Today, I’d like to share a recipe with you. Not just any recipe… a cream cheese frosting recipe I have used dozens (maybe even hundreds) of times, and I love it each time!
There are two reasons I love this recipe… one is that it’s really, really easy, and the second is that it’s really delicious!
While I do also enjoy other styles of frosting, like Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Fluffy 7 Minute Frosting, or Whipped Ganache, this cream cheese frosting recipe is easier than any other. This is basically American style buttercream (which is butter, powdered sugar, milk), but with the addition of cream cheese.
The cream cheese is really the key ingredient, since it helps off-set the sweetness of the powdered sugar, and adds to the creaminess of the butter while also removing the greasy, pure butter flavor.
Another thing I really like about this recipe is that if you use these proportions, the frosting is not over powered by the cream cheese, it takes on the flavor of whatever extract or additional flavorings are added.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)
8 oz. Challenge cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 to 4 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)
Directions:
*Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds.
*Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
*Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
*Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
*Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)
The recipe above will produce a delicious VANILLA flavored frosting, here are a couple of other options to try…
For a Stronger Cream Cheese Flavor: Use an additional 4 oz. (½ block) of cream cheese. This is good for any cake/cupcake recipe that is traditionally topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, like Carrot Cake, or Red Velvet Cake.
For Chocolate Frosting: (my favorite!) add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Ghirardelli brand, it’s really good). Add the cocoa powder before adding the powdered sugar, so it gets fully incorporated into the butter and cream cheese.
Strawberry, Blackberry, etc: Add 2-4 tablespoons of preserves. Depending on how chunky or seedy the preserves are, you may want to blend it in the food processor, and/or strain it through a fine strainer before adding it to the frosting. Add the preserves to the frosting mixture before adding the heavy cream. Depending on the amount of preserves you add you may need very little or no cream, especially if you want the frosting thick enough to pipe. A final option would be to add a drop of food coloring to add to the color of the preserves (for example, pink coloring for the Strawberry flavor).
* This recipe will frost about 22-24 cupcakes if you are piping a nice swirl, or even more if you just spread it on. If you’re making a cake, this will frost and fill a two layer 9″ cake.
How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool
- 8 oz. cream cheese directly from fridge
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract always use pure vanilla extract if possible
- 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 1 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)
Instructions
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
- Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
- Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)
Notes
Nutrition
This frosting recipe is incredible. The flavours mix so well, and it has great consistency. The pictures are fantastic.
that was really gorgeous! and the fact that your frosting seem so smooth is really enviable. how do you manage that?
I have always have difficulty making frosting and their flavors. This is a nice help you have here. Thanks a lot.
This is one of my favorite frostings to make! Most people usually comment that it is not overly sweet. I like all the variations you posted too:) Your blogs is one of my favorites.
To- Anonymous and Susana-
In regards to the color, the longer you beat the frosting, the lighter it will be, so you may have beat it a bit longer than I usually do.
As for taste- I can't quite believe the frosting was sweet to you… did you add all four cups of powdered sugar? If you want, I'm sure you could add in one more cup of sugar.
Also, yes the vanilla extract should be added even to the chocolate version. It wont add any sweetness, just a little boost in flavor.
I'd love to hear if you give it another try.
Happy Baking!
Hello!!! Thanks for sharing such delicious recipes!!! I also did the chocolate cream frosting using Ghirardelli's cocoa like you did and it also came out pretty light in color and it didn't taste very sweet…….I didn't know if I was supposed to add the vanilla extract, so I did, but didn't add much sweetness to it. Anyways everybody loved my cupcakes, but you could you please tell me if I'm supposed to add the vanilla extract or not………Thanks in advance and Congratulations for being so TALENTED!!!….. :o)
Hi…I made the chocolate version using Ghirardelli cocoa like you, but my icing was much lighter in color than yours pictured above.
Not sure why?
Hi Glory,
I saw the whipped strawberry filling inside the cupcake. Can you give the recipe and measurement how to make it. It looks so good!!! Thanks 🙂
Anonymous- If your frosting is too soft it's some combination of the ingredients being too warm, and too much liquid added. Next time, try adding the jam before adding any cream, and then see if any cream is needed. Also, make sure the butter and cream cheese are very cool when you start. Once you add all your ingredients if it's too soft, you can always add a bit more powdered sugar, but it is highly preferable to just refrigerate the frosting and wait for it to firm up.
Hi Glory,
Tried the frosting with jam but it was very runny – refrigerated it but didn't have much time – any suggestions for making it less runny without having to refrigerate it if you need to frost right away?
Thanks, Cathy