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.
Prisca
Thanks Sam,
Plan baking my baby’s birthday cake myself…in few days…Red velvet with cream cheese.. Would follow your recipe as this would be my first time trying it.
Your recipe seem easy and I hope the outcome would be great.
Sam
I hope you love it! 🙂
Sharri Dickman
Absolutely wonderful – I even added lemon flavoring and used it for my lemon cupcakes! Everyone devoured them and said they were amazing 🙌🏼
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sharri! 🙂
kbomb
easy and delicious. using on brownies 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Ariel
Can you make the icing the day before on the cake? And should the cake and icing be refrigerated or left out the night before?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ariel! Yes, the icing can be made in advance. Once it has been applied to the cake you will want to refrigerate it. 🙂
Cindy
Can you use nondairy butter
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Cindy! I honestly have never tried it so I am not certain how it will do. If you try, please let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Lisa Wylie
Hello, can this recipe be coloured? to decorate a cake. Also how long does the cream cheese frosting last for?
Cheers
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Lisa! Yes, the frosting can be colored. As far as how long lasts, if stored in an airtight container it will last one to two weeks in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. 🙂
evan
This was delish!! What can I do with the extra? Can it be frozen?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Evan! Yes, this frosting can stay frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. 🙂
Liz
I would love to use this recipe. However, I don’t have an electric beater. Will the consistency be the same if I mix it by hand?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Liz! You can make it by hand using a whisk, it will just take some elbow grease to get it to the right consistency. Totally do-able. Keep me posted on how it turns out! 🙂
nancy
no matter how much sugar I added…and then corn starch..it got runnier.
Sam
Hi Nancy! Did you happen to use the tub style cream cheese? You really need the brick style cream cheese here.
Maria V
Hello! Thank you for the recipe! Could I use that between cake layers as I would with buttercream or you think it won’t stand the weight of the cake? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Maria! This will work great in between cake layers. 🙂
Sharon
Can this icing be doubled?
Sam
Absolutely! Enjoy! 🙂
Himanshi
Actually, I’m not able to find the brick version and I could get my hands only on the tub version. What should I do?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Himanshi! I do not reccomend the tub cream cheese as the consistency will be different. Since that is all you were able to find, you can certainly try it. Fingers crossed that it turns out perfectly.
John Dent
Could I use this on chocolate cupcakes?
Sam
It will be great on chocolate cupcakes! 🙂
Sierra
Can those frosting be made 3 days in advance?
Sam
Hi Sierra! That should work just fine. It may need to be stirred briefly before using. Make sure to keep it wrapped tightly in the refrigerator. 🙂
April
Really the best flavor ever! I even added some freeze dried raspberry powder to flavor it for a cake and everybody loved it. Great recipe.
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed, April! Thank you so much for commenting! 🙂
Adrián
Thanks for this recipe! I used it to frost my carrot cake and it turned out great, it was also my first time making cream cheese frosting and it was very easy. I just had too use a little less than two cups of powered sugar because it was getting too sweet, although the texture of the frosting ended up very good nonetheless.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Adrian! 🙂
Liz
This recipe is was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! so glad I came across your page. Can’t wait to bake more of your recipes 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Liz! 🙂