Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich, decadent and oh-so-easy, adding this frosting to your repertoire will elevate your dessert game big time.

This simple and versatile frosting will up your cake game exponentially, with its beautiful texture and rich flavor.

Now, we get that store bought icing can be convenient, but with around 20 ingredients including baddies such as food colourings, high fructose corn syrup and palm kernel oil, they’re not the healthiest choice. We have always advocated for homemade over store-bought, and this is a great example of that: six simple, natural ingredients combine to make the best frosting you’ve ever had. Now let’s be honest: there is no frosting that can be labeled as “healthy”, but using a few natural ingredients is way healthier than the factory produced stuff in a pot.

This is a fantastic recipe, and we encourage you to go ahead and use it as a base for a whole range of variations. Once you have this method down pat, the world will become your frosting oyster, so to speak.

Next time you make cookies, cupcakes or any other baked treat, elevate it to bakery levels with a little of this delightful frosting piped on top.

On Maple Syrup

As the name suggests, maple syrup is made by boiling down the sap of the Maple tree, which flows in the first warmish days at the end of winter. It’s predominantly made in Canada and the North Eastern US, and we feel like there’s really no substitute on a stack of Sunday pancakes.

The color and flavor of maple syrup comes from the length of time the sap is boiled – and it’s boiled a lot: about 40-50 gallons of sap yield a single gallon of syrup, which is why it’s more expensive than artificially flavored syrups.

For those of you who care about such things, maple syrup has a lower glycemic index (GI) than commercial syrups, making it less impactful on your body’s blood sugar levels. If anyone in your household has diabetes or are pre-diabetic, talk to a health care professional about it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 cup full-fat cream cheese also at room temperature
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
A squeeze of fresh lemon or orange juice about 1 teaspoon

How to Make Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the unsalted butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until the mixture is very smooth (about 2 minutes).

Step 2: Add the pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, fine sea salt, and your choice of lemon or orange juice. Continue to beat on medium-high speed until the frosting becomes light and fluffy, which will be about 4 minutes.

Step 3: If the frosting seems too soft for spreading, place it in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes.

Top Tips For a Perfect Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting comes together pretty quickly, but don’t rush it. Take the time to whisk thoroughly for the best texture.
For an extra citrus hit, add a little of the zest from your lemon or orange… or both! Lime works great, too.
Try adding some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for a different flavor profile. This recipe is a great starting base to make frosting to accompany anything you bake.
If you’re making this to go with salted caramel cookies (and you should!), try using smoked salt instead of regular sea salt in the frosting.
Scraping down the sides of the bowl as you work is key. Using a rubber or silicone spatula works best.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting featured image front shot

FAQs

Can I use low-fat substitutes?

Not really. The rich, luxurious texture comes from the fats in the frosting.

I used too much juice and now my frosting is too runny.

Put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes, that should firm it up nicely. If it’s still runny, you have two choices – use it as a dip for cookies or pretzels, or try whisking in a little corn starch to get it to the right consistency.

My frosting is lumpy.

This can happen for two reasons. Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, and make sure you whisk thoroughly at both stages. The trick is to emulsify the fats and incorporate air into the mixture, which is how you get out-of-this-world texture.

Can I use regular pancake syrup?

You can, especially if you’re adding spices or zest to the icing which might mask the flavor of the maple syrup. However, if you’re making this recipe as posted here, we feel that real maple syrup is the star of the show and is worth the splurge.

Serving Suggestions

Pipe it onto virtually any dessert to make it extra special. We love it on cupcakes and in sandwich cookies, but it’s also delicious on Jello! It’s that versatile.

How to Store Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting will keep in the fridge for about a week. Be sure to bring it out to temper around two hours before you use it. Avoid the microwave, just let it warm up naturally.