You can make a cake with no butter. This recipe for Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Whipped Cream Cake, which we found on ZoëBakes, is proof: using heavy cream instead of butter provides enough butterfat (if not more!) to make a rich, tender cake.
But what happens when you substitute the heavy cream for all-purpose cream?
All-purpose cream is spiritually Filipino – it’s the home cook’s go-to for mango float, fruit salad, and Pinoy a la king sauces, thanks to its price point and shelf-stability. Does it have the same butterfat content as regular heavy cream? Hard to say. Will it work in this recipe? Only one way to find out.
Nestlé All-Purpose Cream does whip to stiff peaks, but it has less fat than dairy whipping cream, so the foam holds less air. Combined with the round pan (a bundt’s center tube heats the batter faster and keeps a fragile whipped-cream structure from collapsing), you end up with a tighter crumb and less rise than the original. Don’t let “tighter” throw you off, though! It’s not dense. The cake still eats light, just less airy than the bundt version.
We tested this with Nestleé specifically, so we can’t say for sure how other all-purpose cream brands will behave. But if the one you have lists a similar fat content on the label, it should whip and bake up close to what we got here.
A few things to watch in the procedure: whip the NAPC to just stiff peaks and no further, it can tip into grainy fast. Fold the flour in gently and stop as soon as no dry streaks remain – overmixing here is the easiest way to lose the lift you worked for in the whipped cream. The batter will also look thinner than a typical butter cake batter going into the pan; that’s normal.
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What happens when you make a cake with zero butter, just Nestlé All-Purpose Cream? You’ll be surprised!
We topped ours with a simple vanilla buttercream and grated chocolate, but this cake also works with whipped cream and berries like the original, ganache, or even just a dusting of powdered sugar if you want it plain. Best eaten the same day it’s made.
Adapted from “Whipped Cream Cake” by Rose Levy Beranbaum, from The Cake Bible 35th Anniversary Edition.
Preheat & prep: Preheat oven to 190°C, rack in the middle, at least 1 hour before baking. Butter the cake pan on all sides, dust with cake flour, and tap out the excess.
Sift dry mix: Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
Combine eggs and vanilla: Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together in a bowl or measuring cup just until combined — no need to aerate.
Whip cream: Pour the cold NAPC into a stand mixer bowl. Whip on medium-high until it holds a stiff peak that stands upright on the whisk.
Beat egg mixture: With the mixer on medium-low, stream in the egg mixture. Beat until the batter thickens and turns pale and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer still running, beating until fully dissolved into the batter, about 1 minute.
Fold dry mix: Take the bowl off the stand. Add half the sifted dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula, scraping from the bottom, until the flour is mostly incorporated. Add the rest and continue folding just until no dry streaks remain — stop as soon as it's smooth.
Pour and level: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to knock out large air pockets, then level the surface with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Bake: Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top springs back to a light touch and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and unmold: Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make buttercream: Beat the butter alone on medium until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar in two or three additions, starting on low to avoid a sugar cloud, then medium until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk, then add more milk a teaspoon at a time until the buttercream reaches piping or spreading consistency.
Frost and finish: Once the cake is completely cool, frost with the buttercream. Top with grated chocolate before serving.
