What's the Difference Between Lemon Rind and Zest?

Simply speaking, the lemon zest is the colorful outer layer of the skin. While the rind includes the zest plus some of the bitter white underlayer. Finally, the lemon peel includes the entire outer layer except the flesh.

Will Lemon Juice Curdle Heavy Whipping Cream?

No, it will not curdle heavy cream like it will milk. The lemon juice can acidify the cream, which causes the casein proteins to clump, but the high fat content counteracts this by preventing the protein from clumping tightly, which will actually thicken the mixture. And in this particular recipe, the volume of lemon juice is not enough to worry about.

Can I Make It a Day Ahead?

You can. Just cover tightly and refrigerate immediately. You may need to re-fluff with a spatula when ready to use. Especially if some weeping occurred where the lemon juice separated from the cream. You might also want to consider stabilizing it as described in the troubleshooting section.

Wonderfully Sweet & Tart Lemon Whipped Cream

Description

Love fresh whipped cream, but are burned out on vanilla? Feeling a little adventurous? Well, this citrusy whipped cream recipe will do the trick with its tart yet sweet flavor.

Use fresh lemon juice and zest to tantalize the taste buds with creamy lemon goodness.

Tastes lovely on fruit, waffles, or pound cake.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream (or regular whipping cream)
3 tablespoons granulated or powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 or 2 lemons depending on their size)
2 teaspoons lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Kitchen Tools

Mixing tool: electric handheld mixer or stand mixer
Mixing bowl
Zester
Juicer
Measuring cups/spoons

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Instructions

Place your bowl and beaters (or whisk) in the freezer for about 15 minutes (or longer) if you decide you need this extra step. See note 1
Zest and juice your lemon(s). See note 2
Pour the heavy whipping cream into your mixing bowl. Then add the sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest. See note 3
Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, and they hold their shape. It takes about 4 min or so. Feel free to periodically stop as you mix to check the consistency. See note 4
Use immediately or put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. See note 5

Notes

Note 1 – Freezing equipment: If your house is warm or you’ve had issues with whipping cream not whipping quickly, try freezing your bowl, beaters, and even cream for about 15 minutes.

Note 2 – Zest: If you don’t have a proper zester, try using the fine holes of a cheese grater.

Note 3.1 – Sugar: Either granulated or powdered sugar will do just fine. If your whip cream struggles to hold its shape or you can taste the granules of regular sugar, then use powdered sugar.

Note 3.2 – Whipping cream: Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the same thing. Regular whipping cream can work too, but may produce a thinner consistency.

Note 4.1 – Mix on high speed if you wish; just be careful not to over-whip. If you do and it starts to curdle, add a bit of cream (about 1 tablespoon at a time) and fold it in with a spatula.

Note 4.2 – If using a stand mixer, don’t walk away. The difference between fluffy whipped cream and a curdled mess can be mere seconds.

Storage

Note 5 – Store in the fridge in an airtight container for several days. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for several months. Simply thaw before serving.