Adjusting whipped cream to hold its shape longer? How can I adjust a whipped cream recipe so that it holds together longer? I envision a cross between whipped cream and a light airy frosting. The whipped cream will also have different flavorings added.

These need to hold together at room temp for several hours.

I'm thinking by going heavy on the powdered sugar I can get a thicker consistency.

I would like to pipe this onto the top of miniature gingerbreads with a large pastry bag.
Your best bet is probably gelatin stabilized whipped cream.  This recipe from Wilton gives you an example of how to proceed.  You can google many other results.



Depending on your tastes, to compliment gingerbread, you may also consider some alternate frostings which will hold up better at room temperature and taste great:


White chocolate ganache (sample recipe from the Food.com)
Cream cheese icing  (sample recipe from Martha Steward)


And I have to mention, in a completely different direction, a lemon glaze could be spectacular on gingerbread, although very different (sample recipe from Martha Stewart).