This cream cheese frosting is the best thing ever on a carrot cake or a red velvet cake and it pipes wonderfully on cupcakes too.
Cream cheese frosting is perfect for those who find a regular buttercream a little too sweet. It’s definitely sweet, but the sweetness is offset by the cream cheese so the sweetness doesn’t come through as powerfully as it tends to do in a buttercream.
I’m a big fan of buttercream, our vanilla buttercream frosting and chocolate buttercream frosting are just awesome, but for some cakes – carrot cake and red velvet cake in particular – you just need a cream cheese frosting.
It spreads beautifully onto cakes and also pipes beautifully onto cupcakes. In these photos we piped the frosting on top of red velvet cupcakes and it was simply perfect. It’s also the frosting on our carrot cake cupcakes and looks divine.
How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add softened butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them together until creamy and smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat in until smooth and fluffy (about two minutes).
- Frost onto cooled cakes or cupcakes!
Recipe Tips
- The cream cheese should be a brick-style very firm full fat cream cheese like Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It should not be soft and spreadable (usually found in tubs).
- The butter and the cream cheese should ideally be slightly softened before you beat them together. If you forget, it’s fine, but you may need to beat them a bit longer to get them entirely smooth.
- We used a lightly salted butter so we don’t need to add in any salt, but if you have unsalted butter that’s also fine, but you’ll want to add in a small pinch of salt (around ⅛ tsp or to taste).
- If your frosting is very soft right after making it, you can put it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up before piping it.
How To Use It
This frosting will perfectly frost a two-layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake. It is also enough to very generously frost 12 cupcakes (as pictured) or less generously frost 24 cupcakes.
Storing and Freezing
If you have leftover frosting, then keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then beat it again in your mixer to get it to the perfect consistency.
More Frosting Recipes
- White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Espresso Buttercream Frosting
- Biscoff Buttercream Frosting
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese Full fat, Brick-style, Softened
- ½ cup Butter Lightly Salted, Softened
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Add softened butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them together until creamy and smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat in until smooth and fluffy (about two minutes).
- Frost onto cooled cakes or cupcakes!
Video
Notes
- The cream cheese should be a brick-style very firm full fat cream cheese like Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It should not be soft and spreadable (usually found in tubs).
- The butter and the cream cheese should ideally be slightly softened before you beat them together. If you forget to soften them in advance, it’s fine, but you may need to beat them a bit longer to get them entirely smooth.
- We used a lightly salted butter so there is no need to add in any salt, but if you only have unsalted butter that’s also fine to use, but you may want to add in a small pinch of salt (around ⅛ tsp or to taste).
- If your frosting is very soft right after making it, you can put it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up before piping it.
- This frosting will perfectly frost a two-layer 8-inch or a two-layer 9-inch cake. It is also enough to very generously frost 12 cupcakes or less generously frost 24 cupcakes.
- If you have leftover frosting, then keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then beat it again in your mixer to get it to the perfect consistency.
If I don’t have powdered sugar, could I use granulated sugar for the frosting?
No, that would not work as the granulated sugar is too coarse for frosting.
I love this recipe, it pipes so well and tastes amazing. Also so simple. Thanks!
Wonderful! Thanks Vera!