This 5-minute cream cheese frosting recipe uses only 1 cup of powdered sugar – one-quarter of the usual amount for a batch this size – and it's just as smooth, luscious, and creamy! A reader-favorite recipe with loads of 5-star reviews.
Spread or pipe it on your favorite cake and cupcake recipes for a perfectly balanced topping.
If regular buttercream frosting is too sweet for your taste, welcome to the less-sweet frosting of your dreams! This low-sugar frosting uses cream cheese to make it creamy, thick, and pipe-able but with one-quarter of the sugar that most frosting recipes contain.
This community-favorite recipe has loads of positive reviews from happy bakers craving lower-sugar cake toppings. Here's what one reader had to say about this cream cheese frosting:
Best Frosting Ever
“This is the BEST cream cheese frosting I've ever tasted! Most have five cups of sugar but this is just the perfect amount of sweetness.”
—Alexa
Today I'm sharing everything you ever wanted to know about cream cheese frosting: how to make it, how to use it, and how to store it, plus some flavor variations. If you have more questions, please ask in the comments below!
Spread this light and fluffy frosting over your favorite cake and cupcake recipes. For those with dietary restrictions, I also have recipes for vegan cream cheese frosting and maple-sweetened paleo cream cheese frosting which deliver all of the tangy goodness with none of the dairy.
Ingredients
This frosting uses 3 main ingredients, plus a few flavorings:
- cream cheese: for silky smooth frosting, it's important to choose a cream cheese that contains some gums or stabilizers. My preferred brand is Organic Valley. Don't use low-fat, cream cheese that comes in a tub, or crumbly artisanal cream cheese as the texture will probably not be delicious.
- butter: I prefer a richer, European-style butter such as Straus, Vermont Creamery, or Organic Valley European-Style Cultured Butter.
- powdered sugar: I prefer the richer taste of organic powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar) such as Wholesome Sweeteners brand. Do be sure to sift organic powdered sugar as it tends to be clumpier than its conventional counterpart.
- flavorings: vanilla extract, salt, and/or lemon juice punch up the flavors. See the recipes notes for more delicious flavor variations including matcha, chocolate, and brown butter frostings made with this same formula.
Ingredient Ratios
Over the years I've tried many different ratios of these ingredients to make low sugar cream cheese frosting. The ratio I settled on is one part butter, two parts cream cheese, and two parts powdered sugar by volume (i.e. 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar) plus a touch of salt and vanilla, and sometimes a squeeze of lemon.
Most cream cheese frosting recipes call for 2, 3, or even 4 cups of sugar for these amounts, but I prefer a less-sweet frosting in order to really taste the rich butter and tangy cream cheese. That said, you can absolutely add more sugar if you like a sweeter frosting. The powdered sugar, which is very finely ground sugar mixed with a little cornstarch, helps the frosting emulsify and fluff up in addition to providing sweetness.
What's the key to silky smooth frosting?
First of all, make sure your butter and cream cheese have warmed to room temperature. Too cold and you'll get lumpy chunks in your frosting, or the frosting might appear broken or curdled due to the ingredients not being in emulsion. Too warm and your frosting will be too soft and weepy.
TBG TIP: To quickly soften cream cheese and butter, cut them into 1-inch chunks and place them on a large plate or quarter sheet pan (lined with parchment paper for easy clean-up if you like) and let them sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- I prefer to make my frosting in a stand mixer, but an electric beater will work as well. Or make it the old-fashioned way using a bowl, wooden spoon, and your mighty arm strength. First beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-low speed until smooth and incorporated, then add the butter and flavorings, beating until smooth. Finally, increase the mixer speed to medium-high for a minute or two to aerate the frosting.
- If your frosting looks slightly broken or curdled when you're finished, this could be due to too-cold ingredients that haven't come into emulsion. Feel the mixing bowl and if it's cold to the touch, let the ingredients warm up a bit more and try beating it again to see if it comes together.
- If your frosting is still broken, add more sifted powdered sugar by the tablespoon; this sometimes brings it back together. (You can add a squeeze of lemon if it starts to taste too sweet.) If neither of these tactics bring your frosting back together again, slather it all over that cake and rest assured that everyone will still go crazy for it.
Frosting vs. icing: which is it?
Cream cheese frosting is often called, synonymously, cream cheese icing. The terms icing and frosting are used interchangeably in the US, with frosting being the more common name for the fluffy cake topping shown here. Buttercream is another name for the same thing.
But in European countries, icing is usually thinner and glossier, with a higher ratio of sugar. Whether you call this cream cheese icing or frosting, you'll definitely call it delicious.
Perfect Pairings
Besides licking it off the spoon, here are some of my favorite uses for this less-sweet frosting recipe and its variations:
- Spread it over Floofy Gluten-Free Oat Flour Carrot Cake
- Serve it with Moist Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread or GF Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Swirl it on Teff Flour Chocolate Cake or Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake
- Melt it on cinnamon buns such as Spiced Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
How to Store
Food safety regulations specify that dairy products can only sit out at room temperature (i.e. the danger zone where bacteria happily flourish) for 2 hours. Realistically, it's unlikely that harmful bacteria will grow in this frosting if left out for several hours since it's full of bacteria-inhibiting sugar and fat.
But if you want to be extra safe, make sure the total time that your dairy is out (including warming it to room temperature, making the frosting, and decorating and serving your cake) is under 2 hours.
This frosting will taste and feel best in your face when eaten at room temperature, so if storing your befrosted goods in the fridge, be sure to let them sit out for 30 minutes before nomming to soften the frosting.
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this less-sweet frosting recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
Less-Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, at room temperature*
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) lightly salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (100 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
- squeeze of lemon juice, optional
Equipment
- small stand mixer or hand blender
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric beater or wooden spoon) combine the cream cheese and butter. Beat on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture and add the vanilla and salt. Beat the frosting on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Taste the frosting, adding a squeeze of lemon if you want to sharpen the flavors. Use right away, or store refrigerated airtight for up to 1 week. If chilled, let soften to room temperature before using.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to use the type of cream cheese that comes in a brick or block and contains some gums, as this will make a smooth, thick frosting.
- Some UK readers have had success straining their runnier cream cheese through cheese cloth before making this frosting.
- Since this frosting contains less powdered sugar than most, it can look slightly curdled when finished. See the post above for troubleshooting any frosting woes.
- This recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting, enough for a 9x9-inch sheet cake, a 6-inch layer cake, or 1 dozen cupcakes.
- Double the recipe to frost an 8- or 9-inch layer cake or a 9x12-inch sheet cake.
Aysegul says
I am in awe of you and this. Stellar!
PS: Heading to the supermarket now to get some cream cheese!! Cause I am making me some "creme" (yeah, I am super fancy like that) cheese frosting. 😂
Alanna says
Thank you for helping me organize this post dear friend! <3
Emily R says
Thank you for all your experimenting! I really liked the level of sweetness in this cream cheese frosting. Do you have any idea on how to make a peanut butter variation? Peanut butter powder maybe?
Alanna says
So glad you like it! I bet you could just add 2 or 3 tablespoons peanut butter to the frosting and add more sugar if needed to taste? Please let me know if you experiment!
Manaswee says
In awe of this cream cheese frosting. I am surely gonna try it coz it’s less sweet and ombré effect is to die for
Alanna says
Aw, thank you! Please let me know how it turns out.
Myth says
I have an issue with really sweet frosting. I don't like sickly sweet things that make my teeth hurt. This stuff was perfect though. My husband's new favorite as well. And he is very picky about his sweets. Is definitely going to replace buttercream in our kitchen. This recipe was very easy to use. I look forward to trying all these fun variations.
Alanna says
This comment made my day! I can't stand overly sweet things either, and that's exactly what inspired me to develop a less sweet cream cheese frosting. :)
Pat Strong says
Just used your cream cheese frosting on gluten free chocolate cupcakes. I took the easy way out and used a Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix. What a great combination! Both the cupcakes and the frosting were super easy to make. I loved the fact that the frosting had just the sweetness I like. I piped the frosting (star) and the cupcakes looked and tasted amazing. The frosting made all the difference.
Alanna says
Thanks so much for the note - I'm so glad you like the frosting!
Gabby says
I used a little less than a cup and it was plenty sweet! Thank you!
Lauren C says
Just want to thank you for this recipe! I hate overly sweet frosting and unfortunately a lot of the frosting recipes out there are too sweet for me. I once saw a cream cheese frosting recipe that calls for 5 times as much cream cheese than this one! This one is just right :P
I added some homemade strawberry jam and omitted the vanilla, and used this as my matcha macaron filling, delicious!
Lauren C says
oops I meant 5 times as much sugar!*
Alanna says
Gahhh, that is way way way too much! I'm so glad you liked this formula! I can imagine how good strawberry jam tastes here - like strawberry cheesecake?!
Becky says
Tasted lovely but soo runny =( not sure what I did wrong, even added some more icing sugar to try and thicken it up but no joy. Luckily had made cupcakes so could just tip inside the space left In the case.
Alanna says
That's so strange! What kind of cream cheese did you use? Is it possible the ingredient were just too warm and soft? Did the frosting firm up in the fridge?
Kim Amerson says
I made this with my young boys and had the same outcome. It was so runny. The cream cheese was full fat Philadelphia, and I used European butter. It came out so runny. We tried to put it back in the fridge to firm up before piping, but no luck. I added about 1/4 cup more cream cheese and it made it able to be piped.
Kseniya says
Delicious! Just made it for an almond flour vanilla cake and had to keep from eating all the frosting while the cake cools. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you liked it – and that I'm not the only one who has a hard time saving the frosting for the cake!
Kim says
I need to frost two 9" carrot cake rounds that are rather thick. Would you suggest doubling this recipe to cover? I searched for lower-sugar alternatives for my cake - the one recipe that came with it called for 16 oz of cream cheese and 4 1/2 c of confectioners sugar(!!!) My teeth can't handle that. LOL! Thanks in advance!
Alanna says
OMG that is WAY too much sugar - blech! I'm so glad you found this recipe haha. Let me know how you like it!
Kim says
I just saw the end where you suggested doubling - sorry! Also, did you know that when you scale your recipe up or down, the grams area does not change with the updated measurements in ounces? I bake with grams, so that's important. Thanks again for the recipe!
Alanna says
Yes, that is an annoying feature of this recipe plugin. I've been meaning to just turn that function off, so thank you for the reminder - I'm so glad you caught that before making the recipe! I also bake with grams - it's so much more efficient and accurate. Kudos!
Rajinder Bharaj says
Ive just made this and I too ended up with custard on the first attempt. My gut instinct was to whip the butter first which I did on the second attempt and worked perfectly.
Thank you great top have a cream cheese recipe that is not sickly sweet.
Alanna says
Huh, that's so interesting! I wonder why that happened? I'm so glad you got it to work the second time around. Thank you very much for sharing your technique!
Kim Amerson says
This is a great idea! I always whip my butter alone first before mixing in the cream cheese or sugar! I’ll have to do it next time! by the way, your stuff is so amazing! Just love this beet red velvet cake!
SC says
I searched online for a less sweet cream cheese frosting and landed here. Oh my! This is the best cream cheese frosting I've ever tasted - there's no looking back. I used it on a vanilla bean cake and it was a great hit with my family. I also used confectioners sugar instead of powdered sugar and that made it so easy to frost and held its own on a hot day. Thank you!
Jen61 says
Confectioners sugar and powdered sugar are the same thing. 🙂
Mia says
Hi ,
Love the recipe. i wanted to ask before i try to make this - Does this recipe make the frosting stiff enough to pipe through different piping nozzles to decorate, and hold its shape?
Thank you
Alanna says
Hi Mia, it absolutely does! If the frosting is too soft right after you make it, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to firm it up.
Jackie says
Hi Alanna, I was lucky to find your recipe today while looking for a less sweet cream cheese frosting. It was amazing! The ingredient's ratio is perfect and the touch of lemon gives it and increible refreshing flavor. I used it to cover a carrot cake and also used the piping nozzles to decorate it. Thank you!!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you liked it! Carrot cake is my favorite vehicle for cream cheese frosting and I always crave it this time of year!
Angela says
Wow I've been making cream cheese frosting all wrong before! I've always thought that it was too sweet but that it needed a lot of powdered sugar for the frosting's structure. This is the best cream cheese frosting recipe I've ever made and it paired perfectly with my carrot cake!
amy says
Can I double this , and will it still be firm to pipe if I double it?
Alanna says
Definitely! If it's too soft right after making it, chill it for a little bit and it will firm up. You can also chill it for several days, then bring it back to cool room temperature before using it. Please let me know how it goes!
Sierra says
Tried this recipe today and am so happy! Countless recipes tried and this has proven to be truly less sweet. Smooth and creamy consistency. Currently in the fridge for abit before I pipe them onto my cupcakes. Thanks for the recipe!
Joelle says
This frosting was amazing. Everyone, kids and adults alike, enjoyed eating it on top of pumpkin muffins. The finished consistency was perfect and my kids (6 and 9) frosted the muffins easily with a piping bag.
Alanna says
Aw thanks for trying my recipe. I'm so glad it was a it! I wish I could have been there to bake with you all. Soon, I hope!
Jenna says
This was perfect! Not too sweet, and I added a tsp of cinnamon and it was perfect for carrot cake. Not runny at all, especially after half hour in fridge.
Cat says
I don't normally comment on recipes, but I've made this frosting twice now...my boyfriend and I aren't fans of very sweet frostings so this is perfect. Love it on baby food bars!
Thank you! 💙
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you like the frosting!
Sian says
If you live in the UK as I do and are using the cream cheese that comes in a tub. You need to put it into a cheese cloth and wring out the excess water. If you use it straight from the tub you’ll get running frosting. I wish we could get the cream cheese that comes in a block!
Wanda says
Thanks for this. I used the only organic cream cheese I could find locally and my frosting is runny. I may have to trash my Easter frosting, but I’ll know for next time.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh no! I would try chilling it for 30 minutes or longer to see if it sets up first. Fingers crossed! If it's still soft after chilling, you could use it to make little parfaits with crushed cookies / biscuits and some berry compote. I'll make a note in the recipe to use cream cheese that comes in a block.
Wanda Collier says
Nice suggestion about the parfait, Alanna. It never set up. I’ll just make your mascarpone whipped cream instead. You discussed the cream cheese situation and showed a block. The problem is on my end. No blocks of organic CC in Canada. I may have to make my own cream cheese if I want to try this. 🙏
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm sorry to hear about the dearth of good organic cream cheese in Canada - boo! I hope the frosting can still be useful in parfaits and that the whipped mascarpone does the trick!
Megan H says
I have a cream cheese that I make from cashews; I was wondering how that would work in this recipe, so I gave it a shot on an almond flour carrot cake I made. Verdict: delicious! I can't eat regular cream cheese, but I can tolerate butter from some other countries, so I used Kerrygold butter. And followed your instructions exactly. It came out creamy and lightly sweet; I added the touch of lemon because I had only fermented my cream cheese for 24 hours, so it wasn't super tangy. Thank you for this great recipe, it will be a wonderful base with the other variations you mentioned. P.S. I own and love your book!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh I'm so glad this worked with your homemade cashew cream cheese – that sounds absolutely delicious, especially on almond flour carrot cake. Yum! I'm so glad you're enjoying Alternative Baker too. Thanks very much for the sweet note!
Galen says
I made this for the lofty gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake and it is wonderful. It’s quick and easy with a stand mixer. The sweetness level is just right.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you liked it! Feel free to give it a star rating if you like :)
Alexa says
This is the BEST cream cheese frosting I've ever tasted! Most have five cups of sugar but this is just the perfect amount of sweetness.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That makes me so happy! I feel the same way, and I'm so glad you loved it :D
Erin says
Lovely recipe. I saw the post in the remark section where someone added some strawberry jam. Nice idea.
I wonder how this would be, for the center of the proper whoopie pie?
Also, for those diabetic, or keto use the sugar free powder sugar.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
So glad you like the frosting! Strawberry jam sounds delightful, especially in a whoopie pie - YUM. Please let me know if you try it!
Jackie Bruno says
I am confused about the following; in your article before you provide the recipe to state: " The ratio I have settled on is one part butter to two parts cream cheese, and two parts, powdered sugar by volume. The actual recipe provided uses an equal part of cream cheese to butter. Can you please explain? What am I missing here? I am very excited to try your recipe and it gets great comments.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Jackie,
Sorry for the confusion. The recipe does use 1 part butter (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) to 2 parts cream cheese (8 ounces or 16 tablespoons). Imperial measurements make everything more complicated! Better that we use more civilized gram measurements. ;)
In any case, please let me know if you try the frosting!
-Alanna
Jackie says
Thank you for the clarification. I made the cream cheese frosting using the citrus variation and I added shredded coconut to go with my carrot cake made with coconut, pineapple and nuts. The frosting was delicious. It was however slightly lumpy (even before adding the coconut). I have read this can happen if the butter is too soft. I also read that you could carefully warm the frosting in a double boiler to help blend all the ingredients together and this worked. I have not baked a cake or made frosting in over 10 years so it was likely due to my technique and not the fault of the recipe. In any event it turned out delicious and the frosting looked fine. Plus I sprinkled it with toasted coconut and nuts. Thanks for the less sugar version.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh good, I'm glad you were able to smooth out the lumps. That's a great tip to warm it in a water bath.
Gerri Anne Becker says
Made this for a friend's birthday cake. I ended up using 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. It's delicious! I put it on a Bundt spice cake and we could barely stay out of it long enough to frost the cake. We only ended up having to use about half of the frosting. The other half is in the fridge for pancakes or French toast etc.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Bundt spice cake sounds so delicious with this frosting. I'm so glad you liked it and that it worked with even less powdered sugar - love it!
Leti says
This is the recipe I have been searching for. It is absolutely the perfect blend/ratio. I have a fantastic carrot cake recipe that is now off the charts. I cannot wait to add whiskey to St. Patrick's Day Guinness Chocolate cupcakes. Thank you! It is my go-to frosting. It holds up as well and does not run.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Leti,
Aw thank you so much for the great feedback! So glad you're loving this frosting, and OMG guinness chocolate cupcakes with whiskey cream cheese frosting sounds out of this world. Happy baking!
-Alanna
Trish says
Hi Alanna, I’m making a chocolate cake for a friend’s daughter’s 21st birthday and am wondering if there is a best way to make the totally chocolate. I don’t want to do the ombré thing and would love your suggestions for a dark chocolate frosting, preferably using this recipe. It’s so delicious as is so I’d love to see a chocolate variation. Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Trish!
Aw what a lucky lady to get to eat your cake!
I love the thought of a fully chocolate version of this frosting. I think you could add 1/4 cup cocoa powder along with the powdered sugar. If you want it more chocolatey or more sweet, add more cocoa or powdered sugar to taste. I'd love to give the chocolate version its own dedicated post, so stay tuned! And please let me know how you like it or if you make any other modifications!
xoxo,
A
Jackie says
This is my new “go-to” cream cheese frosting recipe! All other recipes I’ve used are too sweet. This one has a great consistency and the perfect amount of sweetness! Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so happy to hear that - thanks for the kind note!
Alicia says
This is now my cream cheese icing recipe. I’ve tried the others, with 4 cups of icing sugar and don’t like the sweetness. This recipe has a good balance, thank you.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
So glad you like the balance of flavors in this frosting. I completely agree - 4 cups of icing sugar is way way way too much!
Melody D. says
Excellent....the best I've ever made. Finally a frosting that is palatable. The spreading consistency that looks and feels picturesque. Proud to serve this to guests.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw that makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for the great feedback! What did you serve the frosting on?
Pam says
Best cream cheese frosting ever. It tasted like cheesecake on top of a cupcake. And bonus… not overly sweet. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Pam says
This is the best cream cheese frosting. It tastes like cheesecake piped atop cupcakes and bonus…not too sweet at all. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm SO glad you love the frosting! Thanks a bunch for the note. What kind of cupcakes did you pipe it on?
Pam says
I piped on carrot cake muffins, brought them to work and everyone raved about this delicious frosting. I’m going to make your chocolate cream cheese frosting on banana cupcakes next.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you loved the frosting - what lucky co-workers you have! Please let me know how you like the chocolate version - perfect for banana cupcakes. Happy baking to you!
-Alanna
Suzanne says
Delicious! I made it with lactose free cream cheese. 1 cup of powdered sugar was sweet enough😋 I split the flavoring to half vanilla and half almond. I served it on a Keto chocolate cake and cherry pie filling-low sugar.
Stephanie McDaniel says
So glad this recipe is not to sweet! It's perfect. If I wanted all sugar I would have gotten it in the store. Most recipe forgets the word"CREAM CHEESE". and adds lots of sugar, not good for a Red Velvet cake. Thanks for getting it right, in my aspect. S. McDaniel
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yessss, you said it. So glad you loved the frosting, it's perfect on red velvet cake!
Kathy says
Hello Alanna
I have made your delicious cream cheese frosting many times! I am trying a new three layer cake recipe. Do you think the recipe will be enough to frost the cake or should I multiply the ingredients by 1 1/2? I cannot wait to serve it to my dinner guests!
Thanks in advance
Kathy
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Kathy,
Thanks so much for the feedback - I'm happy to know you've been enjoying this frosting recipe!
I think you're going to want to double the recipe to frost a 3 layer cake - or even triple it if the layers are going to be wider than 8 inches or taller than usual, or if you want extra frosting for multiple crumb coats or for piping.
Please let me know how it goes and what kind of cake you're making!
xo,
Alanna
Kathy says
Thank you for such a quick reply, Alanna!
I will go ahead and double the recipe! I am making the Southern living Hummingbird cake recipe. I bet you can find a way to make it GF! It is a delicious cake if you have never had it.
HA! You are way out of my league! There will be no piping!
I cannot wait to make it next weekend! Thanks again!
Kathy
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That sounds so incredibly delicious. I love the idea of developing a gluten-free hummingbird cake using this frosting - genius!! Please let me know how the cake turns out :)
Kim says
Yours was the first and only recipe that came up when I googled "not too sweet cream cheese icing", and I'm so glad it did! I've made it twice, and it is perfection. Thank you so much for the ratios you provided. I feel that too much powdered sugar ruins the whole cream cheese aspect of the icing which is why I want this icing in the first place. Thank you again!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm so glad Google brought you here and that you loved this frosting! I know, too much powdered sugar can cover the delicious cream cheese tanginess that I love so much. What did you put your frosting on?
Kim says
I put it on my very first homemade birthday cake for my son's 19th birthday! I had never made a cake from scratch, and it was so much fun. He wanted a white cake with cream cheese frosting. My apologies…in the south we call it "icing", so I'm attempting to implement the correct word, "frosting"! I've always purchased cakes from the Publix bakery or a local bakery, but after this, my son said I'm on cake duty going forward, so it was a success, in huge part due to your cream cheese frosting! 😊
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Awwww this makes me so happy to hear!! So glad your first cake-making experience was a massive success. What a lucky son you have to get a homemade birthday cake! So sweet - but not *too* sweet, haha!
Kim says
😁😂
Bethany says
Hello! This looks delicious. I am baking a cake for a friend, and in the video, the frosting looks a bit thin and softer than most frostings. Have you tried to pipe it on a cake? Did it stay firm on the cake?
Thanks in advance!! ☺️
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Great question! Yes, it's definitely firm enough to pipe. If the frosting is soft when you make it, just pop it in the fridge for a bit to firm up before piping. Please let me know how it goes!
Laurie says
Hi, I just found this recipe and made my first batch. It is amazing! The lemon juice at the end brought it from good to spectacular! I made a second batch with a different cream cheese from the first and it’s still good but not as good as the first. So I have finally found my go to frosting with the perfect cream cheese! It’s so light and fluffy with just a little touch of tangy with the lemon. So my question is, since it’s so soft what can I add for piping? Cornstarch? Meringue powder? I hate to add more sugar as my family hates overly sweet frosting. Thank you! ( I have tasted wayyyy to much frosting tonight 🤢)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Haha, I definitely know the feeling! I'm SO glad you love this recipe, that makes me really happy to hear.
Usually I've found that chilling the frosting for a bit will firm it up to a pipeable consistency. But if you've tried that and it's still too soft, you could certainly experiment with adding a little cornstarch or meringue powder (I haven't worked with the latter but it *sounds* like it would work!) Please let us all know what you try as I know it will help other readers too! :)
Hayley says
The best cream cheese frosting out there! So damn good!!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yaaayyyy, so glad you love it!
Dena says
Is it okay to add food coloring to the finished frosting? I'm making cookie monster cupcakes for my son's second birthday and the frosting needs to be blue!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw so fun! Yes you can absolutely add food coloring. Please let me know how you like the frosting!
Lindsay says
First time making a cream cheese frosting. Really easy to make. I added the squeeze of lemon juice as suggested and it was perfect. Used to ice banana muffins. Textire was smooth and creamy. Really delicious and decadent. Highly recommend.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, so glad you like this frosting and that your first time making it went smoothly. Now I'm craving this on banana muffins - yum!!
monika h says
This was fantastic! I found it through an internet search for exactly the recipe name and it lives up to its name! I brought it to a birthday party to top carrot cake cupcakes/muffins. Everyone agreed that it was the perfect sweetness. I'll be saving this one and coming back to the blog for other recipes.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear. Glad this frosting was a hit!
Art W says
Would this recipe be enough to cover a 9x13 baking pan?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Great question! You'll want to make 1 1/2 batches to cover a 9x13-inch cake. What kind of cake are you making to pair with it?
Art W says
A carrot snack cake…🍰👍
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
The ideal pairing – enjoy!!
Galen says
I've commented on this recipe before but just had to come back to say that every time I whip up this super quick and easy buttercream I can't believe how delicious and creamy it is. I just used it on a birthday cake and it was so good. I haven't mastered piping enough to do the gorgeous ombre pattern. I just spread it and made it pretty with some sprinkles. Not only is it not as sugary as most buttercreams, it has more depth of flavor.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw that makes me so happy to hear. So glad you like this recipe enough to make it over and over again! What kind of cake did you pair it with this time?