Best Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This Best Cream Cheese Frosting might turn out to be the only frosting recipe you’ll ever need.

It’s true. When you see how versatile this Cream Cheese Frosting is, when you discover how it enhances so many kinds of cakes while letting each cake’s individual flavor shine through, you might just return to it time and time again. I know I do. It’s amazing how only 4 ingredients (well, 5 when you count the bit of salt) combine to produce this sweet but not too sweet and tangy but not too tangy creamy frosting that is the perfect topping for nearly all of your baked goods.

If it wasn’t for dairyman William Lawrence back in the 1870s, we might not even have cream cheese. He was trying to make a popular French cheese known as Neufchatel but accidentally added too much cream and there you go–thanks, Bill! And although Lawrence was from New York, what he invented is what we now all pretty much think of as Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

This delicious cream cheese frosting tastes like…well, it tastes like cheesecake!! The butter and cream cheese are combined to a perfect smoothness, the vanilla brings deep full flavor, and the salt balances the sugar so that the frosting is, like cheesecake, somehow rich and light all at once. Wait until you try it on Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and, of course, your favorite recipe for Carrot Cake.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened to room temperature
8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature (use brick-style for best results)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt to balance the sweetness
4 cups powdered sugar sifted

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1: Place the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work just fine. Beat the mixture on medium speed until it’s creamy and free of lumps (about 2-3 minutes).

Step 2: Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the vanilla extract and salt. Mix until just combined.

Step 3: Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, about a half cup at a time, with the mixer still on low (to prevent a sugar storm). Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light (about 1-2 minutes).

Step 4: Your cream cheese frosting is now ready. Your cakes or cupcakes should be cool before spreading or piping the frosting on.

Top Tips For a Perfect Best Cream Cheese Frosting

Bring on the full fat! Though that doesn’t mean light cream cheese won’t work in this recipe; it will, but you won’t get quite the richness you get with the original.
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are both soft–room temperature soft is best. This ensures perfect blending.
Brick vs Whip…that almost sounds like we’re talking about weapons, but we’re talking about the ways cream cheese comes and for this frosting, brick is best.
It’s a good idea to sift your powdered sugar to avoid any lumps–this frosting should be as smooth as possible.

FAQs

I sifted my powdered sugar but the mix is still lumpy: why?

It probably has something to do with temperature–you want to make sure the butter and cream cheese are both room-temperature. You can microwave your cream cheese for 5 seconds or so to get it to where it needs to be.

What if the frosting is too thick?

Simple fix! Just beat in a bit of milk…start with a small splash and beat; if it’s still not where you want it, add another small splash…and so on. And if you end up adding too much milk, add more sifted powdered sugar to bring it back to desired thickness.

Can you make the cream cheese frosting in other flavors?

Yes you can! Add sifted cocoa powder and you’ll have chocolate cream cheese frosting. Yum. Try different flavored extracts, like lemon or coconut or almond, either with vanilla or without. Honey is also a great add-in.

Serving Suggestions

By now, I’m sure you can tell how wonderful Cream Cheese Frosting will be on cakes and cupcakes, but it’s more versatile than that. It makes a beautiful filling for desserts like pumpkin rolls or chocolate logs, a decadent spread for Spiced Applesauce Bread and The Best Banana Bread Ever, a dip for fruit and, even better, for salty crunchy pretzels, and so much more…like topping for The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls…I can’t stop myself! But I have to add one more serving suggestion because you will love this: add some mini chocolate chips to Cream Cheese Frosting and pipe it into cannoli shells…you can thank me later!

How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days; it may be a bit harder when you take it out than when you put it in, but it will still be very spreadable. You can always let it come to room temperature, if you like it a bit more soft.

This frosting can also be frozen for up to 3 months, in an airtight container. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using.