Double Cream
What it is
Double cream is the rich, thick British cream defined by its fat content of about 48% — roughly double that of single cream. Its high fat makes it extremely versatile: it whips stiffly, boils without splitting, and even over-whips into butter, behaving quite differently from the lower-fat American "heavy cream."
How it's made
Double cream is simply cream separated to a high fat content (~48%) and pasteurized; it is uncultured and unsweetened. The British cream ladder is graded by exact fat: single cream ~18% (won't whip), whipping cream ~35%, double cream ~48%, with clotted cream higher still and made by a different scalding method.
Flavor profile
Pure, rich, sweet-leaning dairy with a heavy, luxurious, coating body. No tang (it's uncultured). Thick enough to spoon, and it thickens further with the slightest agitation.
Culinary uses
Whipped for desserts, poured over puddings and pies, stirred into sauces and soups for richness (it won't split on boiling thanks to its fat), and used in ganache, panna cotta, and custards. Its boil-stability makes it a workhorse for reduced cream sauces.
Regional variations
A specifically British grade; the closest Continental equivalents are high-fat creams sold by percentage. The key point of confusion: American "heavy cream" / "heavy whipping cream" is about 36% fat — lower than double cream — so it whips to softer peaks and is more prone to splitting in long reductions. Recipes calling for double cream and made with American heavy cream can come out thinner and less stable.
Cultural & historical context
Double cream is part of the British dairy and pudding tradition, the rich cream of trifles, scones (alongside or instead of clotted cream), and creamy desserts. Why substitution fails: the fat percentage is the ingredient. Half-and-half or American light cream is far too thin to whip or to thicken a sauce; even American heavy cream falls short of double cream's 48%, which matters in recipes built around that richness and stability.
Reference notes
Tags: `cream`, `high-fat`, `48-percent`, `whipping`, `boil-stable`, `british`. Related ingredients: clotted cream, crème fraîche, single cream, malai. Related cuisines: British. Suggested links: Clotted Cream, Crème Fraîche, Cream Grades (reference), Panna Cotta.