Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (classic flavor, pipeable)

Cream cheese frosting piped onto a small baking mold on a blue work surface.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (classic flavor, pipeable)

Course: Buttercream, Desserts, Frosting

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 40

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings (4 tbsp each)

Calories: 320kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

The best cream cheese frosting recipe that is not too sweet, not too buttery, deliciously tangy, with perfect spreadable consistency. You can also make this frosting easily pipeable.

EASY - This recipe is very easy. It does include a couple of extra steps compared to other classic cream cheese frosting recipes, but this is to ensure that the frosting is pipeable and remains thick.

This recipe makes about 3.5 cups of frosting.

US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.

Print Recipe

Metric - US Customary

Ingredients

450 g cream cheese blocks 2 blocks (straight from the fridge)
300 g unsalted butter 2 ⅔ sticks (softened at room temperature)
½ tsp fine sea salt
450 g confectioner's sugar 4 cups (spooned and leveled)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp instant vanilla pudding powder optional (but recommended)
2 tbsp cream cheese powder or milk powder (optional)

Instructions

Cut the cold cream cheese into smaller pieces, or cubes, and place them back in the fridge until needed.
450 g cream cheese blocks
In your mixing bowl, place the softened butter and salt.
300 g unsalted butter, ½ tsp fine sea salt
Whisk the butter with a whisk attachment until the butter is whipped, fluffy, and light in color. This can take about 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the starting temperature and ambient temperature. Make sure to scrape down the bowl every few minutes (sides and bottom), to ensure that the butter is whipped well and has no lumps.
Once the butter is whipped well and is uniformly creamy and fluffy, add the vanilla, lemon juice, vanilla pudding powder, and cream cheese powder (if using).
2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp instant vanilla pudding powder, 2 tbsp cream cheese powder
Whisk for a further few minutes to mix in all the ingredients well.
Sift the confectioner's sugar while the butter is whipping.
450 g confectioner's sugar
Add the confectioner's sugar in 3 - 4 additions, while mixing on low speed to prevent the sugar from flying out of the bowl.
Once all the sugar is added and mostly mixed in, stop the mixer, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and whip the butter and sugar mixture for about 2 - 5 minutes. The buttercream should be light and fluffy and have no lumps.
After the buttercream base has been made, remove the buttercream into a separate bowl using a spatula.
Now add the cold cream cheese into the mixing bowl. Whisk with a whisk attachment for a few seconds at a time, scraping down the bowl in between. The cream cheese should start to mix and break down. Whisk for a total time of about 1 minute. The cream cheese will start to look whipped, but should still be thick and cold.
Scrape down the bowl with a silicone spatula so that the cream cheese can be pushed to the side of the bowl. Add the buttercream base to the other side of the bowl.
Mix the two with a whisk attachment on low speed. Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is mixing well.
Whisk on low speed for about 1 - 2 minutes until the cream cheese has completely mixed in with the buttercream base. Increase the speed to high for a few seconds and then the frosting is ready to be used.
Use immediately for best results.

Notes

For frosting cakes

This frosting is enough to frost one 3 layer 8 inch cake, or 9 inch cake, with a thin layer of frosting in between layers and on top.

To have a thicker frosting in between and on top of the cake, I recommend making a double batch, so you have enough for decorations as well.

Use immediately for best results. But it can be stored in the fridge as well. Re-whip the frosting for the shortest possible time while it's still fairly cold to prevent the cream cheese from becoming too soft.

Nutrition