Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic, easy and quick, this homemade cream cheese frosting beats the store-bought varieties hands down.

Tangy, smooth, rich and creamy, cream cheese frosting deserves its place as one of America’s favorite frostings. Indeed, many would argue that a carrot cake is simply incomplete without it, and who are we to argue?

Several brands of cream cheese icing are available at your local grocery store, but making your own is so easy and the flavor is far superior. A quick look at several popular national brands will reveal that they can contain 15-20 ingredients and, astonishingly, none of them are cream cheese. You’ll find unhealthy fats, preservatives, food colorings and flavor-enhancers, though. This recipe uses just five simple, natural ingredients that you can feel good about giving your family, and it has a flavor that’s out of this world.

It’s also really easy to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment – if you’ve got a hand mixer or stand mixer, you’re good to go. We think that once you try this recipe you’ll never go back to store-bought cream cheese frosting.

So go ahead and whip up a batch, literally. It goes great with Frog Commissary Carrot Cake.

The Origins of Cream Cheese

Cream cheese was invented by accident by a Victorian cheesemaker in New York. He was trying to make a white, crumbly cheese that was popular at the time, and he ended up adding too much cream… et voila. Cream cheese was born. Some folks don’t think cream cheese is “real” cheese, but it is. It’s not aged or ripened like most cheeses, but it is a natural and wholesome cheese nonetheless. It has spawned many varieties and flavors, and is used as an ingredient in many recipes, like this one.

Ingredients

8 oz cold cream cheese right from the fridge
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream keep it cold for best results
A pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to Make Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1: Add your cold cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until it’s fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes).

Step 2: Pour in the heavy cream, add that pinch of salt and the vanilla extract. Switch to the whisk attachment if you’re using a stand mixer. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed until smooth and has thickened to your desired consistency (another 1 to 2 minutes).

Step 3: Taste your frosting. Add a bit of heavy cream for extra creaminess and beat it again to incorporate.

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store?

This cream cheese icing can be stored for three days in the fridge, but if you store it for more than 24 hours you might need to re-whip it. The high fat content also makes it a great candidate for freezing, so go ahead and freeze any extra you might have. Thaw it in the fridge and re-whip it before use.

Cold is king!

Use cold cream cheese and cold whipping cream for best results, and we even recommend chilling the mixing bowl before you start. If your ingredients warm up too much, you’ll end up with a looser frosting. It’s easy to fix, though – just put it back in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before re-whipping it.

Play with flavor!

This cream cheese frosting is delicious, and you can use this recipe as a base for flavored versions. Add 1/3 cup of cocoa powder at the start to make a chocolate version, or try adding some orange, lemon or lime zest for different desserts.

My frosting came out too loose.

That’s OK. Keep the frosting in the bowl you made it in and put the whole thing in the fridge for an hour before re-whipping it. That’ll firm it up.

Scrape down the bowl.

Use a rubber or silicone spatula to periodically scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as you work. That’ll help you make sure that all the white ingredients are fully incorporated.

Serving Suggestions

Licking the beaters is a treat in itself, but that isn’t why we made the frosting, is it? In these photos we’ve strayed from tradition and used it with a flan base and a bunch of different bright, fresh berries. It’s a fabulous and sophisticated dessert, and if you don’t have the time or desire to bake you can find good quality pre-made flan bases at your local grocery store.

You can use this frosting as a classic pairing for carrot cake, but it actually elevates pretty much anything you put it on – coffee cakes, cupcakes, muffins… they’re all brought up to the next level with a dollop of this on top. If you want to get a little fancier, put it in a piping bag and keep it in the fridge until your ready to top your latest creation.