Many years ago, I found a recipe for stabilized whipped cream that I've used successfully to frost cakes and for piping decorative borders. For 1 cup of heavy cream: put 1 tablespoon of cold water into a custard cup (or other heatproof cup); sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin over the cold water. Let stand 5 minutes until the gelatin has softened. Place the cup in small pan containing about 1 inch of simmering water. Set over moderate heat and let stand until the gelatin dissolves, then remove from the hot water and set aside. Pour 3/4 cup of the cream into a chilled bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Add the softened gelatin to the remaining 1/4 cup of cream, stir quickly and immediately add it to the softly whipped cream. Continue beating to the desired thickness. For a 9" or 10" cake, I typically triple this recipe, which yields more than enough to frost and decorate that size cake.

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