Whipped cream can break down rather quickly, I've had some last all day and some last less than an hour and I don't know what I did differently. Is Cool Whip disgusting? Well, I guess that's a matter of opinion, I think it is but my brother loves the stuff.

There is this, and although I've not used it I'm told that it holds up well for hours and can be used as a frosting or as a whipped topping for pie, several people on a cake decorating forum I participate in use this and seem to be happy with it.

Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 cup whipping cream (regular or heavy--I always use heavy cream)
• 2 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Instructions:
1. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl to soften.
2. Scald 2 tablespoon of the cream (this means you put the cream in a pan and bring it to a simmer on the stove); pour over gelatin, stirring till dissolved.
3. Refrigerate until consistency of unbeaten egg white. (This takes about 10-15 minutes.) Then, with a whisk, beat until smooth.
4. In a stand mixer with a whip attachment, or with a hand beater, whip remaining cream and sugar just until soft peaks form; whip in the smoothed gelatin mixture, stopping to scrape the bowl twice. Whip until stiff peaks start to form, but be careful not to over beat. You will probably only need to whip it another 10-20 seconds before it's done.

Fills and frosts top of 2 8" or 9" cake layers; or frosts 10" angel
cake or spongecake. Tops one standard 9" pie with some left over to enjoy from a spoon. Stands up well, even in warm weather. Keep leftover frosting and any product topped with it in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Recipe is easily doubled.

The directions say that the recipe can be doubled and it'll top one 9 inch pie, so a double batch would probably be sufficient.

Good luck at the bake sale!

Annie

I often use Pastry Pride, which can be purchased at my local Smart & Final store. It comes frozen and then you defrost it to use it.

Once it's whipped, it's stabilized at room temperature and whips up great, pipes beautifully, and I think it tastes good--you can even add some LorAnn oils or extracts to it! One of our local bakeries uses it as frosting for their white chocolate "cream" cakes. It looks like whipped cream.

I've also used heavy whipping cream, with powdered sugar added, with good success--if something needs a whipped topping-- but it's really not outside for hours and hours, and it holds up. I'm not able to pipe very well with it, however, unless I get it whipped into stiff peaks--just before it turns into butter & buttermilk! :O)

I've never had success trying to pipe Cool Whip--so I use it more for dollops. A lot of people are used to Cool Whip, but if it's for a bake sale, it's nice to "sell" your items by offering something different but still delicious.

I hope you take pictures of your pie slices and post them!

Smiles,

Sooz

Hmm - I think meringue would be a bigger risk, sitting out, than whipping cream.

If you know how to whip cream, you can whip it extra stiff - just before it would turn to butter, using confectioners sugar to sweeten a bit & help stabilize it & put it in a bowl in the fridge for a few hours ahead of time to let the moisture seep out, then don't use what's in the bottom of the bowl when topping. I do that when I'm topping/filling cake & don't want the whipped cream to make the cake soggy. Some tips say to put the whipped cream in a sieve/strainer over a bowl & let excess moisture drain that way, but I've never tried that.

HTH

I still personally like meringue better than whipped cream. I don't know how it would hold up. I never put whipped cream on any of my pies, if anyone wants it they can put it on their piece.

Sue

If you know how to (have the equipment for) pasteurizing eggs, or can buy them, both the pie and the meringue would be stable. How long will the slices be out of the fridge? If it's a couple of hours, it's fine either way, even given awhile to get to their destination. If it's much longer, all that raw egg is a bad idea.

Whipped cream (unstabilized) might look worse at that temperature than meringue. If it all seems too much, how about decorating with a thin twist of lime zest. Key limes aren't all that pretty, so you could get a Persian lime for decorating if you want, and have more color contrast to the pie as well.

I wouldn't be crazy about holding key lime pie at 60F for any extended amount of time, regardless of whether it had whipped cream on it. Given a choice between whipped cream or meringue, I'd go with meringue. Would it be possible to bring along a can of spray whipped cream -- kept cold -- and spray it on the pieces as they are purchased?

Alternatively, I think I'd be more apt to use sour cream sweetened with confectioner's sugar -- as in the Emeril Lagasse KLP recipe.

FWIW, my mom always makes her pies as pillog describes: bare of topping w/ a bit of lime peel garnish. Whipped cream is served on the side.

O.P. here. I like the idea of thick, gelatin-stabilized whipped cream as Annie described. The pie slices will sell in a couple hours, so that topping should hold up and be safe. I'll try to remember to snap a photo.

UHT cream, chilled overnight then whipped with a little sugar, is very stable.

FWIW, meringue would be the most authentic topping. Unless you have a graham cracker crust, in which case I would use the whipped cream. Or cool whip. I find cool whip disgusting but it seems like a of people prefer it to real whipped cream these days because it's what they're used to.

I'm using the graham cracker method. So, whipped cream it is. It's impractical to add it when served. We'll be outside, volunteers selling, brisk sales, plastic packed pie sliecs...'

May be safe for 1-2 hrs at room temperature.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/kitchen-companion-your-safe-food-handbook/ct_index

Great feedback. I will find a way to keep it chilled!

I've added a tiny pinch of xanthan gum to 2 cups of cream before whipping. The leftovers stayed whipped for a couple of days in the refrigerator.