That Real Cream Cheese Frosting
“Real cream cheese frosting recipe that tastes like cheesecake! Made with lots of butter and cream cheese! Sweetened perfectly with powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla!”
Watch me make this Real Cream Cheese Frosting from start to finish!
There are buttercream frostings with cream cheese and then there are REAL cream cheese frostings. This recipe is what I call a real cream cheese frosting and it is the BEST I’ve ever had!!!
Ok ok geez!!! I know I said THIS RECIPE was my favorite cream cheese frosting. Oh wait… maybe I said it was THIS ONE. Well, scratch all of that. This recipe right here. Yep the one you’re reading is my new favorite cream cheese frosting!!! Not that the other ones aren’t amazing because they are…it’s just…I’m moving on. No hard feelings. It’s totally me.
Now, this new love may or may not change next month ( hey I have food commitment issues. I’m always searching for the best!) but for right now I’m. In. Love!!! I’m talking sunshine, rainbows, and teddy bears kind of love.
Doesn’t it feel good when you finally find your “go-to” recipe? Even if you discover something months or years later that blows it out of the water, it still feels good for the moment. Kinda like a new pair of shoes or a fresh relationship.
What’s so special about this cream cheese recipe you ask? Well, it’s full of butter…and cream cheese. Bricks on bricks on bricks of cream cheese people! And it’s sweetened doggone near perfectly. If you let it firm up I swear it tastes like cheesecake! I could eat the entire bowl!
This particular cream cheese frosting recipe is for REAL cream cheese lovers ONLY. It does not shy away from the cream cheese flavor so if a strong cream cheese flavor isn’t your thang, mosey on over to my other cream cheese frosting recipes.
I’m sure you can look around this site and see I’m kinda obsessed with cream cheese and butter. The ratio in this recipe creates a cream cheese frosting that’s buttery tasting, with the strong tang of cream cheese and sweetened with powdered sugar with a splash of vanilla extract. Sweet mother of Jehoshaphat it’s good!
It’s important that you let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature naturally. No cheating with the microwave ok! The texture is light, fluffy, and whipped! Perfect for spreading on a single-layer cake. However, if you want to do a layered cake you’ll need to let the frosting set for a few hours in the fridge to firm up to your desired texture.
Get the Recipe: Real Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 (8 oz )blocks, room temperature
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- In a large bowl cream together cream cheese and butter.
- Mix in vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in powdered sugar.
- Let frosting set in the fridge for a few hours to firm up if needed.
- Store in refrigerator.
- (makes enough to frost a 3 layer cake)
Ready to give this real cream cheese recipe a spin? Try out these from-scratch cake recipes!!!
i agree 2 blocks is better, 3 cups powder sugar, butter measurement is fine but, the BIG AH HA moment for a carrot cake is maple extract instead of vanilla. everybody will think you have lost your mind but, OMG on a carrot cake or pecan muffins the maple makes the best.
The frosting tastes great. In your pictures it looks very white but mine has a yellow tinge to it. Any tips of making it whiter? For reference I used Kerrygold unsalted butter.
I always use a very little amount of purple food coloring. Like the tip of a toothpick little. It sounds crazy but it brightens it.
Am I reading this right, you use four 8oz blocks of cream cheese? Seems a bit much and would make enough it seems to frost a lot of cakes even a 3 tier. Want to try it but with the cream cheese shortage going around can’t risk it, since you can make a whole cheesecake with four blocks of cream cheese. Thanks.
Any ideas on using heavy whipping cream with this recipe? Like a cream cheese whipped cream icing? Would that be possible?
Didn’t really care for cream cheese frosting but this changed my mind!! I made it with the carrot cake. We also ate the leftover with strawberries. So good!
Best cream cheese frosting ever!!!!
To stabilize, other than adding more powder sugar (that will make it too sweet), try corn starch tbsp at a time.