If you need a great Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting, then this will be your go-to. It is my Grandma’s recipe and I use it on my Carrot Cake, Pumpkin Bars and Banana Bars. Just 4 simple ingredients – cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar, blend together in a couple minutes and it is ready to use!
Using This Recipe
This is enough Cream Cheese Buttercream to generously frost a 9×13 pan of bars or cake, or 24 + cupcakes.
However if you are going to make a double or triple layer cake I recommend that you double the frosting recipe.
Ingredients
Just simple ingredients here:
Cream Cheese and Butter – you want both of these to be VERY Soft, to the middle, so they will blend very creamy and not have any lumps.
Powdered Sugar – I recommend sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the icing. It can tend to have lumps and little clumps, which will result in lumpy frosting.
Softening Butter and Cream Cheese
To get really smooth cream cheese icing it is crucial that the butter and cream cheese are softened all the way to the middle!
Cream cheese will soften pretty quickly at room temperature, maybe about 3 hours.
However butter will take a little longer. I like to leave my butter at room temp overnight to make sure it is soft to the core.
There are a lot of “hacks” out there to soften butter, but I have not found one that actually works! If you know of one that works every time, please put it in the comments below.
How to Make Cream Cheese Buttercream
Start by measuring your powdered sugar and then sifting it through a fine mesh sieve.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla and half the powdered sugar.
Turn the mixer on low and increase to medium-low speed as it mixes together.
Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar.
Once it is all incorporated and smooth it is ready to use!
Serving
Use this amazing frosting on any recipe that calls for a cream cheese frosting:
- Carrot Cake
- Pumpkin Bars
- Banana Bars
- Red Velvet Cake
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Really anything pumpkin!!!!
Related Recipes
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Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment (or hand held mixer)
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese full fat – softened completely
- ½ cup salted butter softened completely
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) sifted
Instructions
- With a fine mesh sieve over a bowl measure out the powdered sugar and then sift, making sure to sift out any clumps.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or you can use a hand held mixer, add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla and half of the sifted powdered sugar.
- Start with the mixer on low so you don't get a face full of powdered sugar. Once the ingredients start to mix turn the mixer up a notch or two.
- Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar.
- Once it is all mixed and nice and smooth it is ready to use!
Using
- This will be enough cream cheese buttercream to ice a 9×13 pan of bars or cake, or 24+ cupcakes very generously.
Storing
- You can keep leftover cream cheese buttercream frosting in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
- To use let it sit at room temp for about 20-30 minutes so it will soften a little before spreading.
Freezing
- You can freeze your cream cheese icing for up to 3 months.
- To use thaw in the fridge overnight and then let it sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes before spreading.
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
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