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.
Sandra
Can I add food color to the icing ?
Sam
Hi Sandra! You can add food coloring, just stir it in at the end. 🙂
Mariella
I followed this recipe to frost my daughter’s number two cake. I added natural food colouring during the whipping stage until it reached the colour I wanted, lilac. The frosting is just beautiful and do tasty! Oh, just so easy and perfect! I wish I could post a pic, because it was the first time I’ve ever made a birthday cake and frosted it and it was amazing! Thanks so much, Sam.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mariella! Unfortunately there isn’t an easy way to post a picture here but if you tag me on Instagram @sugarspun_sam or join my facebook group you can share your pictures with me. 🙂
Mei
Loved by all who ate it!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
amy
Could you use this frosting in making cake pops? I was thinking red velvet with this cream cheese frosting.
Sam
Hi Amy! I think this will work for cake pops. 🙂
fia
can this frosting stored outside the fridge?
Sam
I wouldn’t keep it outside of the refrigerator for more than a day or two. 🙂
Shelby
This icing is the perfect balance of creamy cream cheese and sugar. Will definitely be making it again.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Shelby! 🙂
Susan Lister
How do you keep the cake from attaching to the cream cheese icing when you spread frosting on the cake? I really don’t want to freeze the cake just so it will be easier to spread the icing?
Sam
Hi Susan! The easiest way to do this is to make a crumb coat. You just put a very thin layer of icing all over the cake and then stick it in freezer for just a few minutes (you don’t actually need to completely freeze the cake) and then you can apply the rest of the frosting without catching all of the crumbs. 🙂
Susan
Thanks. I made the cream cheese frosting today and topped a sweet potato cake with it and had no issues with the cake sticking to the icing.
Very yummy frosting.
Madison
Hi! Is this recipe enough for 48 cupcakes? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Madison! You can see exactly what this will cover in the text just above the ingredients. 🙂
Donna
Hello can this recipe be made day ahead ?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Donna! That will be fine. Make sure to store it covered tightly in the refrigerator so it doesn’t dry out. It may need to be briefly stirred when you go to use it. 🙂
Sara
What if I don’t have a mixer, can I do this by hand? Thanks for your reply!
Sam
Hi Sara! It’s going to be tough but it can be done. It’s going to be a pretty good arm workout. You will want your ingredients to be soft but not melty. Good luck! 🙂
Sara Obregon
Thanks! Figured out I could probably use my Cuisinart!
Shanty
can i use this cream cheese frosting with gel food coloring? I’m trying to make galaxy cake with this cream cheese frosting but I need to coloring the frosting. thank you so much for your advice
Sam
That will work fine. I would stir in the coloring at the end. 🙂
Maike Yeung
Can’t get block cream cheese where I am. Any way I can still get this frosting to be as good as you say it is? Thanks for the answer.
Sam
Hi Maike! The spreadable tub style cream cheese doesn’t set up the same way due to the extra ingredients in it. It is always a little more “loose.” 🙁
Farah Yamani
Absolutely loved the recipe. It’s a keeper!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Farah! 🙂
Ruby
Can you freeze the cream cheese frosting for later use. Because I was given alot of cream cheese I need to use
Sam
Hi Ruby! You can freeze this frosting. You will need to thaw it at room temperature and maybe stir it again once it has fully thawed. 🙂
meileen
hi sam, its me again,😀😀,do i need to cooked or dissolved the cornstarch before i add it to the cream cheese mixture? our weather here in phils is hot, i want to make it stable
Sam
Nope. You can just add the cornstarch right in and mix it up. 🙂
Nancy
I don’t see cornstarch in the recipe, how much cornstarch?
Sam
Hi Nancy! You don’t need cornstarch for this recipe. It is being used here due to the climate where it is being made and needing just a little bit more stability. 🙂
Tricia
Hi I made this recipe before and loved it ! Do you think I could use this icing and cover it in fondant ? Unfortunately for the cake I’m trying to make I have to use fondant :/
Sam
Hi Tricia! That should work fine. 🙂