USES FOR CREAM

Many of the recipes call for cream, either sweet or sour.
Usually the cream is added to lighten the cake or provide
a richer flavor.

SWEET CREAM:

Cream comes in several different grades, depending upon
the fat content. Heavy cream contains about 40 percent
butterfat, 5 percent milk solids, and over 50 percent
water. it has about 53 calories per Tablespoon. Light
cream contains about 20 percent butterfat and 7 percent
milk solids; the rest is water. It has about 32 calories
per Tablespoon. Half and half, a blending of heavy cream
and milk has about 12 percent butterfat, 7 percent milk
solids and 51 percent water. It has about 20 calories per
Tablespoon.

Heavy cream is added to the ingredients of a cheesecake
most often as whipped cream. When whipped, heavy cream
will double in volume; for best results, use a chilled
bowl and chilled beaters. Often confectioners sugar is
added as the cream begins to stiffen to help retain the
volume. Heavy cream is perishable, so buy only as much as
you plan to use within the next few days. A new
ultrapasteurized type of cream is now widely available
which has a much longer life. Many people find that it
does not whip up as high and that it lacks much of the
flavor of the more traditional kind. We leave the choice
to you.

Light cream is used less often in baking but is available
in most supermarkets. It is also very perishable and
should be purchased in small quantities. In most
cheesecake recipes where light cream is indicated, half
and half may be substituted. Half and half is also
available in most supermarkets, but you can mix up your
own from equal quantities of whole milk and heavy cream.



SOUR CREAM:

This is cream that has been processed commercially so as
to be soured under ideal conditions. It contains about 20
percent butterfat, about 7 percent milk solids and the
remainder is water. There are about 30 calories per
Tablespoon. Sour cream is sold in containers varying from
one half pound to one pound. It is usually dated, so
check for freshness when you purchase the container. Sour
cream will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Most
brands seem to be uniformly good.