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.
Nikki
If I don’t have unsalted butter can I use salted butter and omit the salt.
Sam
Hi Nikki! That will work just fine. 🙂
Patty
I’d like to use this frosting on a Bundt cake, with the “flowing down the side” effect. I have gotten this look using tub frostings, heated slightly in the microwave, and poured over the top. The frosting runs down the sides perfectly. The frosting firms up, and stays put, until serving.
Do you recommend the heating method, or should I add cream to thin the frosting to the right consistency?
Thanks,
Patty
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Patty! You can use the cream cheese glaze recipe from our pumpkin bundt cake 😊
Carol
I have been using this recipe for 50 years, my mother gave me the recipe. I make this delicious pineapple cake and use this icing for the topping. Everyone raves about the cake. Have passed it around to a plethora of friends and family. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. Carol
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum, that sounds heavenly Carol! Thanks so much for commenting ❤️
Nicole R
This is the best cream cheese recipe in the world. Ive added diff zest to it, diff extracts, salted caramel sauce, even flavored coffee creamers andnit takes the flavor beautifully and pipes amazing!
Laura Swanson
I have never liked cream cheese frosting yet and still some cakes require it and I have to admit your recipe is by far the best I have ever had…. Thank you
PS I would’ve attached a picture but it doesn’t seem like it’s available to do so
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for this review, Laura! We’re happy our recipe was a winner for you. If you’d like to share a picture, you can always tag us on Instagram @sugarspun_sam or share in our Facebook group 😊
Maya
Hi, how many cupcakes could you frost with this recipe? Thanks
Sam
Hi Maya! It will frost about 24 cupcakes, but if you generously frost them , only about 12. I normally include this information right above the recipe so you don’t have to wait for an answer next time. 🙂
vicky
can i use caramel sauce to flavor this?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Without trying it we’re not sure how it would go; you may have to add more powdered sugar to keep it from being too runny, which could then make it too sweet. It might be safer to just go with our caramel frosting instead 😊
Jo Riggs
Easy + so delicious!
John
I added Bailey’s to the this recipe so good!
Michelle
I have read that cream cheese frosting freezes very well. Just wondering how long and how well this recipe would freeze on a fully decorated cake?
Sam
Hi Michelle! I haven’t personally done it, but it should last for at least a month in the freezer. 🙂
Betty
Hello, can I add food coloring without messing with the texture??
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Definitely! Enjoy, Betty 🙂
Nancy
Fast and easy.
Virginia
How long can a cake or cupcakes, ice with this icing, be left out on the counter before it starts to melt?
Sam
Hi Virginia! That’s a really tough question to answer. Basically it comes down to the heat and humidity in the room. It is a pretty sturdy frosting and shouldn’t start to melt off, but it will definitely get a bit softer. I hope that helps. 🙂
Mariela
I’ve made this recipe before and the first time it was a success but this second time around, not sure what happened but it was runny. I added powder sugar to thicken but it just wouldn’t keep its shape. I didn’t use spreadable cream cheese but I did use butter in a tub.
Sam
Hi Mariela! I think the butter was probably the issue here. 🙁
Mary Stephens
This sounds amazing! Can you put this frosting on brownies? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Mary! That sounds really tasty to me! 🙂
Mary Stephens
Thank you! I have all the ingredients and I am going to make the frosting for brownies!
Nikki
Love this frosting so much! It turned out perfect. I’ll be making again and again. Quick question. How long can this be refrigerated for if we make a big batch?
Sam
Hi Nikki! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It will be good for about a week in the refrigerator. 🙂