I've experimented with various cream cheese frosting recipes, but since discovering this particular one, I've stuck with it. I've kept the recipe unchanged from the original and have included a link to the original recipe in this post.
Ideas, Advice and Suggestions
Butter –To ensure the butter is soft, let it stand for thirty minutes to an hour and a half. Avoid using the microwave as it can cause uneven melting. I usually opt for salted butter and adjust by reducing the added salt accordingly.
Cream cheese – Just as butter needs to be soft for mixing, it won't blend well if it's not. If detailed piping isn't a concern, spreadable cream cheese is a suitable alternative.
Vanilla extract or essence – I use essence or paste if I have it.
Salt – I slightly decrease the amount if I'm using salted butter.
Icing sugar – Powdered sugar is a versatile ingredient that you can adjust to taste, but I've found that 4 cups is the right amount for me.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Preparation Time: 10 min
Total Time: 10 min
Servings: 1 Cake about 20 cupcakes
Level of Difficulty: Easy
The Origin of the Recipe: sugarspunrun.com
Diet: Gluten Free
The Best Cream Cheese Frosting.
Ingredients
- 113g (½ cup) butter, softened
- 226g to 250g cream cheese, softened (brick-style, not spreadable)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 500g (4 cups) Icing sugar
- Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine.
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Use to frost completely cooled cake or cupcakes.
- Using brick-style cream cheese results in a robust and pipeable frosting that retains its shape well, similar in texture to buttercream. It's excellent for decorative purposes!
- Numerous cream cheese frosting recipes call for less sugar, resulting in a thinner consistency; the icing, as described, is not as sweet as buttercream. However, for an even less sweet option, you can reduce the sugar further and adjust to taste, though a minimum of two cups is necessary.
- Frosting that is overly thick and sweet can result from mistakenly using too much powdered sugar, which should be weighed or measured in the same manner as flour. To correct frosting that has become too thick, gradually add heavy cream or milk, a splash at a time, until you achieve the preferred consistency.
- This icing can be kept in the fridge for up to a week
Instructions