Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

5 from 87 votes

This cream cheese frosting is literally THE BEST you're going to try. It's rich, creamy, tart and has the perfect level of sweetness. It's great for piping too!

Prep: 10

Total: 10

Servings: cups

Author: Cakes by MK

IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter - room temp
▢ 4½ cups (570 g) powdered sugar - also known as confectioners/icing sugar. Use more for a thicker frosting (see note 1)
▢ 1½ cups (335 g) cream cheese - cold, firm type (see note 2)
▢ 1½ tsp vanilla essence/extract
▢ 1½ tbsp lemon juice - must be fresh

Instructions

To a large bowl add in unsalted butter and using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - use the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) cream for a few minutes on a medium high speed until it's light and fluffy.
Add in the powdered sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch of powdered sugar is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
Next add in your cold cream cheese, vanilla and fresh lemon juice and mix on a medium speed just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing (see note 3). If using a stand mixer, you may need to mix on a high speed to get everything nice and smooth (see note 4 if your frosting is lumpy).

Video

Notes

Note 1. As with most cream cheese frostings, it will become slightly softer at room temperature and may not be as easy to pipe. If it's too soft, simply place it back into the fridge for 20-30 minutes, rewhip it and then use for piping. If you want a thicker frosting, you can add more icing sugar (I'd add 2 tbsp extra at a time at the end and taste test as I go), until you're happy with the level of sweetness. More thickening options are in the blog post above.

Note 2. To ensure that your frosting isn't too soft, you want to use a firm cream cheese, not the spreadable type. You also want to use cold cream cheese as this will help your frosting stay firmer for longer, particularly if you want to use it for piping. If you stay in a hot climate and your frosting is softening up after some time, simply place it into the fridge for 30 minutes and then rewhip it. This will bring it back to a pipeable consistency.

Note 3. Only mix the frosting until it's smooth. Once it's smooth stop mixing as over-mixing can result in a less stable frosting. This is because of the liquid in the cream cheese breaking down the icing sugar.

Note 4. If you end up with lumpy frosting, this is most likely due to the cream cheese not mixing in properly. This is more of a problem if using a stand mixer. To remedy this, mix on the highest speed. If it doesn't help, swap the paddle attachement with the whisk attachment and mix on a high speed - this should do the trick :). Alternatively, you can whip the cream cheese first and get it smooth before adding it to the frosting.

Nutrition

Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.

Keyword: cream cheese, cream cheese buttercream, cream cheese frosting

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