Ditch Reddi-Wip: Unforgettable Whipped Cream Is 2 Ingredients Away With This Iron Chef Tip

Whipped cream is almost as easy to make at home as it is to buy. But with the scant few ingredients in your basic, foolproof whipped cream — heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, to be exact — it's a little more challenging to make it memorable. Sure, that simple combination creates a delicious topping to elevate your store-bought pumpkin pie, or to simply pair with some berries, but what if it could share more of the spotlight? Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's marvelous adaptation does just that, swapping standard flavorings for heavy cream and a splash of maple syrup you likely already have on hand.

This two-ingredient pairing is delightfully straightforward, but one might wonder whether the difference between real maple syrup and pancake syrup is narrow enough to swap the latter into this preparation instead if you're in a pinch and out of the real stuff. Although there isn't any obvious reason that the very similarly textured pancake syrup wouldn't combine successfully, only real maple syrup will have quite the woodsy, buttery, caramelized notes to give it equal billing with whatever it might top. 

Furthermore, chilling your kitchen tools before beginning the whipped cream and making sure to use a dairy product with at least 30% fat will also help you achieve the best consistency in any case. And there are, of course, even more little flavor adaptations that take inspiration from Guarnaschelli's maple syrup infusion for all kinds of different experiences.

One obvious vehicle for Alex Guarnaschelli's zhuzhed-up whipped cream is a pile of extra-special pancakes at breakfast. That might even be a good reason to reach for pancake syrup instead of real maple. You could also try fruity pancake syrups like strawberry or apple for extra-special morning meals. 

Speaking of apples, Guarnaschelli's original maple syrup whipped cream edition has a natural fall flair to it. Maybe it's the image of rustling leaves that the mere mention of maple syrup can conjure, but maple syrup whipped cream also seems particularly conducive to other traditionally autumnal treats like old-school baked apples or cups of hot cider. And it will certainly work with all of your other favorite harvest-time pies.

You can take those fall flavors even further with similarly incremental additions to Guarnaschelli's recipe. A bit of caramel sauce is another no-brainer contender. As divisive as pumpkin spice can be, you can easily toss together a typical blend by mixing a few pinches each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Sprinkle them in with the other two components before whipping, and you might even like the result more than some pumpkin-forward treats.