This simple and easy cream cheese frosting has a light and fluffy texture that pipes beautiful swirls on your cupcakes, carrot cake, or red velvet cake. Use it under fondant for tiered cakes. The best thing is it takes just 5 minutes to prepare.
A good frosting has the perfect balance between fat and sugar which are the two main ingredients that give you texture, stability, and flavor.
The secret to good CC frosting is full-fat cream cheese. The biggest issue with low-fat cream cheese is that it contains more liquid, which ends up giving you a very soft and wet consistency frosting. As a result, you add more powdered sugar. So there is basically no actual cream cheese flavor in there just powdered sugar.
About this recipe
This recipe is very simple and easy to make in just 5 minutes. I use a little whipping cream to my frosting. This adds that light and airy whipped cream consistency. The stability of course comes from the full-fat cream cheese that whips up with the butter and powdered sugar.
If you don't want to add butter you make a CC frosting without butter as I have shared with you in my no-butter CC Frosting. Though there are limitations to using it of course.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Cream Cheese - As I've written above - no low fat - please use full-fat cream cheese such as Philadelphia or Mascarpone.
- Butter - helps add stability to the frosting. As it firms up, it holds its shape better.
- Lemon - Just a tiny amount to cut into that sweetness. And yet, it does not affect the taste.
- Salt - Sounds like a lot but it does help cut down the sweetness.
- Powdered sugar - Always use good powdered sugar made from cane sugar to avoid a gritty/grainy frostings.
Step by step instructions (pin)
Makes enough for 24 cupcakes, 8 or 9 x 2 layer cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the cream cheese and butter to remove any lumps.
- Add the whipping cream, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract– cream another minute
- Next, add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar has been used whip for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Tip - do not over whip cream cheese as it can separate or curdle - Check consistency – if necessary add more powdered sugar to stiffen or more whipping cream to loosen it.
Flavored CC frosting
- Chocolate CC Frosting - Replace ¼ cup powdered sugar with cocoa powder - mix together before you add into the mixer.
- Lemon Juice CC frosting - Replace 1 tbsp of the fresh cream with 1 tbsp of lemon juice - more if you like a tart buttercream.
- Peppermint CC frosting - Replace 1 tsp of vanilla in the recipe with 1 tsp peppermint extract to the above frosting.
- Maple CC frosting - Replace the cream in this recipe with Maple syrup - the syrup will lighten the frosting so you may not be able to pipe firm swirls but it will still be absolutely delicious.
- Caramel CC frosting - Omit the fresh cream in the recipe - Add ½ cup thick caramel sauce (see my homemade caramel sauce recipe here) - and add the caramel sauce at the last stage and you have whipped the cream cheese frosting.
The consistency will be softer so you won't be able to pipe firm swirls. Since caramel is added sugar the resulting frosting is rather sweet. You can add salt flakes to cut some of that and get a salted caramel effect.
Personally, I prefer to make the classic cream cheese frosting recipe and then drizzle the caramel over the finished cupcake or cake as an added effect which is usually more appreciated than adding caramel into the frosting.
Frequently asked questions
This is probably to do with the low-fat cream cheese lecture I gave you above. You must use cream cheese with at least 32 to 38% fat or more. Cream cheese is not an extra ingredient here it's just like butter. We reduce the butter in a recipe to add cream cheese. So the powdered sugar needs to mix with the fat in the cream cheese and butter, which gives us that light and fluffy texture.
NO!! CC frosting is not brand sensitive but rather fat sensitive. You don't need to use a brand name cream cheese. If you can find a local cream cheese that has above 32% fat - go ahead and use it. Of course, the cream cheese has to be unflavored so it does not influence the final flavor of the frosting.
Cream cheese is a perishable product just like milk and yogurt or whipped cream. Hence, it must be treated with the same courtesy. The high powdered sugar content does work as a preservative. So we can keep the finished product out for a few hours. And yet, in general, you must treat cream cheese just as you would milk or yogurt.
Similarly, just like whipped cream - cream cheese becomes fluffy with all the mixing, and a lot of air is incorporated in the frosting. And yet, over time it loses its volume when kept outside. Especially in warmer climates.
Absolutely! you can use this classic CC frosting. You want your frosting to be firm with the right consistency. If it's too soft it will not firm up in the fridge. As a result, you will not be able to drape a heavy fondant. This frosting does give you a nice firm canvas for fondant cakes.
you may also like these frostings
- Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream
- French or German buttercream
- American buttercream
- Vanilla or Chocolate buttercream
- Vanilla or Chocolate Bakery Style Buttercream
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Cream Cheese Frosting
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Ingredients
Makes enough for 24 cupcakes, 8 or 9 x 2 layer cake
- 8 oz (226 g) Cream cheese
- 4 oz (113 g) Butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1 lb (450 g) Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Whipping cream 38% fat or more
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
If needed for consistency
- 2 tbsp Powdered sugar
- 2 tsp Whipping cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the cream cheese and butter to remove any lumps.
- Add the whipping cream, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract– cream another minute
- Next, add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar has been used whip for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.Tip - do not over whip cream cheese as it can separate or curdle
- Check consistency – if necessary add more powdered sugar to stiffen or more whipping cream to loosen it.
Recipe Notes
Flavored cream cheese frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting - replace ¼ cup powdered sugar with cocoa powder - mix together before you add into the mixer.
- Lemon Juice - Replace 1 tbsp of the fresh cream with 1 tbsp of lemon juice - more if you like a tart buttercream.
- Peppermint - replace 1 tsp of vanilla in the recipe with 1 tsp peppermint extract to the above frosting.
- Maple - Replace the cream in this recipe with maple syrup - the syrup will lighten the frosting so you may not be able to pipe firm swirls but it will still be absolutely delicious.
- Caramel - Omit the fresh cream in the recipe - Add ½ cup thick caramel sauce (see my homemade caramel sauce recipe here) - and add the caramel sauce at the last stage and you have whipped the cream cheese frosting. The consistency will be softer so you won't be able to pipe firm swirls. Since caramel is added sugar the resulting frosting is rather sweet. You can add salt flakes to cut some of that and get a salted caramel effect. Personally, I prefer to make the classic cream cheese frosting recipe and then drizzle the caramel over the finished cupcake or cake as an added effect which is usually more appreciated than adding caramel into the frosting.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Cindy
I really dislike powdered sugar. The grittiness from the cornstarch makes me crazy. What are your thoughts on using Caster sugar and cutting back the amount of sugar? I'm thinking of a 2:1 ratio of full-fat cream cheese to butter. As well as only a ~half cup of Caster Sugar. Is this doable?
Veena Azmanov
Cindy the problem with sugar as compared to powdered sugar is that it can make the frosting grainy. And in the case of cream cheese, it can cause the cream cheese to break down. I suggest you use a less sweet buttercream like Swiss, Italian, German, French.
Neve
Hi Veena. I plan to try this frosting for my carrot cake. I could not get cream cheese or whipping cream with 38% fat. I plan to use mascarpone and double cream instead. Should i cream the cheese and butter, first, whip the double cream separately before folding it in instead of whipping together with the mascapone.
Veena Azmanov
Neve, You can use Mascarpone with this process. It is a thick cream cheese so will work beautifully. Also, the double cream can be whipped directly in the frosting.
Neve
Thank you so much Veena. I made the frosting as per your suggestion and it turned out very well.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Never. Happy you enjoyed it.