silky cream cheese frosting

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting is incredibly easy to make at home – and doesn’t require you to sift any powdered sugar! It comes together in minutes, with just 6 ingredients and is silky soft and not too sweet! It’s also stable enough to pipe onto cakes and cupcakes.

this recipe

Why you’ll love this Cream Cheese Frosting:

• No Sifting! – Can I just say that sifting powdered sugar is a scam? Beating youf butter and then beating in the cream cheese until everything is creamy and smooth (scraping the bowl helps!) will eliminate any lumps – not sifting your powdered sugar is never going to cause lumps in your frosting. You can take my word from it – I’ve only done it maybe two times in my entire life and it was NOT WORTH IT.
• Stable Cream Cheese Frosting – This cream cheese frosting is very cream cheese forward, but is still stable enough to frost a cake, and to pipe!
• Not too Sweet – My recipe isn’t overly sweet! You can always taste and add more powdered sugar as desired, though.

Ingredient Overview:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).

• Butter – I always use salted butter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
• Cream Cheese – Use full fat cream cheese, in blocks, for the best results.
• Vanilla – Use real vanilla for the best flavor! I like vanilla bean paste because it leaves little flecks of vanilla in the white frosting.
• Salt – A little salt helps balance the flavors beautifully!

Recipe Substitutions & Variations:

• Dairy-free – Dairy-free butter works beautifully in this recipe, but I haven’t found a brand of dairy-free cream cheese that I love. If you have one you love, feel free to try it here! Note that it could make the frosting a little runnier, though.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:

Step 1: Beat Butter. Beat the butter on high speed for 30-60 seconds with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Step 2: Beat in the Cream cheese. Add the cream cheese and beat for 30-90 seconds, until well combined with the butter and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to check for any stray lumps.

Step 3: Finish the Frosting. Mix in half the powdered sugar with the vanilla, salt, and a splash of milk if needed to help the powdered sugar incorporate. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar, then taste and adjust if desired.

Serving + Storing:

Use your frosting immediately to frost cakes, cupcakes, or anything else your heart desires! If your frosting seems too weepy, pop it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to help it stiffen up a bit.

Store frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days before using. Let soften at room temperature a bit, then re-mix, so it’s spreadable again. You can also freeze the frosting in a freezer container for 3-6 weeks. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Expert Baking Tips:

• Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
• Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.

FAQs:

Special Tools:

• Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer

More Frosting Recipes to love:

• Blueberry Frosting
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Classic 10-Minute Chocolate Frosting
• Chocolate Fudge Frosting

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