Smooth, sweet and delicious, this Easy Cream Cheese Frosting is perfect for carrot cakes, red velvet cakes and banana cakes. It is thick, holds shape and is made with three ingredients in less than ten minutes!
This cream cheese frosting is my go-to recipe for carrot cakes and banana cakes. It is sweet and tangy, with a smooth, thick texture making it a great choice for plenty of desserts. It can also be added to a piping bag and used to decorate.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It is very easy to follow and works every time.
- It has a smooth, silky lump-free texture.
- You only need three ingredients to make it.
- It can be added to a piping bag and used to decorate desserts.
- The ingredients are easy to find.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Use room-temperature unsalted butter. This will help the frosting mix easily and prevent a lumpy texture. Do not use salted butter, as this will affect the taste of the frosting.
- Cream cheese: The cream cheese should be cold. I have found that combining cold cream cheese with room-temperature unsalted butter helps the frosting to hold its shape.
- Icing sugar: Sift the icing sugar to remove excess dirt and ensure that it is lump free.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Hand-held whisk or mixing stand
- Sift
- Spatula
Recipe Variations
If you don’t want to use butter, replace it with margarine, heavy cream, coconut oil, or shortening. The quantity will of each will vary.
Cream cheese frosting can also be made with heavy cream. This makes the frosting extra creamy and helps to stabilize whipped cream frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add 100g of room-temperature unsalted butter to a bowl. Whisk it for 1-2 minutes.
2. Next, add 160g of cream cheese to the bowl and whisk until combined or for 2 minutes.
3. Then, add 120g (one-third) of sifted icing sugar. Mix the icing sugar with the butter and cream cheese mixture with a spoon or spatula to prevent it from spilling. Then use a whisk and mix until just combined.
4. Finally, repeat the previous step with the remaining icing sugar. Whisk for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
Get ready to frost your favorite desserts and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Ingredient temperatures: To ensure that the cream cheese buttercream has a smooth texture, the butter must be at room temperature and the cream cheese should be cold. If the temperature of the ingredients is not correct, it will result in a lumpy frosting.
- Proportion: This recipe can be doubled or tripled depending on the size of the dessert.
- Weighing scale: Use a scale to measure the ingredients accurately. If the ingredients are not measured correctly, then it may affect the consistency of the frosting.
- Mixing: Do not over or undermix the frosting because this will cause the texture to change and result in a runny frosting.
FAQs
This can happen when the cream cheese has a high water content or if the ingredient measurements in the recipe are incorrect. Here are a few different ways to stiffen runny frosting: The easiest way to stiffen cream cheese is to refrigerate it for 5-10 minutes or you can add more icing sugar (1/4 cup) and whisk until it is incorporated. Another option is to add 50-100ml of heavy cream and whip until the frosting stiffens.
Yes. You can. Beat it for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy. Do not be tempted to keep mixing once you get a smooth texture because the frosting will become runny.
Buttercream frosting is made with butter and icing sugar while cream cheese frosting includes cream cheese, icing sugar and butter. Buttercream frosting has a sweet taste while cream cheese frosting is tangy and sweet.
Yes. It does harden up if it is left at room temperature or refrigerated. However, if you are in a hot region then it may melt or become runny due to the heat.
Thanks for reading this recipe, comment below if you made this and let me know how it went! Follow @simshomekitchen on Instagram, take a photo, tag and hashtag it with @simshomekitchen.
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Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Hand-held whisk or mixing stand
- Sift
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 160 g cream cheese
- 360 g icing sugar
Instructions
- Add unsalted butter to a bowl. Whisk it for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add cream cheese to the bowl and whisk it with the butter until they are both combined or for 2 minutes.
- Add one-third of the icing sugar to the bowl and mix with a spoon or spatula to prevent it from spilling. Then use a handheld whisk and mix until just combined. Repeat this step with the remaining icing sugar.
- Whisk for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix the frosting, as this will make it runny.
- Use this cream cheese frosting for carrot cake and other desserts.
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