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Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Cream cheese frosting on a beater

I adore cream cheese frosting. It is creamy and rich without being overpowering because it has that lovely tang from the cream cheese. It takes all of three minutes to make, which may or may not be a huge selling point when I’ve promised to make a cake and realize too late that I don’t have very much time to get everything done. And it’s a great complement to so many flavors.

I love it when I make my banana bars. It’s perfect on the apple cake I’m making for Thanksgiving dinner later today.

Slice of homemade apple cinnamon cake

And that carrot cake I made for my birthday earlier this week? What else could possibly top that? Literally or figuratively.

Slice of delicious homemade carrot cake

There are only a few secrets to a good cream cheese frosting recipe. The first is to make sure you set out your ingredients when you start to make your cake so that they are thoroughly softened by the time you’re making your frosting. You can’t “heat up” the cream cheese or the butter to make this frosting work, and if you don’t have them softened, you end up with lumps of cream cheese and lumps of butter which just ruins your frosting entirely.

The second secret to making your cream cheese frosting is to let your cake cool thoroughly before frosting it. Granted, this is something you should do for every cake you make, but it certainly holds true here, too. If your cake is warm or hot, it will melt the butter in the frosting and lose all texture. It never quite tastes the same, and you can end up with soggy cake.

Lastly, add your powdered sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate it in batches then turn it up high to whip it. If you start off with your mixer already going, you’ll have a not so fun to clean up snowstorm in your kitchen. And if you don’t whip it, your frosting is too dense and is harder to spread on your cake without pulling up crumbs.

Ready? Just a few ingredients, and you’re good to go. Assuming you don’t use a spoon to “taste test” all the frosting before putting it on your cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:
5 T butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla bean paste
2 1/2 c powdered sugar

Directions:
In a bowl, add your butter and cream cheese. Beat until thoroughly combined and airy. Scrape down as necessary.

Add the salt and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined, again scraping down your bowl to ensure all ingredients are mixed evenly.

Turn your mixer off and add half your powdered sugar. Stir on low until it is mostly combined, then whip for 30 seconds. Turn your mixer off again and add the remaining powdered sugar, following the same steps.

Mixing cream cheese frosting

Once your frosting is thoroughly mixed, use it immediately or cover tightly to the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. You will need to let it warm up and remix it before using if you have stored it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: Frosting for 9x13 cake or 8" round cake
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Incredibly easy recipe for a tasty cream cheese frosting that will top a 13x9 cake or the outside of a round layer cake.

Ingredients

  • 5 T butter, softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t vanilla bean paste
  • 2 1/2 c powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, add your butter and cream cheese. Beat until thoroughly combined and airy. Scrape down as necessary.
  2. Add the salt and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined, again scraping down your bowl to ensure all ingredients are mixed evenly.
  3. Turn your mixer off and add half your powdered sugar. Stir on low until it is mostly combined, then whip for 30 seconds. Turn your mixer off again and add the remaining powdered sugar, following the same steps.
  4. Once your frosting is thoroughly mixed, use it immediately or cover tightly to the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. You will need to let it warm up and remix it before using if you have stored it.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 101mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g

This site uses an outside source to provide nutrition. If you need exact details, please calculate yourself.

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