Easy 4 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting
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Learn how to make the creamiest cream cheese frosting with only 4 ingredients – cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla! This is our favorite recipe to frost cakes (especially carrot cake!), cupcakes, and even cookies. It’s perfectly thick and creamy, holds its shape when piped, and tastes incredible!
If you’re looking for frosting that’s a little more special than buttercream, this is the recipe for you! It’s our go-to for so many of our favorite cakes. Red velvet cake, carrot cake, Italian cream cake, banana cake, + so many MORE!
It’s smooth, creamy, tangy, perfectly sweet, and the perfect accompaniment for so many desserts. The best part? It’s only FOUR ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make.
This Cream Cheese Frosting Is:
- Not as sweet as buttercream!
- Perfectly smooth and light.
- Tangy, yet deliciously sweet.
- One of our FAVORITE frostings ever.
- Can be spread or piped with piping tips!
The Importance of Choosing the Right Cream Cheese
The trick to a perfect cream cheese frosting starts actually before we start mixing. Buying the right type of cream cheese is crucial. So, what do we need?
Full-fat brick cream cheese! It’s rich, creamy texture and robust flavor are essential for achieving the desired consistency and flavor. You can not substitute with low-fat or spreadable cream cheese varieties, as they contain excess water that will thin out the frosting and keep it from being the luscious frosting we all know and love.
You Only Need 4 Ingredients!
- Cream Cheese
- Salted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
You will want to use room temperature (70℉) butter and cream cheese before beginning.
Can I Pipe Cream Cheese Frosting?
If you’ve ever made or worked with cream cheese frosting, you know that it can be difficult to pipe just because it’s soooooo creamy. However, we found that if you refrigerate it, the frosting will hold its piped shape.
But don’t expect it to be as sturdy as buttercream! Cream cheese isn’t super stable. Especially if left in a warm environment!
Cream Cheese Frosting Flavor Ideas
Let’s be real, sometimes…you just need something even more flavorful than just your regular cream cheese frosting! A spoonful of peanut butter (like the frosting on our banana cake) or some blueberry jam (like the frosting on these lemon blueberry sweet rolls!) are delicious, but caramel swirled cream cheese frosting might be one of our favorites! If you’re looking for something a little more fun, you can add strawberry powder to the frosting like we did with our strawberry cupcakes.
Need more inspo? Here are some flavor ideas:
- Lemon: add 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest. Adjust as needed!
- Cinnamon/Spice Blends: add 1/2-1 teaspoon of any spice you like from cinnamon to pumpkin spice.
- Chocolate: 1/4-1/3 cup of cocoa powder will add a delicious chocolate-y twist to the classic cream cheese frosting. Though, you may need to add a splash of milk to loosen it.
- Oreo: Who doesn’t love an oreo?! Add crushed oreos to your frosting like we did with our cookies and cream cake.
What Should Frost With Cream Cheese Frosting?
Cream cheese frosting shouldn’t just be limited to cakes and cupcakes! Here are a few of our favorite recipes to spoon this delicious frosting on top of:
- Banana Bread
- Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Fudgy Brownies
- Pumpkin Bread
- Strawberry Bread (or Strawberry Cake!)
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
If you’re planning to use this frosting on a layer cake, I recommend doubling the recipe below to ensure you have enough. Our recipes for red velvet cake and carrot cake both have quite a bit more frosting, as you need more to be able to fill in-between the layers and frost the exterior.
Though, if you’re looking for a stronger/more sturdy frosting that has the same flavor as a classic cream cheese frosting, we recommend trying our No-Fail Cream Cheese Frosting! It’s quite a bit studier without sacrificing the creaminess or tangy flavor that we all love from cream cheese frosting.
More Recipes You Will Love:
When you make this Easy 4 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting, be sure to leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy baking!
x, Caylie
Easy 4 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a hand mixer.
- Beat until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar.
- Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Once combined, beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in vanilla.
Notes + Tips!
How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will typically stay fresh for 3-5 days. Note: While you can freeze cream cheese frosting, the texture may change slightly after thawing.Tips for Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
- Sift the powdered sugar: This is KEY for a creamy, smooth frosting.
- Don’t overbeat: With most frostings, the more you beat it, the better. Cream cheese frosting is actually the OPPOSITE. Instead, by overbeating, you can actually cause the mixture to warm up and become thinner/runny. It’s always best to mix until it’s just combined and there are no lumps of powdered sugar left.
- Add a pinch of salt: A pinch of salt can enhance the overall flavor of the frosting.
- For a thicker frosting: If you prefer a thicker frosting, refrigerate it for a short period before using!
- Don’t frost a warm cake: Whether you’re frosting a cake or cupcakes, make sure that it’s completely cooled before frosting.
- Keep the frosting cool: Cream cheese frosting does not like the heat! Always keep the cake/frosting in the fridge or in a cool, air conditioned room when serving to keep the frosting from weeping.
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
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