Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe - Love and Lemons

Learn to make cream cheese frosting with simply 4 substances! Candy, creamy, wealthy, and tangy, it is scrumptious on muffins, cupcakes, and extra.

Cream cheese frosting

Who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?! This candy, tangy topping is the right complement to only about any cake or cupcake, to not point out cookies, bars, and fast breads. I’ve it on repeat round right here within the spring, when we have now carrot cake cupcakes for Easter, an precise carrot cake for Jack’s birthday, after which carrot cake cookies, properly, simply because I like them. 🙂

My cream cheese frosting recipe requires 4 primary substances, and it comes collectively in lower than 10 minutes. The following time you need to make a do-it-yourself baked good style extra-decadent and particular, all it’s a must to do is whip it up!

Bowl of powdered sugar next to block of cream cheese, butter, bottle of vanilla extract, measuring spoons, and spatula

Recipe Substances

You solely want 4 substances to make this recipe:

Cream cheese, in fact! Skip the whipped or low-fat stuff and search out block-style, full-fat cream cheese. It offers this frosting one of the best wealthy texture and tangy taste. Let it come to room temperature or soften it barely within the microwave earlier than making the frosting.
Unsalted butter – It offers the frosting buttery taste and a texture that’s thick sufficient for piping. Permit the butter to melt to room temperature earlier than mixing up the frosting. If it’s too agency, the frosting will probably be lumpy.
Powdered sugar – Aka confectioner’s sugar. It thickens and sweetens the frosting. Make do-it-yourself powdered sugar, or use store-bought.
And vanilla extract – For heat depth of taste.

Non-obligatory: season to style with a touch of salt!

Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.

Frosting in mixing bowl with powdered sugar on the sides

The right way to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

My methodology for the way to make cream cheese frosting couldn’t be less complicated! Right here’s the way it goes:

First, mix the cream cheese and butter. Place them in a big bowl and use an electrical mixer to beat till clean. I like to make use of an electrical hand mixer to make this recipe, as a result of as written, it’s a bit small for my stand mixer. Should you choose to make use of a stand mixer, you could have to double the recipe.

Should you don’t have a mixer, you may make this recipe by hand with a whisk. It’ll simply take some elbow grease!

Closeup shot of cream cheese frosting swirl

Then, add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Combine till the frosting is clean and creamy (try that texture above!!). Cease and scrape down the perimeters of the bowl with a spatula as wanted. Tip: in case your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it earlier than including it to the cream cheese combination.

Style and modify, including a pinch of salt if wanted. That’s it!

The right way to Thicken Cream Cheese Frosting

In case your frosting is runnier than you’d like, you’ve just a few choices for the way to thicken it.

Add extra powdered sugar. Beat in a tablespoon at a time till the frosting reaches your required consistency. Remember the fact that including extra sugar will make the frosting sweeter.
Stick it within the fridge. The frosting will agency up because it chills.

Notice: Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese is important for thick frosting. Whipped, low-fat, or spreadable cream cheese will make the frosting runny. When doubtful, select cream cheese that is available in a field, not a plastic tub.

Bowl of cream cheese frosting with spatula

The right way to Use Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups of frosting. That’s sufficient for an 8- or 9-inch cake, a loaf cake, or a batch of 12 cupcakes. I like to apply it to these treats:

Double the recipe for a 9×13-inch sheet cake, or triple it for a layer cake.

Storage

Cream cheese frosting shouldn’t sit at room temperature for quite a lot of hours. Retailer leftover frosting in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Baked items topped with cream cheese frosting also needs to be refrigerated.

Are you able to freeze cream cheese frosting?

Sure! Cream cheese frosting freezes properly for as much as a month and thaws properly within the fridge.

Its texture will change barely after freezing and thawing, so I like to recommend re-whipping it earlier than use. If vital, add little milk to the frosting to loosen it up.

Cream cheese frosting recipe

Extra Frostings, Glazes, and Whips

Should you love this recipe, strive certainly one of these candy toppings subsequent:

Craving extra treats? Try these 25 Tremendous Enjoyable Baking Recipes!