Whipped Cream Frosting

If you are looking for a super simple frosting that lets the cake shine, whipped cream is the way to go. Unlike a buttercream, which is rich to a fault (it's called buttercream, after all), whipped cream is relatively light and delightfully fluffy. Not to mention, its ingredient list and method are as simple as can be.

That all said, whipped cream isn't quite stable enough to hold its own when it comes to frosting a cake. Which is why you need to call in some reinforcements for added stability.

For example, in Erin McDowell's Genius Strawberry Not-So-Shortcake, this means adding cream cheese to the whipped cream (which obviously adds a cream cheesy flavor, too).

In this community recipe from Food52er Sdebrango, the secret ingredient is cornstarch. Used to thicken everything from pastry cream to gravy, cornstarch is neutral-flavored, and a little really goes a long way. Here, you heat up some with a bit of cream, then add this mixture to more cream and whip it.

As is, vanilla extract is the only flavoring. You could skip it altogether, for a pure sweet cream flavor, or swap in something else. Think: fresh herbs infused into the warm cream (discard them before whipping), instant espresso powder, almond extract, lemon zest...

This whipped cream frosting would be divine with a fudgy chocolate cake, a moist yellow cake, or even a carrot cake (for a lighter twist from the usual cream cheese). You could also put it toward cupcakes or pound cake loaves.