Cream Cheese Frosting

When bakers think of frosting a cake, immediately two options come to mind- chocolate or vanilla buttercream? Which is a dang shame! There are so many other flavors and varieties that should be in a bakers repertoire and are honestly better choices sometimes!

Cream cheese frosting is one delicious option that packs a more flavorful and unique punch then the more standard flavors. It is just as important as a buttercream and can be transformed into whatever flavor you want! 

A pumpkin cake that needs a frosting? Try adding some nutmeg.

A banana cake that needs a finishing touch? Try adding caramel.

A blueberry cake that needs some pizzaz? Add some lemon extract. 

Cream cheese frosting adds a brightness to a baked good because of the tanginess of the cream cheese. On the flip side, it adds a subtle, sweet creamy finish due to the lack of overall sugar that your standard buttercream has at the forefront. 

Some trouble shooting:

Let your cream cheese and butter come to room temp before making the frosting. This is the key to having everything work out in your flavor… I mean favor. 

If your frosting has chunks of cream cheese in it at the end: DON’T PANIC. This is a mistake that happens all the time. There are a few different remedies for this mistake and all of them have varying degrees of success. The first thing I would do would be to remove the frosting from your mixing bowl and put it into a separate container. Once that’s done, take your mixing bowl to the sink and very carefully run hot water inside of your bowl (be careful not to burn yourself). Once your metal bowl is quite hot, dry the inside quickly with a towel, place your frosting back into the bowl, and mix it in the mixer on medium-high. The heat from the bowl will help melt these chunks but will not be hot enough to melt your frosting. 

Another trick is, while your mixer is on medium speed, take a kitchen towel and run it under warm to hot water. Wring it out and hold it against the outside of your mixer bowl. It will do the same thing as running hot water into the bowl, but to a lesser effect. Your towel will cool off fast, so you might have to use this method a few times. 

Cream Cheese 101: Always use cream cheese and not a cream cheese spread. There is a difference, and it’s a doozy: Cream cheese contains a higher fat content than the cream cheese spread, so it will be able to hold a shape. If you use a spread instead, it will create a very soft frosting that will not be pipeable. You will basically be left with a slimy, impossible mess, which is not ideal when trying to pipe, by any means. Not only will it not hold up, it also won’t taste as good! It won’t be creamy and delish, it will be salty and sad. 🙁

Cream Cheese Frosting

Angelique Tamburo

This deliciously creamy frosting will be a go-to in your kitchen.

Makes enough to frost two dozen cupcakes or one eight inch cake.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Ingredients

  

• 8 oz or one block Full Fat Cream Cheese
• 8 oz or two sticks Unsalted Butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 Cups of confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons of milk

Instructions

 

• Make your that your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before starting.
• Beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed with the paddle attachment. Scrape the bowl and keep beating until there are no chunks. If there are still chunks, keep scraping and beating.
• When there are no chunks start to add in your confectioners sugar. Add about four cups and then add your vanilla, salt and milk. Once everything is incorporated add the remainder of your sugar.
• Beat until incorporated and smooth.