Cream cheese frosting. What isn’t it good on? Just about everything but steak, maybe. Seriously, from graham crackers, to apple slices, to red velvet cake, carrot cake, and my Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread, you cannot beat cream cheese frosting for imparting the perfect milky, savory-sweet flavor you need to sweet and savory treats.
Cream Cheese Icing gained its fame because it lends such an awesome flavor to traditional cakes like carrot cake and red velvet cake. It’s also a much more stable icing for cakes that are going to be served at cookouts, outdoor weddings, birthday parties, and afternoon soirees on the deck in the heat by the pool. Why? Because the more stable quality of cream cheese makes this an icing that can handle the heat and not melt into a gooey mess. Plus, the flavor it out of this world.
I love this icing for so much more than carrot and red velvet cake. I love it for the flavor it imparts to savory vegetable and fruit breads, like my Easy Zucchini Bread.
Another reason I like Cream Cheese Frosting is it’s perfect for crafty cake decorating. This strong, stable icing can be molded and swirled to make a multitude of animal designs on cakes or fun designs of any kind — think bunny noses, eyes, and ears, whatever you fancy! Plus, your cake won’t melt into a soupy mess before you get it to the Fourth of July table either.
Cream Cheese Frosting is not only one of the best icings for decorating, it is also a great protector of fragile cakes. Carrot cake, for example, might spoil without it, with all those shaved carrots, raisins, and moist dough encased together. This is why they iced carrot cake with Cream Cheese Frosting in the first place!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (brick-style, not spreadable) (226g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar (500g)
Instructions
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 10 minutes
Yields – 24 servings
Step 1: Start by beating the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Mix in the vanilla extract and salt until well combined.
Step 3: Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed until fully incorporated.
Step 4: Once smooth, use the frosting to adorn your completely cooled cakes or cupcakes.
FAQs & Tips
Cream Cheese Icing is the most forgiving icing to choose if you want a long serving cake that won’t go bad on you. That’s cause Cream Cheese Icing can be kept un-refrigerated a whole 8 hours. Giving your guests plenty of time to enjoy their cakes or cupcakes. Store refrigerated in an air-tight container. You cannot freeze this icing.
Don’t just use any cream cheese–especially not whipped cream cheese. Use brick-style cream cheese–always. It’s hardier than whipped cream cheese and won’t break down and wilt on you.
You have to use real butter, not margarine or whipped butter in this icing. Why? You need the milk solids from real butter or it won’t work.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this icing on my Blueberry Crumb Cake (YUM!!) my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Banana Bread (double YUM!!), and my Pumpkin Dump Cake, just to name a few!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (brick-style, not spreadable) (226g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar 500g
Instructions
- Start by beating the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and salt until well combined.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Once smooth, use the frosting to adorn your completely cooled cakes or cupcakes.
