Dessert Now, Dinner Later!

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The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting (+ Video)

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The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting – thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!  

 

 

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

Okay ya’ll!  I’m serious when I say this is the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting recipe out there!  I’ve tried so many kinds, and they work out okay, but I’ve always struggled with with soft, stringy frosting.  This cream cheese frosting is stiff, sturdy, pipe-able, spreadable, you name it!  It’s not overly sweet like the other recipes either.

 

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

See the ripples in that frosting?  Yep, that’s proof right there that it’s stiff enough to decorate with.  The big difference between this recipe and all those other ones floating around the web, is that this recipe uses more butter and less powdered sugar.

 

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

This variation of more butter and less powdered sugar gives the cream cheese frosting a buttery, creamy texture, yet still has that tangy cream cheese flavor to it.  Less powdered sugar helps it not be stringy, and the butter helps lighten and fluff up the frosting.

 

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

This is seriously my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe now.  I will not use any other cream cheese frosting recipe in the future, so I am sharing this recipe, separately, in it’s own post, so you can refer to this post as often as I make this frosting in my culinary creations!  Have you tried it this way yet?  Make this ASAP!

 

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!
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The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, cold (I typically use Neufchatel cream cheese)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
  2. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth.
  3. Gradually add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until smooth and well blended.
  4. Add powdered sugar and vanilla all at once. Blend until combined and smooth. (Don't beat too long or the frosting will be too soft to pipe. If this happens, place the frosting in the refrigerator or freezer until it firms back up.) Use for any recipe that calls for cream cheese frosting.

Recipe Notes

*Makes 1 1/2 cups of frosting which will frost about 12-14 cupcakes.

*You can store this frosting either at room temperature (which is 70 degrees Fahrenheit) or in the refrigerator. Do not go back and forth storing from one to the other, for food safety reasons. Use your own judgement.

© DESSERT NOW DINNER LATER All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-create the recipe, snap YOUR OWN PHOTO and re-write the recipe in YOUR OWN WORDS, or link back to this post for the recipe.
 

 

 
 
Recipe from Cookie Baker Lynn via TLC Parentables

Extra pictures and video added 4/1/17.  

 

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting - thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!

Comments

  1. Instead of vanilla, use fresh lemon juice. This will help keep the tang of the cream cheese. You can add more lemon juice to suit your taste.

    Reply

      • I am going to make this & put in mint extract in place of vanilla. Then frost a chocolate cake with mint chips. Hope it turns out as good as it sounds!

        Reply

    • I totalky love this recipie better. I like how this rcipie is more creamy and less sweet the other recipie was way too sweet this one is just right my kids love the frosting and licking the beaters.

      Reply

    • I try not to make cream cheese frosting too often because I could totally see myself finding anything to spread it on. Haha. Love the graham cracker idea!

      Reply

  3. I love this picture! Makes me want to lick the beaters. 🙂 I personally love vanilla in my cream cheese frosting!

    Reply

  4. This should be a staple in any home! The recipe I use is very similar to this, but I add a tiny dash of lemon juice. I seriously just want to eat a spoonful for breakfast!

    Reply

  5. I really love that you are willing to share your knowledge about recipes and also HOW TO MAKE THINGS LOOK REALLY PRETTY. Too many people who have this kind of knowledge like to keep it all to themselves. Grateful your not like that! I follow your blog on a regular basis!

    Reply

  9. Would this recipe work for a Black Forest Cake? I thought perhaps also adding a little cherry flavor to the frosting could go with the cake. What do you think? I need help, because I am making this cake for my nephew’s wedding and it will be his Grooms cake. Thanks

    Reply

    • You can swap out the vanilla for pure cherry extract/oil. If you use oil, start with less and add more to taste, because oil is stronger than extract. Black Forest Cake typically has ganache on the outside, and cherry pie filling in between the chocolate cake layers, but you can totally go for the cream cheese frosting. I think it would still taste delicious. Maybe put a layer of ganache in the center, let it stiffen/harden/dry a bit then top it with the cherries before placing the top cake layer on. There really is no wrong way to do a cake, just whatever your preferences are. Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions. Also, whatever you use for the outer frosting, it’s great to pipe a thin layer around the edges of the cake before filling it, so when you stack your layers the filling doesn’t squeeze out the edges and get in your frosting. Here’s a great image for what I’m talking about: http://cakesontheside.blogspot.com/2010/04/tip-o-week_19.html

      Reply

    • Mrs. Davis, An authentic Black Forest is frosted with a Kirsch Whipped Cream. I got a gold medal, and Best of Show Trophy, with my Black Forest Cake. A whipped cream will not hold up much beyond refrigeration, so when my GM, at Ramada Inn, asked me to put a Black Forest Cake on the Dessert Cart (I was the Pastry Chef at our Ramada Inn for a few years), I used a Kirsch Mock Whip Frosting. A Mock Whip Frosting is the texture of a Chantilly Whipped Cream. It held up great the entire time it was on the Dessert Cart. It’s usually filled with dark cherries, pitted, cut in half, and macerated in a Kirsch Simple Syrup. I decorated it with 3D little trees made with melted dark chocolate. Cream Cheese Frosting does not belong on a Black Forest Cake, nor does it belong on a Red Velvet Cake. The original, authentic frosting for that is an Ermine Buttercream. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  11. Thanks for sharing with all of us. I plan on making a butter pecan layer cake using two 8 or 9 inch pans. Will this make enough frosting? I live in Philly so I automatically love cream cheese!

    Reply

    • That sounds like a great idea! I would double the recipe for 3 cups of frosting especially since it’s a layered cake.

      Reply

    • Cream cheese frosting is one of those things that can be either or but not both. Once you make it, you either leave it at room temperature or keep it refrigerated. It’s when you move it back and forth from room temperature to a cold refrigerator that it might not be safe to eat anymore. I have mostly kept this frosting at room temperature because I put it in cookies, cakes, or on cinnamon rolls.

      Reply

  13. Hi there, has anyone made this and been able to pipe with it? As in make swirls on top of cupcakes that actually look like swirls, not a gloomy mess like I always seem to end up with… I have been searching for years it seems for a pipeable cream cheese frosting and every recipe I have tried is far too runny – does anyone know how well this pipes or do you have a photo?

    Can’t wait to try this out, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! x

    Reply

  14. Would this work on cutout sugar cookies? I don’t like royal icing and i can never seem to find a good frosting for this type of cookie?

    Reply

  15. Hi there, Do you use clear or brown vanilla? I only have the brown one, will this make the icing a cream colour instead of nice and white? Thanks.

    Reply

    • Probably not. Powdered sugar is much lighter in texture and helps keep the frosting fluffy. If you used granulated (regular) sugar instead it would be dense and heavy and the sugar might not dissolve completely leaving you with a grainy frosting.

      Reply

  17. I am trying this looks great! I am doing some red velvet cupcakes. Do you know about how much frosting I need for 24 cupcakes.

    Reply

    • I would definitely double this recipe. It depends on how high you pipe the frosting. If you like lots of frosting, triple this recipe, if you like a mild coating, doubling the recipe should be sufficient.

      Reply

    • Hi Taylor, I’m not sure I understand your question. This is stiff enough to pipe and decorate things, are you having problems?

      Reply

  19. Didn’t work for me. I used regular Philadelphia creamcheese and I followed the recipe step by step. It tastes really (I mean: really!) great but it’s way too runny. I used a stand mixer instead of the hand mixer. Could this be the reason I failed?

    Reply

    • I have no idea why it would be runny. The only liquid is 1 tsp vanilla. The hand mixer does work much better for this recipe than a stand mixer. Did you use a whisk or paddle attachment? I honestly can’t think of any reason for it to be runny unless you added more powdered sugar than called for. That makes cream cheese frosting stringy and hard to work with. Sorry!

      Reply

      • Amber, I’ve tried again with the paddle attachment (used whisk at the first attempt) with a little less sugar and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

        Reply

  20. Amber,

    I want to start off by saying, that I NEVER leave comments on blog posts. I am a wife, mother, and crocheter, and I link up to A TON of blogs on a daily basis to help “satisfy my needs and wants”. However, nothing ever HITS HOME and “knocks my socks” off enough to even think about leaving a comment. So you know you either have done something really AWFUL, or REALLY GREAT, for me to be taking the time to write you.

    Today is my husbands 39th birthday, and our 5-and-a-half-year-old decided this morning on the way out of the door to school that he HAD to make daddy cupcakes for his birthday and use his new cook tools that Santa brought him for Christmas (not sure if this was more of a good gesture for daddy, or for himself!). I have recently had to come out of work as a nurse (I had a stroke this past September, 3 months before my 25th birthday) so our 2 income household went to 1 overnight. I have done a lot of research on how to cut back on spending, especially when it comes to groceries. Of course, today was the day where cupcakes were NEEDED and there is $0.01 in my bank account and absolutely no cake mix or icing in the house (GO FIGURE!!). I took to Pintrest in a hurry and found a “from scratch” basic cake recipe (shew! I am SAVED, or so I thought.). No matter how cute this 5 year old is, cupcakes with NO icing just would not have cut it. So I took to Pintrest yet again, with the few ingredients I had on hand: enough cream cheese to make it to Rome and back . . . and that was it. Is it frowned upon to slap plain cream cheese on cupcakes?. . . no amount of red sugared sprinkles was going to make that okay. So, I started looking for cream cheese icing recipes. . . low and behold, I came across yours. . . So I dug through the couches in the house and “robbed” my child’s well funded piggy bank (still haven’t figured out where all of it came from!), ran to the dollar store and back home I was. . .

    Now, let me say, that for the past 6 years, and a lot of baking under my belt, I have YET to find a cream cheese recipe I would feed to the dog, much less feed my family or guests. . . It was always either too sweet, too runny, too “cheesy”, nothing that I would make 2 times in a row. . . However, as your recipe sits in the kitchen aid, I am sitting here contemplating whether or not eating it with a spoon would be frowned upon, because my finger can not take much more “sticking and licking”.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, for saving daddy’s birthday, and from the shaming and time out that was to come, had I NOT pulled this one out of the bag. You SAVED the birthday!!!

    Reply

    • Hi Erin,

      You scared me there for a minute! I was preparing myself for a rant, but I am SO HAPPY to read that you had a great experience and that you could have birthday cupcakes for your hubby! I totally get it when kids set their mind on having something, they’ve got to have it! 😉

      Reply

      • Haha!!! Totally didn’t mean to scare you! My momma always taught me if I didn’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all!

        Reply

  21. Does this make enough to ice a 2 layer cake? I am using a hello kitty cake pan, and I wanted to make it a 2 layer cake with some frosting in between. Do you think I would need to double it?

    Reply

  22. Hi Amber,
    Can I use crisp instead of butter. I know how to substitute properly but will it mess up the taste? I want the frosting to stay pure white looking not tinted yellow, which will happen if I use butter. Please respond to [email protected] PS I just started following you on Instagram. I can’t finish my cupcakes until I hear from you. Haha

    Reply

    • It’s just barely off-white with the butter. I actually just finished making this with coconut extract for another recipe, but you could substitute Crisco. Crisco is used in many buttercream frostings, so the texture should work just fine. It won’t have the buttery taste though. If you have butter extract you can put 1 tsp in, or just go without it. Good luck!

      Reply

  23. Hi Amber ..ur cream cheese frosting is delicious ..but definitely not “pipeable” which is kind of a drag since it is midnight & I dont gave any more cream cheese to make another recipe & I am in charge of bringing the super bowl decorated cake !
    Hmmm …I guess this cake is going to be iced but not decorated since it is not “stiff enough frosting” to pipe all the cool things I was going to put on the cake

    Reply

    • Try putting it in the refrigerator for a couple hours and see if that helps stiffen it enough to pipe. I use this recipe all the time with no problems. Sorry!

      Reply

  24. I made this for a cake that we had on Super Bowl Sunday…I thought it was a little odd that it had no milk in it and wasn’t sure it was going to turn out…but it was perfect and yummy. I hate frostings that are over-powered by powdered sugar…this one so wasn’t. It had a lovely sweet cream cheese-y flavor 🙂 Will definitely make it again. Printed it out and put it in the family cookbook!

    Reply

    • Oh I am so glad you like it as much as we do! I seriously use it EVERY time I make cream cheese frosting! It’s my favorite!

      Reply

  25. Hi Amber, let me tell you something, I read this recipe and I tell myself “I really have to do it!” it is absolutely delicious! Is now on my favorite recipes, thanks for sharing it!

    Reply

  26. This is delicious and I was able to pipe with it. I could tell that with my amateur skills I wouldn’t be able to do tall bakery swirls on the cupcakes (it is a softer frosting), so I did the reverse (start in the center and move out) — rosettes — and they came out wonderful. Thank you! So happy to find your blog through this recipe; looks like you have tons of great stuff. I’ve been pinning away.

    Reply

    • That’s so great Stacey! Some days my frosting is a little soft too, but I’ve always been able to pipe with it. Glad you were able to do rosettes, and thanks for pinning my recipes!

      Reply

  27. Can you sub regular salted butter instead? I don’t have any unsalted on hand. I don’t think it would change the flavor much but what do you think?

    Reply

    • For sure Callie! I prefer unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in my culinary creations, but salted butter would work just fine in this recipe. Enjoy!

      Reply

    • I haven’t tried it. I actually never use margarine in any of my recipes, just real butter. The texture might not hold up as well, but you can try it.

      Reply

  29. Hi Amber. I’m not one to leave comments on blog, but I wanted to stop by and say a HUGE Thank You for this recipe. As I sit here on a snowy Louisiana day (which is a rare occurrence), I decided I wanted to bake some cupcakes. After 30 minutes worth of research to find the perfect cream cheese icing, I stumbled across your page. It is absolutely to die for.

    I did, as some of the ladies suggested, add about a teaspoon or so of lemon juice just to “brighten up” the icing. It did get slightly softer, but still pipe-able. I’m pretty sure I should have quadrupled this recipe, since I can’t keep my fingers out of it. This will be my newest go-to recipe anytime I’m in the need of icing of any sort.

    Reply

    • Hi Lin!

      Thanks for your kind words and for your review! So glad it worked out the way you wanted it to! We definitely frequent this recipe A LOT!

      Reply

    • It depends on how warm it is where it will be made and displayed. I would try it out on a small cake first, to see how you like it and then decide. I have never had problems with it, but better to do a test run, just in case.

      Reply

      • I decided to go for it! I like it so far, I’ll be using dowels for strength and stability.
        I used orange and lemon zest for added flavor and since there is no added liquid the consistency held up nicely. I chilled the cakes and icing prior to using it. Thanks for the great recipe!

        Reply

  31. I just wanted you to know I will be trying this today! I’ve tried a few cream cheese frostings before, but they’re usually too sweet or just not right! I’m making a red velvet cake today and I will let you know how it goes!!! Thank you for sharing though.. I’m excited to try it!

    Do you have any buttercream frosting recipes? I’ve been searching around trying to find one of those that isn’t too sweet as well!

    Reply

    • I hope it went over well Amanda! I’m not a huge buttercream lover, so I don’t have a great recipe on my site for that yet. I will keep that in mind for a future post though!

      Reply

  32. Hi Amber, Will this frosting pipe basket weave? And would it help to stiffen frosting by adding tsp meringue?

    Reply

  34. First, let me say that this cream cheese frosting is perfection itself!
    I first made this in January for my mom’s birthday. I frosted a dark chocolate fudge cake with it and it was out of this world delicious! I almost got a big head when everyone at the party raved about it!
    And to think I was nervous about making it for the first time!
    How about a chocolate version? Ideas?
    Also wanted to say for those who have had trouble making it, I believe the key is making sure the butter & cream cheese are softened enough before you begin. Once those key ingredients
    are softened just right, magic happens!

    Reply

    • Wow, that sounds amazing to pair it with a dark chocolate fudge cake! Thanks for your review Gia! As for a chocolate version, you can always try adding 1 or 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder with the powdered sugar. I haven’t tried that yet, but I don’t think it will effect the texture.

      Reply

  35. Hi Amber. Do you think it would work with some strawberry juice in place of vanilla? This recipe looks great!

    Reply

    • Hi Pippa! You could try it. I’m afraid you won’t get a ton of strawberry flavor unless you add a lot and that would make the frosting pretty soft. If you are just frosting a sheet cake, you would be okay, but to use it for piping frosting on a cupcake, probably not. Good luck!

      Reply

  36. You were right: sloppy sloppy yuk yuk!!! Second attempt I stuck to your recipe exactly. Amazing. Lush!! Very happy to use plenty of scrapers as that meant more for me to lick!!! Thanks Amber, and good on you for replying to every single comment since you first posted this recipe!! Xx

    Reply

    • Yep, the extra liquid just doesn’t do well with the cream cheese frostings for some reason. Glad you enjoyed the original recipe! It’s one of our favorite, most used frostings for sure!

      Reply

  37. Amber,
    Just make this frosting! My husband had eaten some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from a lady next door to my mom and raved about it…..so not to be undone I went looking for a cream cheese recipe and found yours. I made it and he is the happiest husband ever, even says yours is better than my mom’s next door neighbor. Thanks so much for sharing.
    Loreta

    Reply

  38. Have a carrot cake in the oven for our Easter dessert, and realized I had too little powdered sugar to make my usual cream cheese frosting. This is the first recipe I clicked on while Googling, and it was perfect timing! Your recipe turned out great, and it’s much better tasting than the one I’ve been making for over 30 years. Thank you!

    Reply

  39. Hi Amber, I tried this on my Easter carrot cake this year. Yum. Just the right combination and the right amount of sugar. I did experience a problem I’ve had before – little beads of cream cheese at the end. Funny, the mixture was very smooth after adding the butter to the smooth cream cheese but once I added the sugar, the little beads of cream cheese appeared. This happened the last time I made a cream cheese and sour cream frosting! I ended up adding candied carrots on top to disguise…

    Reply

    • Darn! Be sure to mix it really well with the hand mixer until you see absolutely no lumps and then add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Don’t add the powdered sugar and vanilla until you have gotten all the lumps out. You can really let it mix like crazy as much as you want to before you add the powdered sugar and vanilla. If it helps to soften the cream cheese, and then make the frosting, you can do that, but you may need to refrigerate the frosting to stiffen it up a bit before you use it for spreading on the cake.

      Reply

    • Hi Shannon, I’m not entirely sure it would hold it’s structural quality with the mascarpone, but you could try it. Also you would want to do lemon juice instead of vanilla to mimic the tang of the cream cheese. Let me know if you try it, and how it works out!

      Reply

  41. Thanks Amber. I just followed your receipe here and it tastes great! However mine is yellowish, really dunno why. Not as white as in your pic. I am now chilling it a bit before pipping. Anyway I need it pink and so I will add colouring to cover the yellowish colour. Hope it works 😉

    A mother from Hong Kong 🙂

    Reply

    • Hello Sandy! Sometimes, depending on the brand of butter, it will be more yellow. Glad it still tastes good! You can try substituting shortening for the butter and putting in 1 tsp of butter extract to get a whiter frosting.

      Reply

  42. Hi Amber, I am wondering how many days in advance you can make this frosting? I don’t like being stressed out and doing it all the night before.

    Reply

    • If you make it ahead, I would definitely refrigerate it. Pull it 10 to 15 minutes before you need to spread it on anything though. It lasts a good 7 to 10 days once you make it.

      Reply

  43. Hi there, does anyone know why my cream cheese is in little lumps all the way through? I creamed it more the second time and it still has little lumps all the way through. I even tried putting it through a strainer buy they are so small that they came through. I don’t get it. Did you use cold cream cheese? I have to use this for a rosette cake tomorrow :-S

    Reply

      • Oh good! I was thinking it could have been lumps from the powdered sugar, and to sift it next time, but I guess it was cream cheese lumps. Glad you worked it out!

        Reply

  45. Just made this to top some girl scout rainbow cupcakes! Wow is it yummy – truly the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had and I’ve made a ton. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  46. Hi, I used your recipe for some banana muffins. So easy and so, so tasty. About to use it again for my carrot cake. Thanks. Now it’s MY go-to frosting!

    Reply

  47. This is a good recipe Amber….not too sweet just what I needed for a Martha Stewart 4th of July Cake am playing with the piping as a beginner and using giant frozen berries and strawberry stars to see if they are going to get blue and red juice on the icing .. Learning wheat free cooking am 62 and this is a new learning curve a little intimidating..so I made a half a cake to practice on. For special family gatherings with grand kidz ,my go to raw honey recipe is similar but it would not get stiff delicious though just add almond flavoring to your white recipe was like wedding cake, and fair trade unsweetened cocoa powder to the chocolate.
    Thanks for your help with the red WHITE and blue! blessings Penny Tyler

    Reply

  49. Amber, will this recipe stand up to being airbrushed. some frosting recipes don’t do so well as the colors will run.

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  50. Would this work for decorating as one might with buttercream? I’m wanting to decorate a cake with a star tip and want it to be firm, like buttercream. Does it crust? Or do you think adding a stabilizer may help?

    Sounds so tasty!!

    Reply

    • It will be firm and pipe well as long as you don’t go adding any extra extract/liquid to it. I even had a reader email me and say it holds up well in humidity too!

      Reply

  51. When you say cold, do you mean just take the cream cheese out the fridge and mix? Or should you let it sit for a while at room temp?

    Reply

  55. Hi Amber, we’re having very hot dry weather in South Africa right now 31C (90F). Will this icing stand up to hot temps?

    Reply

    • I’ve had readers tell me that it holds up well in humidity. I haven’t tried taking it outside during the summer, but I think it would be okay for a little while. It does have butter in it, so it will melt eventually.

      Reply

    • Hi Debbie,

      The food coloring paste might be better than food coloring drops. Just be careful not to add too much liquid or mix it too long, because it may soften it too much. Good luck!

      Reply

    • Cream cheese frosting is an “either or” type thing. You can either refrigerate it OR leave it at room temperature (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit), but don’t take it from the fridge to room temperature several times or it may be unsafe to eat. So it’s your personal preference and your judgement call. I like mine room temperature, but I understand if it makes people nervous. As far as how long it lasts. I would say up to 5 days unrefrigerated and up to 8 days refrigerated. Enjoy!

      Reply

  58. I was very pleased with the smooth & fluffy yet stiff texture of this frosting! The ingredients are the same as on the box of sugar except for half the sugar & the way to combine them. I needed strawberry flavor but didn’t want to change the consistency. I used a little unsweetened strawberry Kool-Aid & had to add 6 more Tbsp of the sugar. To give it the look & smell of fresh strawberries, I folded in 1/4 tsp strawberry puree. It was perfect! I was able to frost the two strawberry cake layers & the frosting stayed in place. Thanks for the creamiest strawberry cream cheese frosting I have ever made!!

    Reply

  60. After following another site’s recipe that involved whipping cream… I’m trying this next. Fingers cross because I am TIRED and almost out of ingredients to keep trying again. Who’d have thought finding a stiff cream cheese recipe would be so hard? Any ideas what to do with my “soup” from the “never peaked” batch? Maybe I’ll freeze it to make ice cream?

    Reply

    • Sad! Don’t give up! If this recipe doesn’t work for you, I would be SHOCKED! It’s the only recipe I use. I love it, and so do many people who’ve tried it. I think freezing your “soup” might be okay for ice cream. Kind of like no churn ice cream (which I have many recipes for on my blog). Throw some buttery graham crackers crumbs in it for cheesecake ice cream! Yum!

      Reply

  61. Wow, this icing is seriously amazing! I followed the recipe exactly (though I did double it since I was making 24 cupcakes), and it turned out better than I ever expected!! I piped it onto cupcakes with no problem. It’s so delicious and amazingly smooth and creamy. The cupcakes are really just a vehicle for the icing 😉 I’ll never use another recipe! Thanks, Amber! This is a definite keeper!

    Reply

  62. Hi! So I’m planning to use spreadable cream cheese (I wasn’t able to get a cream cheese block!) and was wondering if this recipe would still work and how should I change the recipe (if I do have to change it) so I get the right consistency?

    Reply

    • Hi Amelie,

      Your comment went to my spam, so I’m sorry for the delay in replying! I don’t think it will change that much with the spreadable cream cheese as long as it’s not whipped cream cheese, so go ahead and make the recipe as follows with the cream cheese you could find. I hope it works for you!

      Reply

  63. I’m trying to convert this to coconut cream cheese frosting for a cake – no need to pipe. Do you think I can just add the coconut or do I need to change something else- perhaps the amount of powdered sugar? In the middle of this project now😬

    Reply

    • I think if you used coconut extract instead of vanilla and then add the coconut, you will have great flavor and won’t mess with the consistency. Good luck!

      Reply

      • Wow! Thanks for the quick response! When I said I was in the middle of this, I meant it. I have already added the vanilla and a tad bit of lemon. Decided to just go for it by adding the bag of coconut, leaving some out to sprinkle on top. Fingers crossed.

        Reply

  64. Hi! I’m kind of a novice baker, and I’m planning to make this icing recipe for a 9×13 lemon velvet sheet cake. Do you think this recipe will be enough, or should I double? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Tricia! It will be a thinner layer. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2-inch. If you want it thicker, definitely double it. I’ve put it on a 13×15 jelly roll pan and it was quite thin.

      Reply

  65. This is my first time leaving a comment on a recipe that I’ve tried. The recipe was everything you said it would be. I’m so glad I tried it. I followed it exactly and got the results I wanted, I made this frosting for my son’s red velvet cupcakes and for stuffed strawberries. It came out perfect. Thank you so much

    Reply

    • Tammi! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your comment! I am so happy it turned out the way you wanted it to. Love your idea of using it for stuffed strawberries! Yum!

      Reply

      • Hi Amber, not so well. I’m going to try adding it this time before I put the powdered sugar in. Trying to get Crimson red for a Grooms cake (Roll Tide:). I will let you know how it does. Thank you so much for your reply!

        Reply

  67. HOw does this recipe hold up in an outdoor event? Like a park birthday party or patio shower? I live in Texas and it gets hot here and I would really hate it to “melt” into a heap if it adorned some carrot or red velvet cupcakes…Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Michelle, I have had readers tell me it holds up well in humidity. Not sure about Texas heat. I would definitely keep it in the shade and serve as soon as possible just in case. Good luck! Let me know if it works out!

      Reply

    • Hi Dynasty! Yes, absolutely! I have used it on strawberry cupcakes and it was delicious! You may want to double the recipe if you plan on frosting the sides, but if you are just doing the top, you will be fine with the recipe as is.

      Reply

  69. HI! I’m very new to baking and I’m making cupcakes for a birthday party. I’m a little scared. If I were to make this frosting and pipe it on the cupcakes the night before would I need to refrigerate the cupcakes because the frosting would spoil or is it okay a room temp like other icings? The weather where I live has been around 70 degrees so not too hot out side. I would appreciate any help you can give. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Amy! If you are taking the frosting outside, I would refrigerate it, but if you are keeping it in an air conditioned house you will be fine. I usually keep mine at room temperature. It will only spoil if you took it from the fridge, outside, then back in the fridge, then outside. The drastic change in temperatures several times will do that, so pick which way you prefer, and then keep them in that temperature.

      Reply

    • Absolutely! It’s always piped well for me, and it is fine to store in the refrigerator or at room temperature, just pick whichever is your preference. Good luck!

      Reply

      • Hi Amber do you think I could replace the butter with shortening for a super white frosting? I made it recently with room temperature cream cheese but see that your recipe says cold cream cheese. Can you explain why it should be cold?

        Reply

        • You could try it, but it won’t taste as good. You can use clear vanilla and maybe throw in a little butter extract too. I prefer cold cream cheese to keep the consistency of the frosting from going too soft before I get to pipe it. If you use shortening, you may not have that problem because it doesn’t melt like butter does.

          Reply

  72. You weren’t lying, this frosting is truly AMAZING. I may have licked the beater, and the spoon, and the bowl, and the spatula….. 🙂 I wound up being short half a stick of butter (my chocolate beet cake took more than I remembered!) and it worked out great anyway! I’m sure the flavor was a bit less buttery and more cream cheesy, but that was OK with me! I think its the ratio of sugar and cream cheese that makes it so good. The recipe made the prefect amount to frost between the layers of the cake. I probably could have done the top too if I wanted, but I prefer thick frosting between layers, and I just use powdered sugar on top. I can’t wait to dig into the cake! Other frostings I’ve used have been overwhelmingly sweet and you lose some of the earthiness of the beets, but I think this one will be perfect!

    Reply

    • That is great news Lindsay! I’m so glad this frosting worked perfectly for your beet cake! I’ve never tried that before. Sounds tasty!

      Reply

  73. I know you blogged about this a couple of years ago, but was looking for an easy cream cheese frosting and found this.
    And it came out great. I did add some pumpkin spice as I was using on a pumpkin cake. Yes this is the heat of summer but the sky is over cast and looking fallish like, sooo.
    It was perfect for my cake.
    Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply

    • I bet that was so good with the pumpkin spice in it! It’s never too early for pumpkin recipes. 😉 Thanks for your comment Bonnie!

      Reply

  74. Amber, I am making someone a birthday cake today. I always make her a strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting. Last year she says prefers a non sweet frosting. Well, not sickening sweet. You know the cream cheese frostings usually have tons of confectioners. So I guess she wasn’t loving the frosting I was making :). This one sounds perfect. I have fresh strawberries. Can you help me to adapt your recipe to a strawberry cream cheese frosting?

    Reply

    • Hi Elizabeth,

      My recipe definitely isn’t overly sweet, so it sounds like you came to the right place. As far as adapting it to make it strawberry cream cheese frosting, You can add try adding 1 Tbsp of strawberry puree to the recipe. More than that will most likely make it soft and stringy. Good luck!

      Reply

      • Thanks so much! It came out really nice. I had a few frozen strawberries, let them thaw, mashed them with a fork and added to your recipe. Nice color and taste. I’m sure she’ll love it. Thanks again!

        Reply

  75. Store bought cream cheese frosting is just too sweet so I was so happy to find a recipe with so little sugar! It’s exactly the flavor I want. It’s so good with pumpkin cookies that I stopped in the middle of frosting them just to tell you how good they are. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Comments like this make my job totally worth it! I love to share my recipes, and I’m so glad you liked this so much to stop frosting cookies to tell me! Totally made my day! Thanks for your comment Jess!

      Reply

  76. I added cocoa powder (just plain old Hershey cocoa powder) and it was delicious!! I also added a touch of milk just to make it more spreadable (for a birthday cake).

    Reply

  78. Hallo Amber
    Can i double the recipie without doubling the amount of sugar to froast between and around a three layered carrot cake?Will less sugar affect the consistency,while i dont want the froasting to be so sweet?

    Reply

    • If you double the recipe and don’t double the sugar it will be quite thick, and probably not spreadable. I promise this is very lightly sweet. Most other cream cheese frosting recipes use double, triple, and even quadruple the amount of sugar I have in my recipe.

      Doubling this recipe would give you 3 cups of frosting to work with. I just googled how much frosting you need for a 3 layer cake and it says: “It takes about 2½ to 3 cups of icing to generously fill and frost a two-layer 9-inch cake. For a three-layer cake, plan on using 3½ to 4 cups.” So I would consider tripling the recipe just to be safe. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  80. I made this for my red velvet cake for my grandma’s 90th birthday and it went down a treat. I will be saving this recipe for sure. Thank you!

    Reply

  81. I have been frosting / cake testing for weeks trying to come up with the perfect combination of low sugar cake / frosting for my son’s 1st birthday cake, that adults will also enjoy. I made a batch of chocolate zucchini and chocolate sweet potato cupcakes with whipped cream frosting. The frosting was pipeable but did fall a bit. So I would like to try this recipe. Could I reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup you think and it still taste good? In the heavy whipped cream frosting I only added 5tbsp of powdered sugar and got good feedback on the chocolate sweet potato cupcakes I topped them on. The cake recipe only calls for 1/2 cup brown sugar total but the zucchini or sweet potato seemed to help sweeten it enough, unless you are a major sweets person. The party is this Saturday so I am in panic mode. 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Teressa,

      You can start with 1/4 cup and taste it. 1 cup of powdered sugar is really small compared to other recipes and it’s just the right amount of sweetness in my opinion, but you can absolutely start small and go up from there to how you want it to taste.

      Reply

      • Thank you. I will try that and let you know 🙂 How long is it stable once made. I would like to do a trial run but don’t want to wait until too close to the party in case it doesn’t work for me. Also how much would you multiple the recipe by to frost 20-24 cupcakes and one jumbo cupcake made in the wilton pan?

        Reply

        • I typically double this recipe to frost 24 cupcakes, but lessening the sugar will lessen the amount of frosting too. Definitely triple it. I have also stretched this frosting with cool whip. You can try doing that with whipped cream too. I would do about 1 cup whipped cream per batch if you want to try that out. I hope it works out for you!

          Reply

    • It makes 1 1/2 cups. You would definitely need to at least double it for a 4 layer, 8-inch cake, maybe triple it depending on how much frosting you put between the layers.

      Reply

  85. I made a cupcake boquet today for the first time,red velvet cupcakes,and this is the frosting that i used,even after adding a few drops of coloring it is still easy to pipe,😊.I love that it is not too sweet,thank you for sharing the recipe.It really is the best cream cheese frosting.

    Reply

  86. I doubled the recipe and covered the whole cake very well. I however did not have enough time to make a crumb coat first so it was just one thick-ish layer. Loved this so much!!!

    Reply

  87. Hi there. Quick question… I know the recipe calls for cold cream cheese, but my mind is so used to room temperature butter for frosting, that cold cream cheese seems counter-intuitive. I’m feeling a little paranoid and just confirming that the cream cheese should be cold, not room temperature? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Cassie,

      You can do either or, but I feel like the frosting is more firm with the cold cream cheese. Adding the butter a little at a time helps to keep the frosting smooth and not lumpy, even though the cream cheese is cold. Good luck deciding!

      Reply

  88. Thank you sooo much for this recipe. I’m making carrot cake for the 1st time today & while I know how to cook, I am NO Baker. The recipe I had called for 3 cups of confectionery sugar & another one said 4. I appreciate you taking the time to explain step by step & I’m glad I read the comments first, because I would of used the whisk attachment instead of the paddle. I also added in a drop of lemon extract as someone suggested & doubled the vanilla, because I love it. Licking it off the paddles now. Delicious! Now lets hope the carrot cake comes out great as well.

    Reply

      • I prefer a hand mixer, but sometimes you need a combination of both the paddle and the whisk attachment to get all the lumps out. Try to get all the lumps out before you add the powdered sugar.

        Reply

  89. Hi. Tried your recipe for the first time today. Tastes great. All was smooth and creamy until after I added the powdered sugar. I don’t think I over beat it. It is lumpy. What did I do wrong?

    Reply

    • Hi Diane! I’m guessing your powdered sugar was lumpy. You can try sifting it before you add it next time and that should do the trick!

      Reply

          • It sounds to me that the cream cheese and butter weren’t whipped long enough, before the sugar was added. You can put cream cheese and butter in the microwave a little to soften. If they are both soft, and whipped together well, there should be no lumps in the frosting.

          • I agree with Bonny. Make sure you are beating the cream cheese and butter really well before adding the powdered sugar and vanilla. You can try adding a little sugar at a time as well. Are you using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer. And if you are using a stand mixer are you using the whisk or the paddle attachment? I prefer a hand held mixer for this recipe like the one pictured. It seems to get the lumps out better. You can also try room temperature cream cheese and butter. I just like mine a little cold still so it pipes better. I hope you can get it figured out!

          • I agree. I didn’t need to sift but my butter was more than room temp and I put in the cream cheese at just above room temp and beat. I don’t have a hand mixer so I used my Kitchen Aid but I didn’t get any lumps. I also added the vanilla with the cream cheese and I was short on that so I added a tbl of sweetened condensed milk. I was trying to improvise without going to the store lol. Either way, it turned out amazing but I think the key is creaming your cream cheese and butter and then slowly adding the powdered sugar

  90. As a few previous posters have commented above, I rarely leave comments. But this definitely warranted a comment. It was SO GOOD!! Thank you SO much for sharing. Exactly what I’ve been looking for in a cream cheese frosting!!!

    Reply

    • These are my favorite type of comments! I’m glad you loved the recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to leave your review!

      Reply

    • Yes, 8oz. So sorry about that! I just got new recipe cards and they didn’t move everything over properly it’s fixed now.

      Reply

    • 8 ounces of cream cheese. Sorry, my recipe card is new and some of the formulas didn’t get moved over right.

      Reply

    • Usually one package as they are typically sold in 8oz. However, I had just shy of that so I added a table spoon of sweetened condensed milk instead and it turned out amazing! Not overly sweet but delicious just the same

      Reply

  93. Can I use this to decorate a carrot cake? I have just been dumped with the task of decorating my sister-in-laws wedding cake which is now 2 weeks away and I am totally stressed out! LOL

    Reply

    • Absolutely! Do a quick test batch so you can play with it first, but it should work great! Also, if you want it to be more white instead of cream colored, use clear vanilla extract. Good luck with the wedding cake!

      Reply

  95. Hi Amber,
    Would it be possible to use this frosting for a cake that is being covered with fondant? Its going to be a bit of a heavy cake with 3 to 4 layers, and will it be okay to sit out of the fridge for a day after covered with fondant?

    Thank you

    Reply

    • I bet if you keep the layers thin it will be fine. And the frosting is okay to sit out of the fridge. I usually don’t refrigerate it. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  96. I found your recipe last year and love it! My favorite icing has always been cream cheese icing so I’ve used this recipe at least10-12 times since I found it and always get compliments on how great it tastes, thank you for sharing it!

    Reply

  97. I love this frosting!! I’ve used it on Christmas cupcakes and again for cupcakes I made today. It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it!!

    Reply

  100. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It’s absolutely delicious and perfect on the chocolate cake we (my Grandson, age 7, and moi) made last night. Next time I’ll use your Red Velvet recipe for sure. The cake just went out the door with said Grandson’s Mom for their large-ish family. She said “Dessert first might just happen tonight”!!

    Reply

  101. I have a question🤔which color do I add to make the cream pure white, drop of blue or purple? I did this once but it was years ago and google is not finding it. Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Mila, I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of that. You can try using clear vanilla to help it be more white, but the butter will still make it slightly ivory in color. You could also try doing half of the butter and substituting the other half with shortening or coconut oil. Good luck!

      Reply

  102. I LOVE THIS CREAM CHEESE FROSTING RECIPE!!! Arrrrgh! So good. I don’t typically even attempt to try anything with cream cheese frosting anymore because my mind automatically assumes it will be too sweet. I needed to make a batch of red velvet cupcakes over the weekend and I used your frosting recipe. I tried one cupcake (for the first time in forever) and I ended up having two more after :)) I love that it’s not overly sweet. It totally put the “velvet” in red velvet haha! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe <3

    Reply

  104. hello, i tried this recipe many times and i always get somehow a runny frosting, it doesnt really hold its shape after piping and it is very shiny unlike the matte finish in your picture. please help

    Reply

    • I’m sorry you are having a hard time. I would maybe try high quality products. Name brands for both butter and cream cheese. See if that helps. You can try refrigerating it before piping too, but you really shouldn’t need to.

      Reply

      • since i live in singapore, i use french butter and royal victoria cream cheese. i left both at room temperature before using it.

        Reply

          • yep, i tried both batches, one with cold cream cheese and another with room temperature. it still doesnt work out for me and its still shiny and glossy and unable to hold its shape well.

          • I don’t know what else to recommend. Apparently our products are made differently in the U.S. I’ve never had a problem with this recipe. I’m sorry I can’t help you more.

  105. Amber, you’re very kind to share your recipes and respond to everyone who comments. I’d like to use your cream cheese frosting on a very large hummingbird cake for my mother-in-law’s 100th birthday. It would have two round layers in each of three tiers, 12″, 9″, and 6″. What I wonder is whether you think that I can bake and frost the tiers individually with this frosting, then freeze them for a week or two before the birthday party, and then take them out of the freezer and assemble them for decorating the day before the party. Also, I wonder whether the layers should be filled with something other than the frosting, and whether any flavoring other than vanilla would be good for hummingbird cake. I’ll appreciate whatever hints you can give me.

    BTW, I’m a 67-year-old grandfather, I babysit for twin 16-month old grandsons twice a week, and my mom taught me to bake cakes when I was about nine. Her lessons stuck–I still love baking.

    Reply

    • Hi Gene,

      Thanks for sharing a little bit about you. I love to hear about my readers! Cream Cheese Frosting is very classic with hummingbird cake, so I think vanilla would be a great flavoring. Unfortunately, I think if you frosted the cakes and froze them with the frosting, the cake would effect the frosting as it thaws to an undesirable texture. You can definitely freeze the cakes and frosting separately. Or you can freeze the cakes and make the frosting fresh the day of or a day or two before. (I would recommend refrigerating the frosting if you make it early, so it lasts longer.) Hope this helps! Good luck with your mother-in-laws cake!

      Reply

  107. I’ve used this recipe a few times but I really don’t understand how you can make the frosting stiff with such less powdered sugar. I don’t overbeat it either. Also most recipes usually cream the butter first to avoid the lumpy bits at the end. This is exactly what happens when the cream cheese is beaten first. Yes it does taste good but very sloppy.

    Reply

    • I have made this recipe at least 30 times and it’s never “sloppy” for me. In previous recipes I’ve made, the more powdered sugar I would add to cream cheese frosting, the more stringy and soft it would be, but feel free to adapt it to your needs, especially if you aren’t in the U.S. Try different methods and amounts to get something that works for you. This has just always worked for me, so I’m happy with this recipe the way it is.

      Reply

  108. I’m wondering why you use cold cream cheese vs room temperature, so it would be easier to blend? And can you use room temp and have it still work? Thanks for a great post.

    Reply

  110. WOW! I have had many cream cheese frostings and My families number ne complaint is that they are never Cream cheesy enough and too sweet! This is a simple basic recipe! SOOOO perfect! I m thrilled to find it. Thank you for sharing!!!

    Reply

  111. Hi Amber, I had to write to let you know that your recipe is truly the best cream cheese frosting I have ever made or eaten! Everyone loves it! Your instructions were easy enough for me to understand and follow. So a big thank you for this!! I am going to bake my soon-to-be 4 year old granddaughter’s BD cake. She wants strawberry frosting for her chocolate cake so naturally I thought of your recipe. What do you think about me adding some fresh strawberries? I’m thinking about 1/4 cup pureed strawberries, straight up, and adding it to your recipe for color. I thought perhaps of chopping up more strawberries and adding it just before frosting, and setting it in the fridge to stiffen up. Think it would work? Thanks, Amber!

    Reply

    • Hi Dawn! Glad to hear it! If you can find freeze dried strawberries, that would be best so it doesn’t add any extra moisture to the frosting and make it runny. Just throw a handful of freeze dried strawberries into the food processor and make a powder with them. You can alternately use strawberry gelatin powder (jello), about 1-2 tsp. I have only ever added orange zest/juice to this recipe, and it did make it softer, so I’m nervous about fresh strawberries. You could try fresh strawberries if you want, but try to make it and then serve it right away so it doesn’t get the chance to macerate and release the juices. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

      • Dear Amber, Thank you for your quick and helpful response. I was afraid the fresh strawberries would make the frosting too wet so I will try the freeze-dried suggestion for sure! I can always put fresh strawberries as a decoration, right? To make the frosting red, powdered strawberries should do it, right? But if not enough color, I could try the gelatin suggestion. I’ll experiment. I will certainly let you know! Thanks, again, so much!

        Reply

  112. I’ll be making this tomorrow for a co-worker’s bday, & I’ve never done cream cheese frosting before. I’m curious that the recipe calls for “cold” cream cheese. Usually, if I don’t leave cream cheese to get to room temp for other desserts, it will be lumpy. Help? 🙂

    Reply

    • If you use a hand mixer like mine (in the video), it will be just fine. If you are still worried, you can let it get to room temperature, but it may not be as pipe-able. If you aren’t piping anything, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

      Reply

  113. Ok I think I do have the right attachment. Definitely want to pipe! If too soft, I’ll fridge / freeze for a bit. THANK YOU!

    Reply

    • I haven’t. You could probably substitute some of the butter with peanut butter. You may need to add extra powdered sugar. Good luck!

      Reply

  115. So I’ve had this recipe pinned for a while and finally made it tonight. Oh man it is fabulous! Just the right amounts of everything. A friend at work made carrot cake for some of us tomorrow but she doesn’t use frosting so I made a batch for a couple of us that need it. 😋 After I put it into individual baggies for us I literally licked the bowl clean cuz it tastes so perfect! Thank you! At this point I don’t even need the cake. 👍🏼👍🏼

    Reply

  116. Hi! This looks absolutely delicious. Would it be possible to add white chocolate to the recipe?
    Thanks

    Reply

  117. I mixed this recipe with 1 regular sized tub of whipped cream and it is stunning. so light and fluffy I would highly recommend trying it

    Reply

  118. I have found that adding a bit of cornstarch to the powdered sugar before adding to cream cheese allows me to pipe the icing. I start with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the 1 cup of confectioners sugar. After blending, allow the mixture to sit for 15-20 mins. Living in Alabama, we are very humid and frequently must add cornstarch to icings. ( I sift together the confectioners sugar and cornstarch for even mixing.) Hope this helps.

    Reply

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