Best Recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between cream cheese frosting and cream cheese buttercream? ›

Buttercream and cream cheese frosting have some ingredients in common -- powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and butter -- but buttercream is also made with heavy cream or milk while cream cheese frosting contains, obviously, cream cheese.

An equal ratio of butter to cream cheese yields a super smooth, spreadable frosting, while still maintaining the distinctive tangy flavor.

As far as brand, like I mentioned before, only use Philadelphia full fat cream cheese when possible. Other brands of cream cheese don't have that perfect balance of gums in the ingredients, so they won't allow the frosting to thicken and hold its shape like Philadelphia does.

Cornstarch is a good way to thicken the frosting without increasing its sweetness. Mix 1 tablespoon (25 grams) of cornstarch into the frosting. If it is still too runny, add a little more. Continue to add cornstarch until you are happy with the texture.

If it's still too thin, take out some of the runny mixture and beat in some more cream cheese. Alternatively, if you whisk it with an electric whisk or in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on high it will thicken after 3-4 minutes.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Soft and fluffy, this buttercream is great for filling layers or frosting cakes. Hints & Tips: Since Swiss buttercream is so soft, it's better used for frosting cakes rather than piping or decorating. Make sure mixture is cool before adding butter, otherwise your butter will melt.

Cream Cheese Frosting Is Perfect For Spiced Cakes And Breads

It's also, of course, the perfect frosting and filling for your red velvet cupcakes and cakes. However, its softer consistency can make it less stable and more difficult to work with when it comes to piping.

You can make cream cheese frosting a couple of days ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator. The frosting will thicken significantly in the fridge and may become too difficult to work with. To soften, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

For a (16-ounce) tub of frosting, anywhere from ½ cup to 1 cup of crunchy additions will do the trick. Toasted nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips or chunks, halvah, and toffee will all add a fun new dimension of flavor. Stir in chopped up canned pineapple or fresh berries for an extra fruity kick.

From Paula's Pumpkin Bars to Giada's Spiced Apple-Walnut Cake With Cream Cheese Icing to the classic Red Velvet Cake, it's hard to escape cream cheese frosting's creamy goodness. So does it need refrigeration? Food Network Kitchens: Yes, you should always refrigerate any cake or cupcake that has cream cheese frosting.

How do you get butter lumps out of cream cheese frosting? ›

Frosting is lumpy.

Sifting the icing sugar will help you to avoid obvious lumps of sugar in your frosting. It also helps to bring your butter to room temperature before use so that you don't get cold lumps of butter in the frosting. To rescue it simply whip for a bit longer.

Note: Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese is essential for thick frosting. Whipped, low-fat, or spreadable cream cheese will make the frosting runny. When in doubt, choose cream cheese that comes in a box, not a plastic tub.

The default product for British supermarket shoppers comes in a shallow oblong tub – or, if it's the Philadelphia brand, which dominates the market, an oval one. That's what most of us pick up if a recipe calls for cream cheese.

Buttercream is smooth, sweet, and versatile, while cream cheese frosting offers a tangy twist and pairs well with specific cakes. The choice between them ultimately depends on your preference and the recipe you're working with.

Add small amounts of ingredients like powdered sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, heavy whipping cream, or cream cheese to make your frosting less runny. For flavored frostings, ingredients like cocoa powder and peanut butter can also work. When your frosting is the right consistency, it'll be easy to spread or pipe.

So if your frosting is too soft to pipe once beaten, you can pop it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to harden up. But if you refrigerate the frosting overnight or freeze it, it will be too hard to pipe, simply let it soften at room temperature, re-whip until fluffy and use as desired.

If you have followed the recipe to the T, used the right amount of icing sugar, the consistency of butter and cream cheese was right, not beaten the sugar for long, added lemon juice little at a time and your frosting is still runny then simply pop the bowl into the refrigerator for a couple of minutes and it should ...