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Cream cheese frosting
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5 from 4 votes

Cream Cheese Frosting

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.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12
Calories: 289kcal
Author: Alison

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

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 26mg | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg