Cherry Pit Whipped Cream Recipe

by
Stella Parks Editor Emeritus
Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.
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Stella Parks
updated Jul. 24, 2019
20160607-cherry-whipped-cream-vicky-wasik-4.jpg
Photograph: Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Leaving the cherry pits whole is a simple, safe, and easy way to enjoy their flavor.
  • A long cold steep extracts maximum flavor while preserving a sense of freshness.
  • The relatively high proportion of sugar adds stability, allowing the whipped cream to stay fluffy for days at a time.

Make the most of your cherry-pitting efforts by saving those pits! Instead of tossing them in the trash, toss them in the fridge with some cream. Cold-steeped for a few hours or even overnight, they'll give your next batch of whipped cream a delicate cherry flavor and color (although the intensity will depend entirely on the quality of your fruit). It's a fantastic complement to all-American cherry pie, or an elegant garnish for any summer dessert.

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Active: 5 mins
Total: 4 hrs
Makes: 1 cup

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 ounces cherry pits (1/4 cup; 70g), from 2 pounds (1kg) whole cherries (see note)
  • 8 ounces heavy cream (1 cup; 255g)
  • 2 ounces sugar (1/4 cup; 70g)
  • 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract, optional

Directions

  1. Combine cherry pits and cream in an airtight container and refrigerate between 4 and 24 hours. When you're ready to proceed, strain cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add sugar and salt, along with almond extract (if using), and whip to soft peaks. This can be done with a hand mixer as well. Enjoy immediately as a garnish for waffles and dessert, or refrigerate up to 1 week in an airtight container. If cream deflates over that time, re-whip before serving.

Special equipment

Nonreactive mesh strainer or cheesecloth, handheld or stand mixer

Notes

Don't think of this as a recipe so much as a rough guideline, as it can easily be adapted to accommodate whatever quantity of pits you have left over from other baking projects. Many pies and jams call for 2 pounds of fruit, leading to my estimation below.

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