Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

A cupcake with cream cheese frosting piped in a tall triangle shape.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Cream Cheese Frosting is smooth, sweet, and tangy. It’s made with only five ingredients in a few simple steps and is the perfect topping for cupcakes and cakes or icing for cinnamon rolls.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings cups

Calories 779kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature (170g)
1 (8-ounce, 226g) block cream cheese room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
4 to 6 cups powdered sugar sifted (480g-720g)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds until creamy. Add the room temperature cream cheese, vanilla, and salt. Beat together on medium speed for about about 2 minutes until very well combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add 4 cups of the powdered sugar in a cup at a time. Mix until combined. If you would like a thicker frosting, use all 6 cups.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute or until nice and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip or spread over your favorite cake. This recipe makes enough frosting for 2 dozen cupcakes, 1 (8-inch) two-layer cake, or a 13x9-inch sheet cake.

Video

Notes

What to frost: This recipe makes 5 cups of frosting, enough for 2 dozen cupcakes, 1 (8-inch) two-layer cake, or a 13x9-inch sheet cake. To make more frosting, multiply the ingredients as desired.
Chill the frosting to set it. If you frost cakes, especially layer cakes, refrigerate the frosted cake to firm up the icing. Cream cheese frosting is softer by nature, so some chill time will help keep cake layers from sliding, and they will slice more neatly.
Quickly soften the ingredients. If needed, you can quickly bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature by cutting them into small cubes and spreading them out on a plate in a warm part of the kitchen. Never use the microwave! Learn how to soften butter quickly if you forgot to leave it out. This trick helps speed up the softening of cream cheese as well.

Nutrition