Vanilla-Amaretto Chantilly

Light, silky and delicately flavored, this Amaretto Vanilla Cloud is an elegant finishing touch for a wide variety of desserts. The combination of fragrant vanilla and sweet almond notes from Amaretto pairs beautifully with fruit, chocolate, cakes, pies and warm baked desserts.

Serve it freshly whipped for a soft and luxurious cream, or freeze it into neat scoops for a striking hot-and-cold contrast. It's simple to prepare, yet adds a refined touch to almost any dessert.

Makes: about 4–6 servings

Ingredients

• 200 ml whipping cream, cold

• 50 g mascarpone (optional)

• 25–30 g powdered sugar or 1–2 tsp granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you want it

• 1 tsp vanilla extract, or 1–2 tsp vanilla sugar

• 1-2 tbsp Amaretto (to taste)

• Small pinch of salt

Method

1. Add the mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to a bowl. Stir until smooth.

2. Add the cold whipping cream and whip until firm but still silky.

3. Slowly add the Amaretto while continuing to whip. Stop as soon as the cream holds its shape.

4. Refrigerate until serving.

To serve

Spoon or pipe the cream onto warm plum cobbler. For a more elegant presentation, use a small ice-cream scoop or two spoons to form a neat quenelle.

Frozen option

For a visually striking hot-and-cold dessert, transfer the finished cream to a shallow container and freeze for 2–3 hours, until firm but still scoopable.

Use a small ice-cream scoop to form neat balls directly from the frozen cream. If the cream becomes too hard, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.