Stabilized Whipped Cream Icing

Combine the gelatin powder and cold water in a saucepan. Set aside until the gelatin thickens.

Once it has thickened, place the saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until the cream begins to thicken (not enough to form peaks).

With the mixer running, add the cooled gelatin mixture to the cream. Beat on high speed with the mixer until the icing is stiff.

Frost cakes as desired with the stabilized whipped cream icing. Keep refrigerated.

Flavor variations: For chocolate, add 1 cup of cooled, melted chocolate after adding the gelatin to the cream. For coffee icing, add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee to the cream mixture. For citrus icing, add 1 teaspoon grated orange or lemon rind in place of the vanilla extract. You can also replace the vanilla extract with other extract flavors.

If tinted icing is desired, add food coloring as needed. Food coloring paste works better than liquid, but liquid will also work.