This spiced cream cheese frosting is perfectly tangy and sweet, and tastes amazing on just about anything!
While cream cheese is the star of the show, ground cinnamon and nutmeg give this frosting tons of warm, cozy flavor.
My favorite way to use this frosting is on carrot cake cupcakes or cinnamon rolls!
Better yet, it’s totally pipeable and can be used to fill and decorate layer cakes and cupcake alike!
What Makes This Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting Pipeable?
This frosting has equal parts unsalted butter and cream cheese.
This allows it to have that delicious cream cheese taste while still being able to keep its shape. It’s the perfect balance of flavor and structure.
How Much Frosting Does this Recipe Make?
This recipe makes about 3 cups of frosting, which is enough to frost about 2 dozen cupcakes or a dozen cinnamon rolls.
If you want to frost a 6-inch layer cake, make 1.5 batches. To frost an 8-inch layer cake, make 2 batches.
Tips For Making Best Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use full fat cream cheese that comes in a block! It gives the frosting the best possible texture and taste.
- Don’t bother sifting your powdered sugar! Most brands in the US contain cornstarch to prevent caking and clumping. Only sift if you notice large clumps in your powdered sugar.
- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are both at room temperature! If they’re not, they won’t properly mix together, and you can end up with chunks of cream cheese in your frosting.
- Use freshly ground spices if possible. If you use pre-ground spices, make sure they’re still fresh and haven’t expired or lost their potency.
- Seal off the top of your piping bag with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from seeping out the top of the bag and make the piping bags easier to use.
- Mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple minutes to give the frosting a silky-smooth consistency.
Making This Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips
Make your frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! Store this frosting in an airtight container or sealed piping bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!
If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this spiced cream cheese frosting recipe, I’d love to hear what you think!
Please leave a rating below and a comment to let me know your thoughts.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
This spiced cream cheese frosting is perfectly tangy and sweet, and tastes amazing on just about anything.
Ingredients
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature (113g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4ml)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 cups powdered sugar (500g)
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream or whipping cream (15ml)
Instructions
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat together 1/2 cup of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Mix on a medium speed for a minute until smooth.
- Add 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp fine salt, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Mix on a low speed until combined.
- Gradually mix in 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream on a low speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Continue to mix on a low speed for 30 seconds to make sure everything is mixed together properly.
- Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or place in a piping bag until you're ready to use this frosting.
Notes
Yield
This recipe makes about 3 cups of frosting, which is enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes or top a dozen cinnamon rolls.
Tips for Making the Best Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use full fat cream cheese! It gives the frosting a better texture and taste.
- Don't bother sifting your powdered sugar! Most brands in the US contain cornstarch to prevent caking, and this means no sifting is needed. Only sift if you notice clumps in your powdered sugar.
- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are both at room temperature! If they're not, they won't properly mix together, and you can end up with chunks of cream cheese in your frosting.
- Use freshly ground spices if possible. If you use pre-ground spices, make sure they're still fresh and haven't expired or lost their potency.
- Seal off the top of your piping bag with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from seeping out the top of the bag and make the piping bags easier to use.
- If you make this frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple minutes, to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.
Making This Frosting in Advance & Storage Tips
Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature for up to 3 hours or be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. However, I find frosting them right before serving is best.
Nutrition Information
Yield
3Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 890Total Fat 49gSaturated Fat 30gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 137mgSodium 326mgCarbohydrates 113gFiber 0gSugar 110gProtein 3g
Jo Cottrell
Sunday 3rd of September 2023
Thanks for your recipe. I just made it and it's great. I did have to use half and half instead of heavy cream and I added a few drops (less than 1/4 tsp) of lemon juice.
Spice Cupcakes: Moist, Tender Cupcake Recipe
Saturday 20th of August 2022
[…] am obsessed with this frosting but I think that my spiced cream cheese frosting or my hybrid buttercream would taste great on these too. You can check out all my frosting recipes […]