Cool Whip Substitute #2

Here is yet another substitute for Cool Whip, or a way to stabilize cream.

Stabilized Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
Use powdered sugar, not granulated sugar, when sweetening the cream. The cornstarch in the powdered sugar absorbs some of the liquid, so the cream holds its shape for at least 24 hours.

I used this as a topping on a cream pie and it didn't go runny or soggy after a whole day. I don't know exactly how long it will last, but the pie didn't stay around for longer than that.

Cool Whip Substitute

I know that Cool Whip (or the generic equivalent) is actually a substitute for whipped cream. Our family doesn't eat Cool Whip, at least not when we are in charge of making the food. However, some recipes require Cool Whip since it maintains its shape and probably never really melts. To get around that stumbling block, you can use stabilized whipped cream. (It tastes better than Cool Whip anyway).

Stabilized Whipped Cream
1 packet unflavored gelatin (about 3 tsp.)
2 Tb. cold water
¼ cup boiling water
2 cups whipping cream
¼-1/2 cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
Pour the cold water over the gelatin and let it soften. Then pour the boiling water over and mix until it dissolves completely. Let it cool, but don’t let it set. Whip cream until mostly thick. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat in the gelatin and finish whipping the cream. Cool the cream in the fridge for about half an hour before using it, though it will keep for a few days. The water proportions to gelatin seem to be about 2 Tb. for each teaspoon of gelatin.

How to make a star-shaped cake

To make a star-shaped cake without using a star-shaped cake pan, you need two round cake pans. Mine were both 9-in. pans, but it would probably work better if one was an 8-inch pan and the other was 9-inches.
Cut a pentagon shape on one of the circles (the smaller one, if you have a smaller one). Use a ruler to make all the sides the same length.
Cut six pie shapes from the other round cake. I used a protractor to get them all the same size.
Trim off the rounded edge on the pie shapes and then put them together along the flat sides of the pentagon shape. This photo still has the rounded edges on the pie shapes since I was actually doing a differently shaped cake. The frosting will hide all the seams quite nicely.
This was the cake I was trying to make--Ft. McHenry of Star-Spangled Banner fame--before it got frosted. As you can see, this is a variation of a star-shaped cake.