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.
Caitlin
Hi, one of your previous post asked about powdered white sugar vs powdered icing sugar…I’m new to baking and not sure if I have the right thing. I have confectioners pure cane 10-x powdered sugar. Is that correct?
Sam
Hi Caitlin! Correct, what you have is what you need for this frosting 🙂
Aili
I love this recipe! I always end up eating half of it before I even am done and make extra secretly for my me and my dad (we freeze it so my mom won’t know….)
I always use about 2-3 cups (my family isn’t huge on sweets) and it goes perfectly with my favorite gf carrot cake recipe and still pipes well. (I also live in a super high-altitude and freezing environment so this can stay out for up to 3 days and be fine.)
Thanks so much!
Aili
*2-3 cups of powdered sugar
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you and your dad LOVE it, Aili! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
Vicky C
Perfect. I cut the recipe in half and still had enough for 16 cupcakes with about a half cup leftover. Thanks for the recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am glad that the frosting paired perfectly with the cupcakes and that you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying my recipes, Vicky! I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
John Hoffmann
I searched “Do I need to keep a carrot cake frosted with cream cheese refrigerated?”.
the report = the sugar actually preserves the cream cheese for up to eight hours. Get This: the cream cheese/sugar ratio they recommend turns out to be exactly how this recipe reads.
with that said, I added the sugar in 1/2 increments. Taste-testing in between, thinking, “I will have to fridge up the cake” ’cause … that much sugar?!? HA! 4 cups works great for me … and pecans.
Happiness!
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, John! 🙂
Wanda
Thanks you so much.
Steph
Hi Sam, thanks for this blog post. I came across this when I was looking for some guidance on how to adjust my cream cheese frosting, and I found the advice in your post really helpful. The pictures are also great 🙂 Steph
Sam
I’m so glad it was helpful, Steph! 🙂
Tori Xerri
Hi Sam! I am wanting to make a 4-layer 6″ carrot cake (2 cakes split into 2 each) – would this frosting recipe be enough to fill and cover it or would I need to alter it? Thanks! 🙂
Sam
Hi Tori! You may need to increase it by about 25%. This would end up covering probably 3 6 inch cakes. 🙂
sukhi
hi Sam, I’m making mini cheesecakes for my baby shower. will this frosting sit well on cheesecake also?
Sam
This will definitely be good on a cheesecake. 🙂
Francis
Hi I’m new at baking, wondered if the cupcakes need to be refrigerated to keep the creamcheese from running..
Sam
Hi Francis! The cream cheese frosting won’t start to melt unless you are in a really warm/humid environment. You will want to refrigerate it after a day or so though. 🙂
Lila
I love this recipe!! Thank you so much
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Billy
FOUR cups of powdered sugar sounds absurd for 8 ozs. Other recipes call for one cup
Sam
Yikes, 1 cup actually sounds absurd to me 🤣
This recipe is the best, give it a try.
Tracey Perry
4 cups sounded like too much to me too. I used 3 cups and it was nearly perfect. Still a tad on the sweet side-I may go down just a bit more next time, but still a great recipe. So quick and easy to make, and SO much better than store-bought “cream cheese” frosting-I will never buy that stuff again!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Tracey! 🙂
Sharmila
I just wanted to know whether powdered sugar as you have mentioned is Icing sugar or granulated white sugar powdered?
Sam
Hi Sharmila! Icing sugar. Enjoy! 🙂
Evita
Does the sugar disolves in cream cheese? Becaue when I make buttercream it is always grainy
Sam
Hi Evita! It will be smooth, not grainy. Make sure to use powdered sugar/icing sugar. Enjoy!
Evita
I always do. But at the end I can still feel a little bit of sugar grain between my teeth😬
Zion Israel
This icing is delicious. I only used 3 cups of powered sugar. I tasted it on my Almond and Molasses unleavened bread… boy I’m was like ‘Gimme some mo’..
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Zion! 🙂
Cel
Hey there! When you used 3 cups of sugar instead of 4, was it still thick enough for piping? Asking because I plan to cut it down to 3 but didn’t know if it would still hold shape for decorating.
Tracey
I used 3 cups, and it was still plenty thick and stiff. I didn’t pipe it on but I definitely could have.
Lena
I followed the recipe and it was delicious. I added 3 cups of sugar instead of 4. Next time I will try adding citrus zest or chocolate!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Lena! Thank you so much for commenting!
Connie Dinkins
Made this, It is great! Not to sweet but just right! I used it on the Marble Cake recipe for a birthday cake. I made it a semi naked cake.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed, Connie! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for letting me know how it turned out! <3