Best Cream Cheese Frosting
I get asked a lot about my cream cheese frosting recipe, and I’m finally sharing it!
People call cream cheese frosting all kinds of things. Sometimes it’s called cream cheese icing, other times cream cheese buttercream.
In my mind, there’s a huge difference between the two.
Cream cheese icing is much thinner and works great when glazing muffins or topping cinnamon rolls. However, it does not pipe well!
Cream Cheese Frosting That’s Sturdy Enough to Pipe
On the other hand, this cream cheese frosting is pipeable!! It’s thick, has structure, and pipes like a dream. Bring on the cupcakes, layer cakes, and even tiered cakes!!
This is what makes this frosting recipe so great. It has that delicious cream cheese tang, but is sturdy like my classic American buttercream. This means you can easily pipe big swirls on your cupcakes.
Thick Enough for Layer Cakes and Tiered Cakes
This also means you can make a tall layer cake or even tiered cakes and feel confident that this cream cheese frosting will be sturdy enough to keep its shape.
I’ve paired this frosting recipe with my chocolate layer cake, red velvet cake recipe, and red velvet cupcakes, and loved it on all of them!
I get loads of questions asking if it’s ok to use cream cheese frosting in a wedding cake. The short answer is yes, you totally can fill a wedding cake with this cream cheese frosting recipe.
I made a massive wedding cake with my olive oil cake recipe, and used this frosting recipe (plus some lemon zest) to frost it. As long as you properly support the cake, it should be totally fine.
The cake sat in the reception room for 6 hours before it was cut into, and it kept its shape perfectly!! The picture below shows the cake before it was transported to the venue (I added some fresh flowers to it once we got there).
Tips For Making the Best Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use full-fat cream cheese! It gives the frosting a better texture and taste.
- 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.
- If you’re making this frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.
- I usually use 1 batch of frosting to stack and frost a 7-inch or 8-inch layer cake.
Making This Cream Cheese Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips
Make your frosting ahead of time 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.
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 it in the fridge for up to a week.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this pipeable 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.
Best Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Paddle Attachment if using a stand mixer
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 339g
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 113g
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12ml
- 1 tsp fine salt 6g
- 7 cups powdered sugar 904g or a 2 lb bag
- 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, room temperature 30ml
Instructions
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
- Beat 1 1/2 cups of butter and 1/2 cup of cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a stand mixer and paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp fine salt, and beat on low until the ingredients are combined.
- Gradually mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through, add in 2 Tbsp of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix. Mix on the lowest setting for another minute to make sure the frosting is nice and smooth.
- If the frosting seems too thick at this stage, add additional cream (1 tablespoon at a time).
- If the frosting seems too thin, add more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
- Once it's reached the desired consistency, cover the cream cheese frosting with a piece of plastic wrap or place it in a piping bag. This will prevent a crust from forming until you're ready to use it.
Video
Notes
Making This Cream Cheese Buttercream in Advance
Make your frosting ahead of time 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 a month. 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 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 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.Nutrition
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Hey,
Just wanted to make sure the ingredient cream cheese frosting is just regular cream cheese??
Thanks!
yupp! just regular cream cheese, at room temp!!
Hi, will the frosting holds in a hot and humid environment?
this recipe doesn’t hold up great in really warm temperatures. so sorry!!
Can cocoa powder be added to make chocolate cream cheese frosting? How much would you add?
definitely! I’d add about a half a cup!
Can the butter cream frosting be made 2 weeks in advance, placed in frig with air tight container; then remove letting come to room temp, and adding the cream cheese- blending well; before decorating?
definitely! that would work just fine!
cannot print ANY recipe in ANY format…
sorry to hear that! I’d try copy pasting into a word doc to trouble shoot!
Ok, thx!
@cheyennebred,
you can take a screenshot too.
Can this frosting be left unrefrigerated for 1 or 2 days? Would you recommend this frosting to stacked, tiered or sculpted cakes?
While buttercream can sit out for a couple days, I’m always hesitant to let cream cheese frosting sit out! I’d put it in the fridge until a few hours before you need it. This frosting slightly more elastic than my regular buttercream recipe, which makes it slightly less stiff! It can still be used for stacked and tiered cakes, but a bit more difficult to get perfectly smooth sides with.
How early in advance can this frosting be made and will it hold a rosette design on a cake?
it will hold a rosette design, and can be made up to a month in advance! You can store it in an airtight container in the freezer or fridge. I usually made it the day before, and leave it out on the counter overnight. If you do make it in advance, be sure to give it a good stir to ensure it’s nice and smooth for piping!
Thank u!
@Chelsweets,
Can you please clarify – this answer says you leave it out overnight, but the previous reply said you are hesitant to leave it out of the refrigerator.
@Beth, she leaves it out overnight when pulling it from the freezer.
Hi Chelsea! Does this frosting crust?
Can this recipe be used for under fondant
it’s a little bit softer than my normal buttercream, but as long as you use a thin layer it should work fine!
Hi Chelsea,
If I wanted to add a whole pack of cream cheese instead of half (I like a more intense cream cheese flavor) how much butter should I omit from the recipe?
Thanks!
i’d use only 2 sticks of butter (so omit 1)!
@Chelsweets,
I also want more cream cheese flavor.
So adding 2 butter
To 1 cream cheese
My question is would it still hold the same?
This is for a 4 tier wedding cake
Let me know.
Thank you for all of your great information
Hi Norma,
That’s a great question! Sadly the frosting will be quite a bit softer if you use the ratio of 2 sticks of butter to 1 8 oz. lock of cream cheese, and it won’t hold up the same :/ That ratio will be harder to use to frost a large wedding cake. I’d recommend sticking with the ratio in this recipe if you want to use cream cheese frosting for a wedding cake. The other option is to use a softer cream cheese frosting to fill the cake like you mentioned above, but use regular buttercream or a frosting with less cream cheese to frost the outside of the cake. Hope that helps!!
Hi Chelsea!
Can I use this for a classic vanilla cupcake? Is the recipe enough to frost 24 cupcakes?
Thanks!
yup! It will probably be enough to frost like 48 cupcakes! you prob only need a 1/2 batch for 24 cupcakes (depending on how you’re frosting them)
This recipe is fabulous!! Just tried it and now I’m trying to save it for my cake I’m decorating tomorrow! If you make sure you have the correct weight of powdered sugar (scooping by cups almost always gives you too much) then it is perfect- not overly sweet but it definitely still has yummy cream cheese flavor!
so happy to hear that, thanks for sharing Laura!!
How long can this cream cheese buttercream be stored in the fridge? And the American buttercream?
for up to 3 weeks! my american buttercream keeps up to 4 weeks!
can you add gel colouring to this frosting and if so at what stage. making a monster cake for my little mans first birthday and wanted something a little different the regular vanilla buttercream
yes, you can! I’d add it at the end!
my frosting feels heavy and is not firm. it was great when I turned the machine off, but lost its shape within 5 mins!!!! HELP
strange! Is your kitchen really warm? or humid?
Hi! Can less sugar be added?
It will throw off the consistency if you add less sugar! it will be much thinner. if you are ok with that, then you can reduce the amount of sugar! but if you need to pipe with this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend it <3
THANK YOU for including metric amounts in your recipes! It makes life SO much easier when trying to convert US cups/spoons to AU (Australian) cups/spoons. Thank you!!!!
Haha I try!! I’m working on adding them to more recipes 🙂 just takes a bit more work! but I’m happy to hear it’s worth it!!! <3
You put only 2 sticks of butter.
In the recipe and video I say three sticks 🙂 it just looks like two sticks bc of the way I edited the video <3 I was just trying to make the video shorter/ quicker to watch!
I LOVE this recipe!
One question: Can you add other flavorings? Eg. lemon, almond, chocolate?
I wanted to do a lemon cream cheese frosting but when I added the juice from a couple lemons it ended up too overpowering for the cake!
Definitely! I’d suggest adding them in slowly though, and tasting as you go! Because you can always add in more, but you can’t take it away you add too much! It’s definitely more annoying to make it that way, but I promise it’s worth it 🙂
@Emily,
Suggestion: Use lemon extract instead of lemon juice and taste as you go, as directed by Chelsea !
Is it ok to double this recipe or should it be made in batches?
you can definitely double it 🙂
I love the taste of this icing. But, it won’t hold any shape for me! I made it ahead and put it in the fridge for 24 hours before trying to use it. I pulled my cakes out of the freezer (followed your advice for making the cakes a few days ahead) and let them sit while I got everything else ready so the cakes were still slightly cold when I went to ice them. I spread the icing on the cake and all it did was goop down the sides and would not hold form. What did I do wrong??
Is your kitchen warm, or do you live in a warm climate?? That’s my only guess if you followed the recipe to a T!
Hi Chelsey 🙂
Do you taste the cream cheese, or is it very subtle? If I were to add 8 oz of cream cheese and only 1 cup of butter, would it have a strong enough consistency to hold a rosette? I am making red velvet cupcakes (with your red velvet recipe of course) and want to make sure it is a true cream cheese frosting over an american buttercream.
Thanks so much!
-Carrie
You can definitely taste it! if you used 1 cup of cream cheese, it will definitely be a softer consistency, and I’m not sure if the rosettes would hold up ?
you can definitely still taste it, but it’s less strong than a straight up cream cheese icing! If you do half cream cheese half butter, it will change the stability of the frosting and I don’t think it’d hold up well enough for rosettes on cake. however, if you’re piping individual rosettes on cupcakes, I think that’d be just fine!!
Can you add honey to this to make a honey cream cheese frosting? If so, how much honey would I add to keep the consistency right? Thanks!
Definitely, that would be delicious! You can really add to taste, and just an in additional heavy cream to get it back to the right consistency. I’d start with 1/3 cup, and add more if you want a stronger flavor 🙂 Add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream to keep the buttercream smooth and workable <3
Beat for only 30 seconds? This is so different than regular buttercream, how come only 30 seconds? Do I not want the butter to get whipped like regular? Can’t wait to try this!
exactly! i don’t like to whip a ton of air into my frosting, because that makes it harder to smooth on cakes! by minimizing the amount of air beaten into the frosting, it’s so much easier to get smooth sides on cakes 🙂 It’s definitely denser than a fluffy buttercream, but it’s a dream to decorate with!
Would love to add limoncello to this. Should I omit the cream?
Yup, I’d try swapping the heavy cream for limoncello!!
Does it taste like buttercream because the person im making the cake does not like buttercream
When someone says they don’t like buttercream, what are they referring to? There are tons of types (American, Swiss, Italian…), so that’s a pretty blanket statement. Cream cheese is definitely the strongest taste in this frosting recipe, so I think they should like it. But it does include butter and powdered sugar since it’s an American buttercream.
Hi Chelsea!
I came for some advice because my cream cheese frosting came out way too loose. I read where you are asking people if it is warm where they live. Yes for me and it’s about 90 degrees F now during afternoons.. I live in Orlando,Fl and if the kitchen is too warm many fostings will need help. I have added A LOT more powdered sugar than recipe calls for, but it is still way too loose.
Sooooo…do you, or anyone know of tricks for getting firm frosting where it is warm and humid? I heard that egg white meringue powder will help stabilize buttercream, so off I ran and bought a small can of Wilton meringue powder. I thought I had better search for some advice on adding this first before it becomes the Guinea pig! (which it may anyways)
Help????
Oh also, I doubled the batch.
How did it end up for you. I’m about to make this frosting and i live in curacao.
Hi Chelsea,
How many batches will I need to decorate a 3 tier Semi Naked Wedding cake? The cake will be 12′ , 9′, 6′.
Should I make each batch separately or can I double the quantity when make it.?
You can definitely make double batches to speed up the process! I’m not 100% sure, because it can vary based on how much frosting you add between the layers. I’d say you’ll need at least 4 batches though!
Hi I was just reading your post on red buttercream. How many drops of red coding would add to this? Or would you definitely add pink first? I’m doing this for cupcakes for an order on Friday. Thank you!
I usually go by squirts, but to be more precise, you’ll need at least 1-2 tsp of gel food coloring. You can start with some pink, then build on that with the red! I’d recommend making it ASAP, so that the color can deepen over time. Hope that helps!! <3
Really need a reliable cream cheese frosting that will hold up in hot August weather. Wedding in 3 days and need to finish tonight. Does gum past work, what quantity and what about cream of tartar… please help. I’ve had no replies on the fb page.
I’ve never added gum paste to frosting, usually that’s used for decorations! I’ve only added cream of tartar to meringue before. I don’t think cream cheese frosting and really hot humid weather mix super well :/ Cream cheese frosting is already less stiff than regular buttercream, and i think your best bet is to just keep the cake as cool as possible while transporting it, and def keep it inside at the venue. wedding cakes should never sit outside in the summer heat!! I’m sorry I don’t have any better advice Julie <3 Heat + buttercream is just a tough combo.
How to do make this icing into vibrant colours?
I like to use gel food coloring, and make it in advance! Letting the frosting sit in the fridge for a few days helps intensify the colors!
I’ve found americolor works best, here’s a link to the kind I order on amazon: https://amzn.to/2HMzJ52
Hope that helps, happy baking Jennie!
I would also like to make it a little more intense with cream cheese flavor, but the receipe already calls for an 8 oz box of cream cheese with the 4 sticks of butter. So if we are using a whole block of cream cheese, are you saying we should use 2 or 4 sticks of butter? Thanks so much!
Dear Chelseach, I want to use your cream cheese buttercream to frost, and your chocolate cake recipe as my cake to make a two tier wedding cake for 70 people. You think I could add some form of cherries or cherry jam in between the layers(like a black forest), or that would make me lose stability? Thank you for everything going you share!
Hello dear Chelsea! I was wondering if I could use you go to chocolate layer cake, frost it with the cream cheese frosting to make a black forest two tier wedding cake. Which means adding in between the layers some cherry jam or preserve . How do you think that could work?
Thank you so much for all the amazing things you share!
Hi Tatanka! Omg, a black forest cake with cream cheese frosting sounds AMAZING! Jam or preserves between cake layers can definitely make them slide more, and make frosting a cake more difficult. However, if you make a frosting dam (or ring) around the perimeter of the cake layers to keep the jam between the layers, and insert a dowel to keep the layers in place as you frost the outside, I think it should be fine! Just be very careful as you frost it.
Sometimes when my layers are sliding a bit, I’ll chill the cake in the freezer for a few minutes once all the layers are stacked. That can make it easier to crumb coat the cake. Once the crumb coat is chilled, you should be able to add the second layer of frosting and stack the tiers just fine. Hope that helps, and best of luck with this wedding cake!! <3 Let me know how it goes!
I just tried the recipe for the cream cheese frosting and it’s amazing!!! So smooth, sweet and very good to pipe. Thanks so much all the way from Australia!
I’m so happy to hear that you love this frosting recipe as much as I do Paula!! Happy baking <3
Hey Chelsea, i was wondering… in your ABC recipe u use 2 cups of unsalted butter and here the same amount ut you listed different amount in grams… how come ? I live in Europe so we re more likely to use metric… we cant find butter in stick but we buy them in block…
So ABC recipe 2 cups = 434 grams and here 2 cups = 678 grams… I m confused……
Can u help me clarify please ?
Thanks in advance
Farah
Hi Farah,
I am so sorry about that! I converted my recipe cards from one plugin to another, and I’ve had a lot of issues like this :/ I just updated the recipe to correct the grams in this recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know!! <3
Hi dear Chelsea, I have 2 queries:
1. Is it easy to apply edible image on a cream cheese frosting?
2. After decorating the cake with fondant flowers, does the cake need to be refrigerated (cuz it has cream cheese) till you cut the cake ? If not can stand at room temperature for how long?
Hi Cynthia,
Adding a printed, edible image should be fine to add on top of this cream cheese frosting! It can sit out at room temperature for a few hours, but I’d put it in the fridge if you make it further in advance than that. Hope that helps, happy baking!
The recipe shows 4 sticks , if I cut recipe in half , can I do 2 sticks of butter and still do the 8 oz of cream cheese since I live the cream cheese flavor , will it still pipe okay?
Hi Jackie,
It will pipe less well/be less stiff with that ratio! I’ve found the deal ratio is really 3/4 butter, 1/4 cream cheese. You can make it however you want though, it just depends on what you plan to do with it <3
Hello, What is the main differences between “Best Cream Cheese Frosting” and the cream cheese frosting you provided in “Red Velvet Birthday Cake”??
Hi Leah,
They should be pretty much the same! This is just my cream cheese frosting recipe on its own 🙂
Hi, I’m looking to try the black velvet cake. but stay to the cream cheese frosting. I ordered the black coaco. Can I use that to make the chocolate cream cheese frosting and will it turn the frosting black? Also do you think if I do this it will still be staying to the true cream cheese frosting that is on velvet cake, just in chocolate form?
Hi Deborah,
That’s awesome! Black cocoa will make the cream cheese frosting kind of a dark grey, so I’d recommend adding in some black gel food coloring as well to make it really black! You can also add in 1 cup of melted dark chocolate chips if you want, to make it super chocolaty.
I don’t really think it’s classic velvet and cream cheese frosting combo if you add in chocolate or cocoa powder, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that! A black velvet cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting sounds divine, even better than the classic combo 😛
hope that helps!
Hi Chelsea! Does this recipe crust over or would this be good for a smash cake? Thank you!
Hi Rachel,
This buttercream does crust a bit, but it would be fine for a smash cake! It’s nothing that would get in the way of a baby enjoying a cake 😛
I am going to use this frosting with your marble cake Recipe and half it like you talked about in the blog post.
How many batches of frosting should I make? I’m thinking 2 but I may be way off!
I’m attempting to make my own small wedding cake, this is my trial cake LOL.
Hi Mckenzie! If you plan to half that recipe, will you be making 3, 6-inch cake layers? In that case, you probably won’t even use a full batch of frosting!! 1 batch should be plenty for the little test cake if it’s that size 🙂 Hope that helps!
Ok. Thank you. I ordered a 6 pack of the small ameri gel you use. Would I just do 1 drop of the black? Also how much black cocoa do I use and at what point do I add the black cocoa?. I’m going the small cake recipe using 3 7 inch pans. I would like to do green in the middle. Is there a way I can pull some frosting out and put green? And how much frosting do I take out for the 2 middles. And lastly. I work late Monday night and need the cake ready for Tues night to take as soon as I get off work. Will the cake and frosting be ok if I put it together Sunday and just leave it in the fridge until about 1 hr before I have to leave. I’ll have about 30-45 min drive. I was going to also try the drip in green. But the green gel color is leaf green so hopefully it’s not to dark. I’ve never done this b4 I hope it turns out. Really nervous
in addition to above. I noticed that the recipe says 2 cups of butter and 2 tblspn of heavy cream, In the video you said 3 cups butter and 1 tblspn of heavy cream and 4 oz of cream cheese, but the recipe says 8 oz. It looks like the recipe measurements are incorrect based on the video. I planned on using this for the cake as previous listed. Is the recipe based on doubling vs what the video says?
I’m going to double the recipe so I don’t run out trying to frost.
At what point do I add the black Cisco and melted choclate? And how much coca if doubling. I want to pull some of it out so I can color it green for the middle also. On the powder sugar I would use 22 cups since the recipe says 11?
Even when I leave my brick of cream cheese out overnight, I still get really small lumps (tiny rock size pieces of cream cheese that won’t whip down). What should I do to prevent that?
Hi Kat,
Is your kitchen cold? Are you using a metal bowl? Maybe try using a different bowl (glass or plastic), or heat up your metal bowl with a kitchen blow torch! Those are my best suggestions, I hope that helps!
Hi Chelsea, yesterday I have baked my first cake ever, and it used your recipes! I have to say the cake was soo spongy and moist, we loved it.
However, I had an issue with the chocolate buttercream filling, we felt it was too sweet and it was smooth in a way where I couldn’t decorate the sides of the cake.. How can make it a bit harder and less sweet? (The recipe said to add 5 cups of powdered sugar with a splash of heavy cream.. and that is exactly what I added)
When I was cutting the cake it crumbled down, both the sponge and the frosting.. do you know why that has happened?
Regarding the cheese cream frosting, can I add chocolate to this recipe? like cocoa or melted dark chocolate? I need it only for the filling, I am intending to use it instead of the regular chocolate butter cream filling, does it work in chocolate cakes?
Do you leave the cake in the regular fridge? as I felt that the frosting (As it is butter based) became too hard in the fridge.
Regarding classes, can you do a skype call instead of an actual class? as I am not in the states and would like to ask you few things? I will leave my details in the boxes below, please contact me to discuss furthermore the arrangements of this class if you are okay with it
Thank you :*
Hi Elham,
I’m so happy to hear that you loved my cake recipe! Is this the chocolate buttercream recipe you used: https://chelsweets.com/2019/03/28/chocolate-buttercream-frosting/ ?
If you want to make it a bit firmer, I’d recommend adding less heavy cream! That should help thicken it up. It’s also super important that the melted chocolate has had a chance to cool, so that it’s not very warm when it’s added into the frosting. If it’s warm, it can make the frosting a lot softer than it should be.
This is an american buttercream recipe, so it’s super sweet! If you want to make a less sweet frosting, you may want to try a swiss meringue buttercream next time! It’s a lot less sweet 🙂
You can add chocolate to this cream cheese frosting recipe! it should work great to fill a chocolate cake. I keep my frosting at room temperature when I make it and decorate cakes with it.
Sadly I only do classes in person :/ But I’m happy to help troubleshoot on here or via email <3 Hope that helps, happy baking!!
I’m very late to the comment but in case anyone else reads this it could be the brand of cream cheese. I’m in Europe and the cream cheese here is very different. Even the Philadelphia brand. It’s not the same as the silver wrapped blocks of Philadelphia. You need a cream cheese with a low amount of water or you need to squeeze the water out in a cheesecloth before you weigh it.
Hi Lindsey! Thank you for sharing this, I had no idea!! Really appreciate your feedback and your suggestions to help others ?
Sorry to interrupt. Why is it that sometimes my icing sugar feels grainy and i can’t make it smooth?
Hi Teresita! Sometimes that happens because there isn’t enough heavy cream to dissolve the powdered sugar! It also can be cause by the type of powdered sugar you use! Maybe try a different brand next time, or add a touch more heavy cream ??Hope that helps, happy baking!!
Hi! I want to make the red velvet cake but wasn’t sure how much frosting to make. I’ve made your ABC frosting twice and both times there was just enough to cover 2 8 inch cakes with a little decoration on top. But for 3 8 inch cakes, do I need to make more than one batch? Did I use too much frosting on the 2 8 inch cakes that I used it all?
Hi Michele,
I would definitely recommend making 1.5 batches of frosting for a 3 layer, 8-inch cake! I like using a lot of frosting between my cake layers (you can never use too much :P), and around my cake, and I find 1.5 batches if just enough for that size of a cake.
Hope that helps, happy baking!!
Would I be able to fill my cakes with this buttercream?
Hi Marlene,
You sure can! It is stiff enough to fill a cake with 🙂 hope that helps, happy baking!
HI Hi
Tried your Funfetti Cupcake recipe and would like to use this frosting with it, Two questions: Can I make a half batch of this by just cutting all the ingredients in half and Can I use gel food coloring in this frosting?
Hi Anju,
I think that would be an awesome combination! You can totally make a half batch by using half the ingredients, and gel food coloring works great to color it. Happy baking 🙂
How long does it take to dry on cookies? If you cover the cookie with this frosting, then how long do you wait before you can “write” on it? How long before you might be able to stack them in a container?
Hi Susan,
This recipe doesn’t really dry the same way royal icing does! The frosting will crust after about 30 minutes, but it won’t be firm to the touch! Just the top layer of frosting will have a crust. You could pipe frosting on top of it, but I wouldn’t recommend stacking them on top of each other. So sorry!
Hello, do we have to halve everything or can we reduce some values ??without changing other things like the amount of sugar, for example, can we just halve and not touch the rest?
Hi Leila,
If you reduce the amount of powdered sugar but nothing else, it will drastically change the consistency of the frosting! If you don’t too pipe with the frosting or make a layer cake, that should be ok (that would be fine to frost a sheet cake). But if you plan to pipe (like cupcakes, or swirls on a cake) or if you’re making a cake with more than one layer, it won’t keep its shape well enough to do so. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi! I made this buttercream before and loved it ! I wanted to make it again for my daughters 1st bday but wanted to pip roses and flowers on it. Will this hold up ? Or should I make ABC to make the flowers ?!!
Thanks !!
Hi Jodi,
So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this recipe! It is stiff enough to pipe flowers with, but I find that sometimes it gets too soft while piping (the heat from your hand transfers through the bag and into the frosting!). I think it would work if your kitchen is cool or your hands don’t run too warm, but you’d probably be safest using American buttercream! Hope that helps, and that your daughter’s bday cake turns out great!! <3
Hi, I am intrigued with your talent. I tried your mirror glaze as a trial run for my own 60’s hippie cake and it worked great. Thank you for increasing my confidence. I can bake, but not decorate lol. I have 2 questions, if I use this cream cheese frosting Recipe then do the mirror glaze on top, will it be a little less sweet than your buttercream recipe. I felt that was a little too sweet for me. Also I am making 2 – 2 tier cakes 8” and 6” each because it’s my daughters birthday too. I am adding a raspberry filling to hers but just frosting to mine. Can you give me an approximate how much cream cheese frosting I should make. Aha if, thank you for sharing your talent and encouraging others. Toni
Hi Toni,
Thank you 🙂 and I am so happy to hear that!!
I do think my cream cheese frosting tastes less sweet than my american buttercream recipe, so that’s a great idea if you think american buttercream is a little too sweet.
That’s awesome that you are celebrating both of your birthdays together!! The amount of frosting you need can vary a lot based on the amount you add between your cake layers how many cake layers there are, and how much you like to add on the sides.
Do you mean you’re making 2 tiered cakes each with an 8 inch and 6 inch tier? Or a 2 tiered cake with 2 cake layers in each tier?
If you’re making 2 tiered cakes (each with an 8 inch and 6 inch tier) I’d recommend making at least 3 batches! If you have leftover frosting you can always refrigerate it and use it on another baking project down the road. I hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. But fortunately I haven’t mastered this cream cheese butter cream. The texture is runny and grainy. Seems the icing sugar has not incorporated well in the mix. After a while, if forms a layer of thick sugar on top. What did I do wrong?
Hi Paulina,
Are the butter and cream cheese at room temp when you make it? are you using full fat cream cheese? What brand of cream cheese are you using?? Hopefully we’ll be able to figure this out together!
Hi, I love the taste of your cream cheese frosting! But I am a bit worried about the colour. Mine looks quite yellowish, makes me doubt to frost my wedding cake with it. Do you have advice for me? Thanks and thanks for your great videos!
Hi Katrin,
You can try whipping it with a whisk attachment to make it lighter in color, or add a TINY drop of purple gel food coloring to offset the yellow. It sounds crazy, but yellow and purple are opposites on the color wheel so they cancel each other out. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi, I love the taste of your cream cheese frosting! However mine turns out yellowish, that makes me doubt if I should cover my wedding cake with it. Do you have any advice to make it whiter?
Greetings from austria
Hi! I’m hoping to use this recipe for a 6inch cake. Would this recipe be too much or will it work fine?
Hi Ashley,
Once batch of this frosting should be great for a 6inch layer cake! You will probably have a little bit left over, but you can always save it for a future baking project. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi, I am making a red velvet cake which I would love to fill with this cream cheese frosting but this cake will be covered in fondant. How long can this recipe last out of the fridge? Or should I be using abc with cream cheese flavouring underneath fondant?
Love watching your videos!
Hi Heidi,
I’m so sorry for the delayed response! My cream cheese frosting is stiff enough to go under fondant, and it can sit out for several hours. I don’t recommend letting it sit out overnight though. Hope that helps, happy baking!
I am doing a three tiered spice cake for a wedding. They want cream cheese frosting. Will this work for a semi-naked design? Does it keep the cakes from getting too dried out?
Hi Abigail,
I think this would work great for a tiered wedding cake that will be decorate in that style! In general, semi naked cakes are more prone to drying out so be sure to soak your cake layers with simple syrup and try to decorate the cake layers as close to the day of as possible. Hope that helps, happy baking!
So in the video you say 3 sticks of butter, 4 ounces of cream cheese, & 16 oz powdered sugar. However, in the recipe card here, if I cut it in half, that’s not the same amount of ingredients at all… so which is better?
Hi Chelsea,
This recipe was for 1.5 batches, which is the normal amount of frosting I make for a 7 or 8 inch layer cake. I’ve updated the recipe card to share the ingredients as 1 batch to align better with the video. So sorry for any confusion!! Happy baking <3
Made this tonight for a carrot cake and usually I tweak recipes before I even make them. This time I followed. Texture came out just a little grainy, but that is I’m sure my powdered sugar. They don’t sell domino here. We are big on taste tests in our house. Couldn’t taste the cream cheese at all. I added the rest of the bar of cream cheese and just a little more heavy cream. Texture improved a lot and the cream cheese flavor came through. My daughter wanted me to add even more but I said no. End product was great!
Hi Jen,
This recipe is definitely designed to have a mild cream cheese taste and focuses mainly on having the right consistency for decorating layer cakes. I can see why you might want to add more cream cheese though, happy you were able to tweak it to your preference 🙂 Happy baking!
This frosting was AMAZING! I added 4oz more of cream cheese to add more of that flavor and it still worked perfectly fine! This came together so easily and held perfectly for the birthday cake I was making. Add some candles and some frosting swirls and boom- the perfect cake! It didn’t taste too powder sugar-y and the vanilla was spot on. Thanks for this awesome recipe, definitely my new go to!
So happy to hear that Jenessa! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
This is by far the BEST cream cheese frosting I have ever had! So delicious?
So happy to hear that Rebekah!! 🙂
enjoyed helpful hints
I made this frosting a few days and it’s delicious! However, I’m not assembling the cake until a few days from now so the frosting is in the fridge. I have a few questions:
1) How long should it sit out before frosting?
2) If it’s a little thick after sitting out of the fridge, can I add a splash of addition cream? Will it mess with the consistency?
Thanks!
Hi Stephanie,
So sorry for the delayed response! The frosting should sit out for a few hours to thaw to room temp, and you should give it a good stir once it is to make it smooth again. You can toatlly add in additional heavy cream to make it easier to work with too! Just be sure it’s actually too thick, and not just thick because it’s a little bit cold. because if you do that, the frosting will end up being too thin once it really is at room temp.
Hope that helps for the future, happy baking!
Hi there from NZ,
I am making (well attempting ) to make a 3 tiered, Semi Naked Banana Cake with your cream cheese frosting for my sons wedding cake, it sounds Devine. I am wondering what I should coat cake with to keep it from crusting, and could I add a layer of caramel sauce in-between layers. Many thanks…
Hi Melanie,
Sounds delicious!! ABC just naturally crusts as it’s exposed to air, but SMBC doesn’t! If you’re worried about it crusting, I’d recommend making a cream cheese swiss meringue frosting!
I think adding caramel between the layers would be amazing 🙂
Hi Chelsea! I just made this tonight. Its delicious! Thank you for the recipe! Although I almost felt that it didnt have enough tang to it. How much more cream cheese should I add? Thanks!
Hi Mel,
So happy to hear that! You can add in an extra 1/2 cup (4oz) of cream cheese if you want in place of a stick (1/2 cup) of butter if you want to make it tangier! <3
Hi Chelsea!
I wanted to ask,how do i thicken my cream cheese frosting without adding that much sugar. I know frosting should be really sweet but i just can’t enjoy it with all that sugar. Thanks for all your help.
Hi Dina,
It’s very challenging to get the consistency of this frosting right with less powdered sugar. I have a less sweet cream cheese frosting that has a swiss meringue base that I think would be better suited for your palette. It’s included in this recipe: https://chelsweets.com/2020/04/10/golden-berry-chantilly-cake/
Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hello there! Love all your recipes, thank you for writing everything out in such great detail! I’m planning on making your funtetti cake with this cream cheese frosting. To decorate, I’m covering the entire cake in a fancy sprinkle blend. What’s the best approach to get the sprinkles on? Do you recommend I put the frosted cake in the freezer to firm up before adding on the sprinkles?
Thank you 🙂
Hi!
as you said, if you add the whole package of cream cheese and omit 1 stick of butter, would you still be able to make a rosette design with it?
This frosting is amazing. I 1.5x the recipe and used it to frost a 9” two layer cake with plenty left for decorating. I swapped out 1t of heavy cream for lemon juice to help cut the sweetness. It frosted beautifully and piped like a dream. It tastes like a less sweet American Buttercream. Thank goodness I had extra so I could put some on a little cake for me to get enjoy. I think I’m in love and this frosting is my new favorite frosting!!!
Hi Chelsea! LOVE all your recipes! I am making your red velvet cake for my son’s birthday. I was originally planning to fill it with cream cheese frosting and put American Buttercream on the outside because regular ol’ cream cheese frosting doesn’t hold up well for decorating. BUT then I saw your recipe for cream cheese buttercream *mindblown* But I’ve already made the american buttercream. Would I be able to add in the cream cheese now and hope for the best? Or should I stick with my original plan? Thank you!!
Hello, I’m using this recipe for a wedding cake it is small 3 layer 8in with flowers. If I omitted 1 stick of butter added more cream cheese. How much more sugar would I need to add to ger a thicker more stable consistency?
I Love your recipes?
Why does my cream cheese frosting come out so runny?
Hey There!!
May I first say how inspired I am by you! You are fantastic and have such gift. You make beautiful art, and it’s always delicious. :] I’ve used your vanilla cake and buttercream recipe multiple times for different cakes and always hear wonderful things. Thank you!
Question, if I were to use this frosting with a strawberry glaze in between the layers of a cake, and then cover with fondant, will it hold up in warm weather?
This is not a true cream cheese frosting looking at other recipes the amount of cream cheese to butter and powdered sugar is much less .. it just doesn’t have the tang of a true cream cheese frosting
Will this hold when piping flowers?
Cut back on the butter. I live in baton rouge now and it is cold. I used 1/4 butter to 4oz of cream cheese. It was too soft and I’m thinking too much butter.
Hello Chelsweets!
I want to make this frosting but I want to add flavor to it like to make a cinnamon cream cheese or chocolate cream cheese. How would you recommend to do this? Any advice? Thank you so much!
How would you suggest coloring this recipe? I am going to follow your black velvet cake receipt but I’d like to use cream cheese icing and make the icing black. How do you suggest accomplishing this without making it gray or messing up the consistency
Your amount of salt listed is 1 tsp and in the video it is 1/2 tsp. Also the written directions indicate mixing butter and cream cheese for 30 seconds on medium and the video says 1 minute on low. Not sure either discrepancy will make much difference but wanted to ask before attempting. Novice here (obviously) ??
Hwey, quick question, is this buttercream recipe just as sweet as your american buttercream? That one is usually a bit too sweet for my taste ;).
Can this be dyed for rainbow cupcakes
Looks delicious! Do you have a recipe for the white and red cake in the picture? Thank you!
Can this hold the shape for Russian piping flower? Thank you
sorry to say this however this recipe is just too grainy with the amount of powdered sugar added, and it does not taste like cream cheese frosting at all. I had to add more than 100g of cream cheese and more salt to try and knock down the sweetness from the amount of powdered sugar. How can I get rid of the graininess. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I followed the recipe and I tasted my frosting, and it tastes like pure sugar! I can’t even tell that it has cream cheese at all. Where did I go wrong?
This recipe is far to sweet for a cream cheese frosting. I added half the amount of sugar, doubled the cream cheese and added extra cream to try and cut the sweetness and it was still so sweet.
How many hours can I leave my cake out if I use this frosting or even buttercream in terms of safety? If it’ll be served the day it’s frosted can I leave it out at room temp for more than 6 hours? Thanks so much!
Excellent. I find that a lot of kids don’t really like a very cream cheesy frosting, so this is perfect. You have a bit of that cream cheese tang but the base is really butter. It piped really nicely and the kids loved it.
Hi Chelsea. I want to make the Black velvet cake with Black cream cheese icing. Do I just add the black cocoa and chocolate to this recipe.
I love cream cheese frosting but recipes usually aren’t that great for piping or they don’t taste that good. This one was spot on in taste and perfect for piping. This is my new go to. I’m in Florida btw and once I frosted my mini cupcakes I just popped them in the fridge before transporting and they held up great. Also did a chocolate version and I’d use at least a cup of cocoa powder (I used a little more but it would have been better with just a cup.) Also delicious. Thank you for a great recipe!!!
I wanting to know if I was setting up for the reception the day before, could I leave out the cake until the reception the next afternoon? I live in dry climate.
Is this cream cheese frosting sturdy enough to pipe a rose on a flower nail to put on a cake?
This recipe sounds fantastic, can I use mascarpone instead of cream cheese, please let me know ASAP, thanx you.
Made these to frost carrot cupcakes for Easter and they were a hit! Followed recipe as written (aside from the occasional icing sugar pudding out of the stand mixer ?) and it was easy to make and received lots of compliments. Enough tang from the cream cheese and not sickly sweet tasting. Will definitely use again. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy I found this recipe. All other cream cheese frosting that I found was good and sturdy enough for a filling. But piping the exterior and it would just fall and droop. This one pipes and stays the shape. It’s a lot like a regular butter cream. I added 8oz of cream cheese instead of the recipes 4ounce to give it more of a cream cheese flavor.
Hello, I what piping tip did you use for the cupcake in the video please?
I love this recipe. I reduced butter by 1/2 cup and used 8 oz of cream cheese and it was amazing. I love the texture and the taste. This is my go-to from now on. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Hi Sally,
Love hearing that!! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!!
is this sturdy enough to pipe rosettes all around the cake especially the sides, thanks
Hi Marion,
This recipe can be used to pipe rosettes on a cake! But make sure the cake is chilled and that you’re kitchen isn’t too warm. It is a bit softer than my classic American buttercream so I’d recommend taking those precautions to make sure your rosettes turn out great!
You said something about cream cheese icing. How do you make that?
Hi Lori,
Cream cheese icing is more like a glaze, similar to what I use on my mini cinnamon rolls! Here’s the link: https://chelsweets.com/mini-cinnamon-rolls/
Hope that helps, happy baking!
If I used a half a cup of the black cocoa with this recipe would I need to alter any other ingredient such as sugar? Also, do you think I would need additional food coloring to obtain a black frosting?
Hi Kat,
Great question! If you add 1/2 cup of black cocoa the frosting will be a lot thicker. I’d recommend also adding in an additional 1/3 cup of heavy cream to give the frosting the right consistency. I would also recommend adding in some black gel food coloring, the black cocoa on its own will give it kind of a gray color. You can also add in some melted dark chocolate to give it a darker base color. Hope that helps, happy baking!
How could I make this into strawberry cream cheese icing?
Hi Alayna,
You totally could! I’d recommend adding in 1/3 cup of strawberry jelly, or you also could add in 1/3 cup of freeze dried strawberry powder + an additional 2 Tbsp of heavy cream. Hope that helps, happy baking!
I absolutely love your articles!
I will be making my daughter’s wedding cake (and several more for caterers to plate). She loves my mawmaw’s pound care with cream cheese frosting. Since it doesn’t do well out of the fridge for long, would it hold up well enough to crumbcoat and then frost in traditional buttercream?
Aw thank you Ria!! This recipe will definitely hold up well, I’ve frosted a wedding cake with it before and it worked great 🙂 Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi, can I add gel food colouring to this cream cheese recipe and when is the best time yo add it?
Thank you
L’Oréal
Hi L’Oréal,
You can add gel food coloring to this cream cheese frosting recipe. I like to add it at the end of the process once all the ingredients are combined. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi chels! Would this frosting be ok for a naked cake? I’m debating to use this icing or your American buttercream.
Hi Stephanie,
This frosting will work great on a naked cake! It has good structure and will keep its shape. My American buttercream would work great too though! It all comes down to what flavor your prefer 🙂 Hope that helps, happy baking!
When you made the wedding cake with this frosting did you use it only between the layers or did you cover the whole cake in it? I am wanting to cover the whole cake if possible (making a 2 tier 10″ & 8″) and am wanting to freeze so it can be transported several hours away. Do you think this is possible?
Hi Jen,
You can totally fill and fully frost a wedding cake with this recipe. As long as the cake stays chilled while it’s transported, it will keep its shape.
If you freeze it before transporting it, keep it out of direct sunlight, and make sure your car is nice and cool, you should be good to go. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hello! How come your cream cheese frosting recipe has different ratios for the cream cheese in your pink velvet cake?
Hi Monica,
Great question! The cream cheese I use to make my pink velvet cake has slightly more cream cheese than this recipe because it makes about 1.5 times as much frosting. It felt impractical to use 3/4 of a block of cream cheese and 4.5 sticks of butter (the ratio that’s used in this frosting recipe). So to keep things simple, I use a cup of cream cheese (a whole block) and 4 sticks of butter. Hope that makes sense! I try to make my recipes delicious but also practical / easy to make 🙂
Hi, I could not find the red velvet cup cake list of ingredients and receipt. It was only for the cake. Does the cupcake has the same receipt as the cake?
Hi Mandi,
The recipe card is at the very bottom of this post: https://chelsweets.com/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-buttermilk/
Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hello
Will this frosting turn out to be a bright white for a wedding cake?
Thanks
Hi Tiffany,
Great question! It is a bit off white because of the cream cheese and vanilla extract. If you want to make it super bright white, I share all my tips and tricks for making white buttercream in this post: https://chelsweets.com/how-to-make-white-buttercream/
Hope that helps, happy baking!
Given the creamcheese is only 4 ounce, is the creamcheese taste still strong?
Hi Star,
Great question! It still tastes like cream cheese frosting, but the taste isn’t quite as strong as a softer cream cheese type icing. I love the flavor though! And it allows the frosting to have a wonderful, firmer consistency that makes it so great to use on cakes. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Is it too sweet with the 7 cups sugar or just enough given the 1 1/2 cup butter? I’m planning to make a two tiered red velvet this April. Thanks.
Hi Star,
This is about as sweet as my American buttercream! While it only has 1 1/2 cups of butter, it also has 1/2 cup of cream cheese, so there’s 2 cups of fat to balance out the 7 cups of powdered sugar. It is a sweeter frosting, but I think it taste delicious with red velvet cake. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Would it make a lot of difference if I make the creamcheese 8 oz instead of half?
Hi Star,
If you use 8 oz of cream cheese, it’ll give the frosting a stonger cream cheese flavor and make it softer / less sturdy. It should still be delicious though! It just might not hold it’s shape quite as well when piped and/or will be harder to get a perfectly smooth layer on a cake. Hope that helps, happy baking!
FSA recommends that cream cheese doesn’t stay at room temperatures longer that 2 hours before it becomes unsafe. So how are you using this for wedding cakes?
Hi Sharon,
Great question! The core temperature of big tiered wedding cakes takes forever to reach room temperature if it’s thoroughly chilled or frozen before being transported and set out. However, it’s a good idea to keep cakes frosted with cream cheese chilled until shortly before you cut into them. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi Chelsea!
I have made and LOVED this frosting. I have a request from my soon to be 3 year old daughter for blueberry frosting… any thoughts on how to transform this gem into fresh blueberry cream cheese frosting? No pressure, but her party is Sunday!
Thanks in advance. 🙂
YAY!! I am so happy to hear that Patrick!! I’d recommend adding 1/2 cup of fresh blueberry reduction. You can cook them down into a puree (you want the volume to be reduced to about half when it’s done cooking, to end up with about 1/2 cup of blueberry puree). You also may want to strain it if it seems chunky from the blueberry skins. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hello!
I have used your recipe many times and today i made a rookie mistake! I accidentally picked up 1/3 less fat cream cheese and didn’t realize until it was too late…any recovery options so it doesn’t go to waste? {SN: It still tastes good just has a grainy/ split cream look}
I’m so sorry to hear that Danny, and apologies for the delayed response! I hope you were able to get it to come back together, but if you weren’t, I’d recommend adding some additional butter in the future! That should help increase the amount of fat and help it mix back together. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Question: Can I use hi ratio shortening instead of butter? I’m doing cupcakes but I’m worried about the heat. and would I use the same amount? Thanks.
Hi Michelle,
You absolutely can! That is a very smart idea when dealing with high temps. Use the same amount of hi ratio shortening in place of the butter. Hope that helps, happy baking!
how would you recommend altering the recipe but maintaining the right consistency – if we want if less sweet?
Hi, I just wanted to ask if this recipe could be used for cinnamon buns as well.
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I just used it for a wedding cake and it held up perfectly and tasted great!!
So happy to hear it Kaitlyn! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I made this to frost 48 cupcakes and they turned out great. The frosting tasted great with a little tang from the cream cheese. And, they piped perfectly! Thank you for the great recipe, Chelsey!
I am making a wedding cake with 3-8″ rounds and 2-6″ rounds. Can you tell me how much frosting I will need for this? Thank you
Are you planning to decorate the outside of the cake at all with any piping or swirls? That can have a big impact on the amount you’d need, but I’d say you probably need 1.5 to 2 batches of this frosting recipe.
Can I use this frosting to make flat top buttercream frosting on cupcakes?
Hi Emma,
You totally can, that technique should work great with this recipe!
I use coffeemate French vanilla coffee creamer in your ABC recipe instead of heavy cream. Can I do the same in this recipe and still have the cream cheese flavor?
Hi Megan,
You absolutely can do that in this recipe too! The added flavor will compete a bit with the cream cheese flavor, but I think you should still be able to taste it. Hope that helps, happy baking!
I have use this recipe cover cake and also used it do vintage style piping and it’s very sturdy . Can this be used with edible images?
Hi Patricia,
So glad to hear you’ve had success with this recipe—it’s one of my go-to’s for vintage piping too! And yes, you can definitely use it with edible images! Just make sure the frosting is smooth and slightly chilled before applying the image. That helps keep it from getting too soft or absorbing excess moisture.
If you find the image starts to wrinkle or melt into the frosting, you can back it with a thin layer of fondant or wafer paper to give it a little more structure. It makes a big difference!
Can’t wait to see what you create with it next!
Hello. Please clarify the amount of vanilla extract. The written directions say 1 Tablespoon and the video says 1 teaspoon?? TY
Hi M,
Sorry for the confusion! When I first shared this recipe and made the YT video (back in 2017) I used 1 tsp of vanilla, but over time I’ve found I like a bit more vanilla and have updated the recipe to use 1 Tbsp. My recipe cards are always the latest and greatest 🙂 Hope that helps, happy baking!
Thanks for this recipe! I found it helpful to understand that butter (versus the cream cheese) is what gives frosting more stability. I’m looking to make a 3-tier cake, but it’s going to be a semi naked cake. I saw in many comments you suggested that others could use a softer, more cream cheesey frosting between layers, but use something more stable for the sides of the cake. Why is that? If I’m making a naked cake, do I then not have to worry about the frosting stability, and can use more cream cheese? Thanks!
Hi Samantha,
You’re exactly right—cream cheese gives that tangy richness we all love, but it’s the butter that brings the structure and stability, especially in warmer environments or for tall cakes. For tiered or stacked cakes, I usually recommend a more stable frosting on the outside to help hold everything in place and prevent sliding or bulging. But if the cake is properly supported and it’s not too hot out, it can keep it’s shape just fine!
I’d be nervous to add more cream cheese to the frosting if it’s a naked cake though! Especially for a summer wedding!! But you can always do a test cake with a higher ratio and see how it holds up!
I’ve used this frosting recipe to make a semi-naked wedding cake and it turned out great, so I feel like making a naked cake with this frosting would work well too.
Hope your cake turns out beautifully—it sounds like it’s going to be delicious and stunning!
If I would use this cream cheese icing for a wedding cake, how long in advance can I ice it? Would the cake need to be covered tightly in the refrigerator?
Hi Ruth,
Great question! If you’re using cream cheese frosting for a wedding cake, you can ice it 1 to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated. Just make sure the cake is stored in a cake box or loosely covered, enough to protect it from fridge odors and drying out, but not so tightly that it damages the frosting. If you don’t have anything with an odor in your fridge you can also store it uncovered as long as the cake is fully chilled. The frosting will lock in all the moisture!
Hope that helps and that the wedding cake turns out great, happy baking!
Hello. Can I add Biscoff Spread to this recipe if I want to make biscoff flavour. How much would you recommend? And should I reduce the amount of sugar? Also, I need to make it vegan, would it still have the same stability if I swap the butter and cream cheese with their vegan alternatives?
Hi Aarti,
Yes, you can add Biscoff spread to give it that flavor. I’d recommend starting with about 1/2 cup and adjusting to taste. It will add sweetness, so you can reduce the sugar slightly if you prefer. For a vegan version, you can swap in vegan butter and vegan cream cheese. The stability will depend on the brand, vegan cream cheeses are usually softer so you may need to chill the frosting more before piping or spreading. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi, can the cream cheese be the kind in the tub? We don’t have block cream cheese where I am
Hi Elsie,
Great question! Tub cream cheese usually has more moisture and stabilizers than the block kind, so it can make the frosting softer and a bit runnier. If that’s all you have access to, it can still work! You’ll just want to make sure it’s full-fat (not light or whipped), and add it cold from the fridge (not softened), so it holds its shape better. If the frosting feels too loose, add a little extra powdered sugar to thicken it back up.
It won’t be quite as sturdy as frosting made with block cream cheese, but it’ll still taste delicious! Hope that helps, happy baking!!
Oh my! Fabulous! It didn’t have quite enough “twang” for me, though, so I added a splash of white balsamic vinegar until I was satisfied. Crusted very nicely, firmed up hard in the fridge and was wonderfully soft as it warmed. I was hesitant to stack and layer but seems it did great! Thank you!
Hi Angel,
Ohhh I LOVE this energy!!! That makes me so happy to hear!!
Adding a splash of white balsamic for extra twang is such a power move. That little bit of acidity can really wake everything up and deepen the flavor, especially in chocolate desserts.
Also, I’m so glad to hear it crusted nicely, set up well in the fridge, and softened beautifully as it came back to room temp 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing what you did, I know other readers will love that tip too. Happy baking!