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, along with the salt, mixing 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 mixing 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.
Great, thanks a lot for the reply Melissa. Hope I can use this frosting for layers as well?
id like to know how many cupcakes this would frost please thank you
The recipe will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake so I think it makes 5 cups frosting. One cup frosting will frost 12 cupcakes with a simple swirl using a 2D tip. Of course, making a high swirl will need more.
Delicious! Thank you so much.? It was the perfect complement to the carrot cake! My husband loved it!
I noticed the picture of the cupcakes using this frosting has a yellow tint but your red velvet cake using this recipe is whiter. Did you use white gel color to brighten it up for the cake? I’m making the corresponding white chocolate trees for Christmas and I’m afraid the yellow tint will not look good.
I am going to have a New Year’s Day brunch. I am baking and freezing ahead of time.
I already have some red velvet cupcakes in the freezer. I’m going to make some chocolate cupcakes also. Instead of making a cream cheese icing and a chocolate buttercream icing, how can I flavor part of this recipe to be chocolate cream cheese icing? I didn’t see a recipe for that.
If it’s melted chocolate or cocoa, how much?
Thank you so much!
Ps— I think I should flavor half the recipe as chocolate
Hi Judy, This is our Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, it is based on the above Classic Cream Frosting
2 sticks butter
2 8 ounces packages cream cheese--block cream that is full fat, not in a tub
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
6 to 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar
For chocolate cream cheese frosting mix in I cup unsweetened cocoa powder (measure then sift)
The recipe makes 5 1/2 cups frosting. Since you want half of it to be regular cream cheese and the other half chocolate, remove 1/2 of the frosting. For the remaining frosting in your mixing bowl add 1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder and mix in. You can add more cocoa powder a small amount at a time for a deeper chocolate flavor, if you need more sweetness add more powdered sugar.
Hi Bebe, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your reply!!! MWAH!
I wish you had a reply button on the comments.
Hi Bebe,
Hope you had a great Christmas!
I found that I prefer the frosting with 8 cups of powdered sugar. Otherwise, it seemed too tart.
I eyeballed the amount of cocoa powder to add, because I changed the recipe. But I'd like to write down a recipe for next time.
If I should add 1 cup cocoa powder to a batch having 6 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, how much cocoa should I add to a batch having 8 cups powdered sugar?
For the carrot cake topping what kind of icing to put on the cake?
Hi Marisa, We most often use the Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe but the Pipeable Cream Cheese recipe would be fine also.