This is my family favorite BEST cream cheese frosting recipe! It goes great on Carrot Cake, Red Velvet Cake, and just about any other flavor cake or cupcake you can imagine. I’ve been making this cream cheese icing for years!
If I had things my way, every cake and every cupcake would be be buried beneath a mountain of cream cheese frosting.
Not buttercream — Never rarely buttercream — always and only cream cheese. For someone with such a rampant sweet tooth, it’s alarming the number of times I’ve turned down a slice of cake or a sky-high frosted cupcake because the buttercream just makes my teeth hurt (OK full disclosure I have a buttercream recipe coming up on the blog next month, and it’s delicious, but cream cheese frosting will always win over my heart, even over my favorite chocolate frosting).
While buttercream frostings are usually too sweet, cream cheese frosting I could eat with a spoon, and this recipe is every bit as versatile as buttercream — it’s sturdy, pipe-able, can be dyed, and, most importantly, it’s delicious.
Tips for Making Cream Cheese Icing:
- Make sure that you are using full-fat brick cream cheese, not low fat or spreadable cream cheese (which is usually sold in a tub rather than in brick form).
- I always like to use unsalted butter and add a dash of salt so that I have complete control over the flavor of the frosting. However, if you only have salted butter on hand then just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Make sure you allow your cream cheese and your butter to soften before making your frosting! Softening the butter and cream cheese ensure that your ingredients will combine well and be lump free.
- If you intend to pipe your frosting, I recommend sifting your powdered sugar before mixing it into your butter/cream cheese mixture, as small lumps of sugar can clog up your piping tips, especially if you’re using a smaller tip.
Can cream cheese frosting be used for piping?
- Yes! Especially with this recipe because it is nice and thick. Now, this frosting (as with most) is prone to melting in hot weather, but it pipes nicely and as you can see in the photos it holds its shape neatly as well.
How do I make my cream cheese frosting thicker?
- What I love about this recipe is that it already makes a nice thick frosting, but if needed you can add more powdered sugar to make your cream cheese frosting even thicker. I recommend adding about 2 Tablespoons at a time until the desired thickness is reached. Alternatively you can add cornstarch… see more on that below.
Can I add cornstarch to my cream cheese frosting?
- Yup! While this recipe does not call for it, if you need a particularly stiff frosting or are looking to make your frosting thicker without making it sweeter, you can add cornstarch (in fact, I use this technique for my carrot cake cookies). I don’t recommend adding more than a few Tablespoons, so start with just one Tablespoon at a time until desired thickness is reached.
Alright, while (in my humble opinion) cream cheese frosting goes great with everything, there are certain cakes and cupcakes that complement it particularly well. Wednesday I’ll be sharing one of my favorite cupcakes with you — the exact cupcakes seen in the photos above.
Can you guess what flavor they are???
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (brick-style, not spreadable) (226g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar* (500g)
Instructions
- Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine.
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Use to frost completely cooled cake or cupcakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
charlyn
Can i use this as a filling between layers of red velvet, then covered with fondant? If so, how long can it keep? I wanted to make it ahead for father’s day
Sam
Hi Charlyn! That should work just fine. Cream cheese frosting is typically best if consumed within a day or two at room temperature, or refrigerated after that. 🙂
Kate
Do I need to refrigerate the finished cupcake with frosting?
Sam
If you will be consuming them within a day or two then they will be ok to leave at room temperature in an air tight container. If they need to be kept and longer, or they are going to be in a really warm humid room I would refrigerate the cupcakes. 🙂
Trisha
Can I use this for cinnamon rolls?
Sam
That sounds delicious! 🙂
Kat
Can i use caster sugar instead of powdered?
Sam
Hi Kat! I wouldn’t recommend using caster sugar here. Your frosting will be pretty gritty and probably runny as well.
April
The best cream cheese icing recipe I have ever made!!! So yummy!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, April! 🙂
Charissa
I usually hate making frosting because it’s way too runny and thin, but this recipe took little to no time at all and it was perfect for my red velvet cake!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Charissa! 🙂
Tiari
Hi, how long will the icing keep? I have to ice the day before use, would it hold shape and stay fresh?
Sam
Hi Tiari! It should be fine being made the day before. If it is going to be really hot and humid where you store it, it may end up melting a bit. 🙂
Diane
Excellent frosting. I put it on a pound cake that I made. Best tasting cream cheese frosting that I have ever made.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Diane! 🙂
Billy
Is it okay if I use Philadelphia cream cheese?
Sam
As long as it is the brick style cream cheese. 🙂
Lisa
Is it ok to refrigerate if frosted in the morning and served in the afternoon?
Sam
Hi Lisa! That will work just fine. 🙂
Ann Warfield
This is so good! It was my first time making carrot cake cupcakes, and your cream cheese frosting was a wonderful finish for them.
Thank you for making delicious so easy!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ann! 🙂
Shirley
Does this frosting have to be refrigerated ? I am making it this morning to go on a red velvet cake. Shirley
Sam
Hi Shirley! You will want to keep it refrigerated, but if it sits out for a couple of hours it will be ok. If it’s too hot where you are it may start melting a bit when it’s not in the refrigerator. 🙂
Carol
I just made your cream cheese frosting, turned out great, will be using this again and again. Thanks 😊 for the recipe
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carol! 🙂
LA
Hi! Can I use (brick) margarine instead of butter? 🙂
Sam
I think it will work here, but the icing probably won’t be quite as sturdy. 🙂
Diana Murphy
What about making this a chocolate frosting? How much cocoa powder would your suggest? I’m using it to frost your “best chocolate cake ever” cake.
Sam
I actually have a chocolate cream cheese recipe that would be perfect for you! Enjoy! 🙂
Monique
It’s bomb! Everyone love my cupcake with frosting.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Monique! 🙂
Emily
Help please! I plan on using this for a 4 layer tiered cake. Can you confirm if this cake is frosted in the am and served in the late afternoon without refrigeration that it will be ok? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Emily! That should be ok as long as it isn’t really hot and humid. If it’s really hot and humid your frosting will start to melt. 🙂
Zsa
The best cream cheese frosting for me and my family. Thank you for sharing this. The steps were intelligible and easy to do.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂