Can you enlighten me on some facts abt cream/frosting etc? U know, those beautiful cakes selling at bakeries (like birthday/occasion cake) – the cream the used to frost the whole cake – r they butter cream or just whipped cream?
U see, I tried whipped cream before but they were kinda like too soft. Even in the fridge they are still softer than those frosting from cakes we buy from outside. N i realised those bought cakes, the cream has a slight buttery texture/tase tho not too strong, still light like whipped cream. I thought those are buttercream and I got a recipe off online n tried to make it. but becos thsoe cream usually uses a whole block of butter, the end result in the fridge is hardened frosting – not what I’m looking for.
Even stabilized whipped cream doesn’t really taste like those on cakes bought at stores – cos there isn’t a buttery taste/texture to it. erm… so u hv any idea the kinda cream I’m talking about (those that r quite light though not as light as plain whipped cream, with a very slight buttery texture/taste unlike normal buttercream, can hold its shape yes won’t turn hard when left in fridge) and where/what r the recipes? pls help! Thanks a bunch! – Clara
Comment by Clara — December 9, 2011 @ 3:02 pm |
Hmm, I usually just use whipped cream or buttercream for my homemade cakes. Haven’t really gone into any deeper research on icing/frosting. There are many types of frosting, buttercream with or without eggs, then there are non-dairy cream etc., which I haven’t tried myself, so cannot give you a definite answer. Just do a google for icing or frosting and you should have many hours of reading on just this topic itself.
Try this mock cream and see if it is anywhere near to what you want, you can add more water to the recipe to get a softer consistency, as this one is the nearest I have got to the ones used on cakes in Asian bakeries. There are a few other mock cream recipes where a roux is mixed into creamed butter which you may want to try, a search on mock cream should give you quite a number of recipes to try.
Comment by SeaDragon — December 9, 2011 @ 8:28 pm |
I searched for the answer to this question for 1 whole year and I found that making a roux is the closest. I make my roux with milk and flour and set a side. In a seperate bowl I make ordinary butter cream frosting and then I put the roux in to the butter cream frosting and mix it together. It’s very light and it tastes great. I know what you mean about the cream they use in bakeries though. They are amazing. I have a feeling its some kind of artificial cream they mix with water or milk. My friend owns a bakery store but she won’t tell me!
Comment by eda — February 10, 2017 @ 5:33 am |
In South Africa, the bakeries use a product called Bakels Delight Imitation Dairy Cream, which is a imitation whipped cream. Tastes just like sweetened whipped fresh cream. I am sure you would be able to get something similar at your local baking supplies store. If you google it, you might be able to find out about something similar in your area
Comment by Etienne Steyn — July 19, 2021 @ 4:04 am |
Hi SD thanks for reply. yeah, u r rite guess I just have to keep trying various types till I find the rite one. Y i didn’t think abt the mock cream recipe u gave above is because you said “it will hardened in the fridge”. Maybe I’ll try those with added eggs/whites to it n see what turns up 😀 Thanks!
Comment by Clara — December 12, 2011 @ 12:55 pm |
http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/03/a-tasty-recipe-thats-the-best-frosting-ive-ever-had/
Try this frosting. It’s unbelievably good
Comment by cozyinmykitchen — August 7, 2012 @ 11:39 pm |
I use a similar recipe for my icing. I tried a new twists with it and mix the flour and sugar together then add the milk and then cook it. Makes a very smooth icing.
Comment by Carolyn — September 6, 2012 @ 5:46 am |
Hi SD! hope you are well 🙂
I guess doughnuts in Australia and the U.S. are not the same…the ones here are usually filled with either pastry cream or jam. Asian bakery cakes are 95% of the time frosted with non-dairy whipped cream, which is made from palm oil, sugar, water, flavorings, and stabilizers. Asian bakeries use it because it’s easy to use, keeps well, holds up well in hot weather, not too sweet, cost efficient, and lactose free (most Asians are lactose intolerant). I have a few recipes for ‘man made’ whipped cream if you’d like try. Not exactly lactose free but not cream either. Let me know. 🙂
*TT
Comment by hoangtamtt — January 13, 2012 @ 6:00 pm |
Hi TT,
How are you? Happy New Year!
Haha, actually, we also have donuts filled with pastry cream and jam, so not that different after all.
I also thought those in Asian bakeries were non-dairy, now you have confirmed it. It would be great if you can share your recipe, but if it has Crisco shortening in it then, haha, it will be useless to me as we cannot get Crisco shortening here…
Comment by SeaDragon — January 14, 2012 @ 7:38 pm |
Seadragon,
Happy new year to you too.
I posted the recipes in the home cooking club. The recipes call for hardened coconut fat which…is an “organic” form of crisco. Basically just palm/coconut oil…cause when it’s not heated palm oil solidifies into hardened coconut fat. Hope you have access to something like that…
Comment by hoangtamtt — January 25, 2012 @ 6:28 pm |
Thanks 🙂
Comment by SeaDragon — January 29, 2012 @ 3:18 pm |
Thanks. I have tried making mine. Not very successful but see the shape already. Accidentally I found this blog and got the recipe for whipped cream. However, I using cooking oil that been frozen. Now I have better substitution for whipped cream.
Comment by waileongchong — February 2, 2012 @ 9:27 pm |
You’re welcome.
Comment by SeaDragon — February 4, 2012 @ 5:15 pm |
If you want a better mock cream icing, google fluffy flour frosting or go to the cookscountry.com website and look for “magical frosting.”. You may not be able to see recipe because most recipes require a paid monthly subscription. But it may have been posted on a free website. It is based on a cooked mixture of flour and milk which you let cool and thicken in the fridge. You then whip butter and then added the flour mixture. It has the consistency of whipped cream and is not too sweet. Feel free to email me at cineasregine@aol.com.
Comment by Regine — March 22, 2012 @ 8:53 am |
Thanks for that. I’ve tried that recipe before, but I must have done something wrong because it didn’t taste like cream to me, more like a custard. LOL
Comment by SeaDragon — March 23, 2012 @ 5:36 pm |
SeaDragon, here is the frosting I am referring to; it’s actually called “miracle frosting” and it’s adapted from cookscountry.com. Try it; it is not like custard but tastes more like a cross between buttercream and whipped cream. Plus it’s not very sweet.
Makes about 4 cups (enough for two 9-inch cake layers)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk (do not use reduced fat)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon, lime or orange zest (optional depending on the cake)
24 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks), cut into 24 pieces
COOK MILK BASE Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Pour mixture through fine-mesh strainer into medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and is very thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer milk mixture to clean bowl and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. MAKE FROSTING With stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat cooled milk mixture and vanilla on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Let sit at room temperature until stiff, about 1 hour. MAKE AHEAD Frosting can be refrigerated in airtight container for 1 week. When ready to use, let stand at room temperature until softened, about 2 hours. Beat with stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Comment by Regine — March 24, 2012 @ 5:13 am |
Oh, OK, this looks slightly different from the recipe I used. Mine has much less butter, sugar and flour, maybe that’s why it turned out like thick custard.
Comment by SeaDragon — March 24, 2012 @ 3:36 pm |
[…] Filling: 1/4 quantity mock cream […]
Pingback by “god of fortune” vanilla ogura love cake “财神到” 香草相思蛋糕 (。´✷ฺЗ✷ฺ)・;゛.:’;、 « Victoria Bakes — January 20, 2014 @ 12:19 pm |
Washed butter cream: The butter and sugar is beaten until white in colour and then washed with cold water to rid the mixture of excess sugar. This should be done at least twice and then mixed again making sure all water is tipped out before remixing. Add vanilla and 1 teaspoon of milk.
Comment by Kaye — September 6, 2014 @ 4:15 pm |
Can you freeze Mock Cream
Comment by R.Pether — October 15, 2015 @ 1:07 pm |
Hmm, don’t know as I have never tried doing that.
Comment by SeaDragon — October 15, 2015 @ 4:58 pm |
I’m just curious as to why you’d go thru the trouble of boiling water, adding it to room temperature water, then setting it aside to cool further. Why not just use warm water?
Comment by LeighAnn — October 16, 2015 @ 2:58 pm |
With writing recipe, I have to be more precise. If I just say use warm water, how warm should it be? It could be 30 degrees, 60 degrees??? So by saying add boiling water to room temperature water, everyone will get approximately the same warmth of water to use.
Comment by SeaDragon — October 16, 2015 @ 5:02 pm |
So many times my did not turn out white, they look yellow just like butter it’s self
Comment by eileen — March 21, 2016 @ 7:25 am |
Did you beat the butter and sugar first until pale in colour? The mock cream won’t be white, it is pale creamy colour.
Comment by SeaDragon — March 21, 2016 @ 1:29 pm |
[…] Filling: 1/4 quantity mock cream […]
Pingback by "god of fortune" vanilla ogura love cake “财神到” 香草相思蛋糕 (。´✷ฺЗ✷ฺ)・;゛.:’;、 – Victoria Bakes — November 27, 2019 @ 12:56 pm |