Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
You will love this simple and flavorful classic cream cheese frosting recipe!
Whether you're looking for a frosting to complement classic cakes like Red Velvet Cake or Italian Cream Cake, or our go-to Carrot Cake Recipe or Spice Cake, you cannot go wrong with this recipe. It would be a crime to use anything else! ;0)
Table of Contents
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
*This simple recipe comes together in minutes. You can find the full, printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here is a quick look at our steps.
- First, mix the softened butter until smooth.
- Next, cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, mixing at low to medium speed until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar (be careful to add the powdered sugar bit by bit or turn down the mixer so that you won't create a cloud of powdered sugar in your kitchen!)
- Increase mixing speed slightly and mix just until combined and fluffy.
- This frosting pipes best when slightly chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (avoid microwaving) and remix.
Cakes that go with Cream Cheese Frosting
The best part about cream cheese frosting is that it perfectly complements SO many different types of cake. A few of our favorites are Strawberry Cake, Lemon Cake, Pumpkin Cake, and Chocolate Cake, but there are so many more.
Helpful Tips
- We've been swirling & filling our cupcakes and cakes with this frosting for years but as is often the case with Cream Cheese Frosting, it is a bit on the soft side.
- If you need a thicker consistency, you can add additional powdered sugar in small amounts until you reach the desired consistency. Chilling is a great way to thicken the frosting.
- If your Cream Cheese Buttercream becomes increasingly soft as you pipe, to the point that it no longer holds its shape, just pop it in the refrigerator for a minute.
- This could be caused by a super warm kitchen, or warm hands against the piping bag. Either way, a few minutes in the fridge will work wonders. (Just not too long or it'll become too firm!) Oh the joys of cake decorating!
More Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes
We have never met a cream cheese frosting that we didn't love. The flavor options are endless. Don't miss our roundup of the BEST Cream Cheese Frostings and Fillings! Here are some of our favorites:
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Thanks so much for stopping by! We hope that you enjoy this delicious and easy cream cheese frosting.
We would also love for you to check out our full collection of cake recipes as well as our huge section of free cake decorating tutorials!
Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (226g) (Should easily dent when pressed)
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened (We used two 8 oz packages of full fat cream cheese.)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (2g)
- 6 to 6 ½ cups 690g to 747g powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is smooth.
- Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
- Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
- Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
- This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
- Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
Is a double batch of the cream cheese frosting enough to frost a 9x12 quarter sheet cake? I am using raspberry filling so only need enough to pipe damn in the center of the cake.
Thanks for this site! It's so helpful and a lot of fun!
Hi Kim-- One batch should be enough. We always make more frosting than we need and freeze leftovers for later use though ;0) - As I mentioned above, we usually use this recipe for fillings, and then for outer frosting we either add more powdered sugar or combine with vanilla buttercream since it is a pretty soft consistency. --
If you are interested in other options, here is a thread on Cake Central's crusting buttercream (which contains shortening) that several of our members have tried--
https://www.mycakeschool.com/message-boards/cake-decorating-questions/crusting-icings
Hi Melissa,
I am making Red Velvet Cupcakes and doing the Bouquet, my customer wants the roses in the cream cheese. Would this recipe be okay to make roses? Or do you have any suggestions for a cream cheese recipe that would be stiff enough to make roses?
Thank you
Mallory
Hi Mallory, the recipe we have on the site would not be stiff enough to make roses. This is a link to a crusting cream cheese recipe from Cake Central,
http://cakecentral.com/a/crusting-cream-cheese-icing. Some of our member say it works well for them, though we have not tried it. I hope this will work for you
Hi BeBe and Melissa, I made cream frosting for my red velvet cake that consisted of 2 packs of cream cheese(8oz) 1 stick of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 1/2 cups of sugar. This recipe made it thick enough for me to ice the outside of my cake before covering with fondant. However while adding the decoration to the cake I noticed that it started to bulge from the middle layers where I created the dam. Do you have any recommendations for creating a stable dam when making a tier cake with this frosting?
Hi Darlene-- Adding additional confectioner's sugar is a sure fire way to stiffen your buttercream. So, you could reserve some that will be for the dam, and add sugar until you are happy with the consistency. Using a thinner layer of filling or only carrying the filling to approx 1/2 inch from the edge is another way to keep things under control.
Also, did you allow the cake to settle? My bulging problems were solved when I started allowing time for my wrapped cake layers to settle under a weight of some sort (like a thin book or thick magazine) for several hours. You can do this to the crumb coated cake, or you can settle the filled, assembled layers (wrapped with plastic wrap) before crumb coating.
Most of the time we don't even use a stiff dam anymore, unless we are working with a very soft filling. We've just found that the settling solved the bulges for us. I hope this helps!
Hi Melissa,
I didn't settle it but I will from now on. Thank you so much for the advice!
Hi there, just wondering if the extra icing can be frozen as needed for tastings? thanks
Hi Tanya, Yes, I do freeze cream frosting. I have frozen it for at least 2 months......thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Hi
Please I need you help and advice - my family thinks the cream cheese frosting is too sweet when I use 4 cups of icing sugar and if I use less it becomes too runny
Please advise
Thank you
Hi Lena, You might like this recipe for a less sweet recipe. The cream cheese comes through as the dominate flavor and I like that.
2 (8 ounce) packages cream (452g. total) I use full fat cream cheese, you can use reduced fat but the frosting will be softer
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter
3 cups confectioners sugar (measure then sift)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Have the cream cheese and butter slightly cool, just under room temperature. Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla at medium speed until just blended. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until the confectioners sugar is blended in, do not overheat or it will become too soft. Refrigerate until ready to use. I hope you like it.
Hello
I just made this recipe and I think I have ruined it. I dont know if I have to beat it for a long period of time or not. It seems not too smooth, but the taste is good. Thank you