All of the tangy cream cheese flavor you love in the classic frosting, but sturdy enough to be piped and hold it’s shape. This decorator’s cream cheese frosting is the best parts of buttercream and cream cheese frosting combined.
It has been at least a week since I last shared a frosting recipe with you, so it is overdue! This frosting is worth the wait.
It has the tang of cream cheese but it is perfect for piping into swirls, rosettes, shells and more.
There are a few kinds of cake that just beg to be slathered with cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake and banana cakes are two obvious choices, but cream cheese also goes well with chocolate cake and many more.
The problem is the standard cream cheese frosting isn’t great for doing much more than spreading over the cake. It is soft and doesn’t hold it’s shape well.
It is absolutely delicious, but not great for piping. And for frosting lovers like myself, sometimes a little bit of frosting spread on top of a cupcake isn’t enough.
(It’s never enough!) Bring on the fluffy swirls of frosting!
Luckily this recipe allows you to have the best of both worlds. It pipes like an American buttercream dream but has that familiar cream cheese taste we love.
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The final product does form a slight crust, especially if chilled, that makes transportation a lot easier. It also helps it hold up to a little more warmth than a standard cream cheese frosting.
For even more stability, you could substitute some shortening in for some of the butter. The higher melting point always helps to keep things a bit more resistant to temperature.
You can definitely taste the cream cheese in the final product without any help. If you feel like it needs a little more though, a teaspoon of cream cheese emulsion will help drive the flavor home.
After several batches of this frosting in the past month, I can assure you that this frosting will be a hit.
Does cream cheese frosting get hard in the fridge?
Yes, so if you frosting gets soft, just pop it in the refrigerator for a bit to stiffen up. Chilling your frosting will help it remain stable for transportation and will help to set any decorations you made.
Cream Cheese Frosting for Decorating
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon cream cheese emulsion optional
Instructions
- Beat together ½ cup butter and 4 ounces cream cheese until super smooth and creamy.
- Add ¼ teaspoon salt, 3½ cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon cream cheese emulsion if using. Mix until combined.
- Add a tablespoon of milk and continue to mix for at least 2 minutes. Adjust final consistency with more milk or powdered sugar.
- Spread or pipe immediately or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
- For added stability, substitute ¼ cup of shortening for ¼ cup of the butter
- This recipe makes about 2.5-3 cups of frosting. It is enough frosting for a 9×13-inch cake, a two layer cake without extra decoration, or 12-24 cupcakes depending on how much frosting you put on each.
- Store extra frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freeze for longer storage or put between graham crackers and enjoy as a tasty treat!
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How long do you refrigerate the icing?
You can refrigerate it for up to a week, just bring it back to room temperature before you use it.
@Carlee, Thank you
Is 1 lb of confectioner’s sugar equal to 4 cups? Do you sift the sugar prior to or after measuring for the amount of cups required? Thank you for your answer. Beginner here.
A pound of powdered sugar is just over 3.5 cups. I don’t usually sift the powdered sugar before I use it in buttercream, but if you want to use about 4 cups of already sifted powdered sugar.
@Carlee,
Thank you so much for the information. My plan is to bake some key lime cupcakes and to flavor the icing lightly. This icing should be good for some simple swirls with some pearl decos or a dusting of glitter. Thank you, again.
Ooooh, that sounds so good! We are big key lime fans, but I’ve never made key lime cupcakes.
Hi, I made this frosting to decorate a 3 layer carrot cake plus a single layer cake and it was a great recipe. It was fast and easy to make and tasted great. I made a triple batch of the frosting, one teal coloured the other bubblegum pink. The icing spread nicely between the layers and on the outside and worked well for the piping. The cake looked great for my niece’s 13th birthday cake. All the kids loved the flavour as well.
Thanks for a great recipe. I will recommend this to others.
That sounds amazing! I am so glad you liked it.
I made type for my Easter Carrot Cake Cupcakes. Excellent results! I doubled the recipe and used the minimum amount of milk & no emulsion. That made enough+ for 24 cupcakes.
Yay! I am so glad you liked it!
I am looking forward to trying this. It is so great to find a cream cheese frosting recipe that is pipeable! How many cups of frosting does this recipe make?
It is the best of both worlds, cream cheese taste with buttercream versatility! It makes between 3-4 cups. It is plenty to do a batch of cupcakes or a layer cake if you don’t go super thick.
@Carlee, Thank you so much. I would also like to make this into an orange flavor to go on a Creamsicle cake. Would I replace one teaspoon of the vanilla with one teaspoon of orange extract? Thanks.
Yes, or add both. That would be good too! Then taste a bit and see if you need more orange flavor. I made a similar recipe and used it as the center of a chocolate dipped bon bon and it was really tasty!
@Carlee, thank you so much!
I know this may sound like a silly question but what kind of butter would you use? Unsalted, salted, “normal everyday day butter”
I have used both salted and unsalted with great success. I tend to use whatever I have on hand. If you use salted, just hold back on the extra salt a little bit until you taste it. Then add a little more if you need to.
Hello. Thank you for sharing this recipe. How much does this recipe cover for a cake? I’m doing a 3 tier wedding cake (6 in, 8 in and 10 in) and I want to make sure I make enough. Thank you.
You are definitely going to need several batches. How many will depend on how generously you frost the cakes and how much decorating you plan to do. I think I would plan on making at least 4 batches if each of those cakes are 2 layers.
@Carlee, thank you for your response.
Can the recipe be doubled if using 8oz cream cheese and can it be piped into cream horns? Thanks
Yes and yes, enjoy!
I am trying this for my daughters birthday cake. What is a cream cheese emulsion and can I make that?
It is like an extract you can find in the baking aisle. The one I use is from the brand LorAnn. It is optional though, it will still taste great without it!
@Carlee,
Thanks I have never heard of that. Don’t have time to find it so will try without
Trish.
How far in advance can this icing be made and stored in the refrigerator?
It can be made several days ahead of the time and stored in the refrigerator. Just bring it to room temperature and whip it up a bit and you’ll be in great shape!