Quick, easy cream cheese frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Fluffy, stable, creamy and bakery style. Perfect for piping and cake decorating. Tastes even better than store bought icing.
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This old fashioned whipped frosting is truly the best. It's just as delicious as my Coconut Cream Chocolate Frosting, Sour Cream Frosting (Vanilla), and Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (Cocoa Powder). It's silky, smooth, rich and creamy and has the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. It's a nice change from classic American buttercream icing and I can eat it by the spoonfuls.
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Key ingredients
- Cream cheese- Stick to full fat Philadelphia cream cheese. Nothing else is as good as this. Steer clear from generic brands. They are not as thick, which results in a thinner icing consistency.
- Butter- Use unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar- This is the best kind of sugar for frosting because it dissolves quickly and makes a smooth texture.
- Vanilla- I recommend obtaining the highest quality vanilla, because it truly has the best flavor compared to imitation kinds.
- Meringue powder- This ingredient actually helps to bring greater stability to the overall structure.
- Corn starch- This helps to thicken the overall consistency of the frosting.
Variations
- Add some lemon- Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon lemon extract in this recipe. You can also make my Lemon Frosting (Lemon Buttercream).
- For a lime version- Add 1 tablespoon lime zest and 1 teaspoon lime extract in this recipe.
- Orange flavor- Add 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon orange extract in this recipe.
- Turn this into a drizzle- Thin it out with milk or heavy cream until you have syrup-like consistency. That's the perfect topping for Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (1 Hour).
- For chocolate flavor- I don't recommend adjusting this recipe. Instead, I want you to make this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting with cocoa powder.
- Pairing with cakes and cupcakes- Try this with my classic Red Velvet Cake (Layer Cake) or Red Velvet Cupcakes. It also tastes incredible with my Carrot Cupcakes and Moist Carrot Cake.
- Coat cookies, brownies and bars- Like these Easy Pumpkin Bars, Carrot Brownies, or Carrot Cake Cookies.
- Crusting frosting- That is different than today's recipe. It is really sweet and made with a high ratio of sugar to butter. Due to this, when it's used to frost cakes, a light sugar crust forms on the cake and creates a very smooth appearance. Perfect for the Viva method. It's great for people don't like the taste of fondant but prefer the look of Marshmallow Fondant. If you keep mixing more powdered sugar to my recipe today, you will end up with crusting buttercream.
How to make easy stable cream cheese frosting recipe from scratch?
1. Cream together butter and cream cheese- Until smooth.
2. Dump in- The vanilla and mix.
3. Add in- Meringue powder, cornstarch and half the powdered sugar and mix.
4. Mix in- Remaining powdered sugar.
5. Icing is ready- When sugar mixture is smooth and creamy.
6. Pipe- On top of cupcakes.
This icing is:
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- Stable and holds its shape
- Not runny, not lumpy, not grainy and not too stiff
- Perfect for cake decorating
- Perfect for piping cupcakes
- Rich, creamy, fluffy, sweet and tangy
Tips and techniques
- Use clear vanilla extract- For pure white color and no discoloration.
- Don't use low fat cream cheese- It must be full fat cream cheese. This adds flavor and richness to your frosting.
- Use cold cream cheese- It should not be at room temperature.
- Don't skip meringue powder and cornstarch- Since that makes this frosting thicker and and helps stabilize it.
- You will know your frosting is ready when- You scoop frosting onto your spatula and it holds its shape without dripping.
- This icing should be colored with gel colors- Don't use liquid food coloring or else the consistency may change.
- Unsalted butter must be used- For best flavor and so your dessert isn't too salty.
- Make it thinner- By adding more milk or heavy cream (only 1 tablespoon or even 1 teaspoon at a time) until you reach the desired consistency. If it's too runny you may have put too much liquid or not enough powdered sugar.
- Make it thicker- Adding more powdered sugar will make it thicker but it will also make the icing more sweeter. I like to add some meringue powder and/or cornstarch to thicken it.
- Recipe can easily be doubled- To make a bigger batch and serve more people.
- Further stabilize this frosting- By using a combination of shortening and butter or just shortening in this recipe.
- Make a smooth frosting- You don't want it to be lumpy and grainy, which can happen if it's not mixed together properly or the ingredients were not combined well. For best results, I suggest using an electric mixer.
Recipe FAQs
The recipe below will yield about 3 cups of frosting. That's enough for icing 24 cupcakes or frosting a sheet cake. However, recipe can easily be doubled to frost bigger cakes or layer cakes.
Some people like to use Splenda instead of powdered sugar but I prefer the powdered sugar version better.
Please, no. Never use margarine, because it does not work well and the consistency is awful.
They both have different flavors and go well with different cake flavors. Cream cheese icing has a subtle tanginess to it. Buttercream frosting has no tanginess and a strong vanilla flavor.
Storage
- Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 5 days. It's refrigerated because cream cheese is used and that can go bad at room temperature.
- Freeze- In a sealed container for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy it, thaw in fridge overnight and whip again.
- Room temperature- This can stay out for 2-3 hours.
- Make ahead- This can easily be made 1-2 days in advance.
More frosting recipes
- Easy Orange Frosting (Buttercream Icing)
- Strawberry Frosting (With Fresh Strawberries)
- Mango Frosting (Buttercream)
- Cooked Flour buttercream (Ermine Frosting)
- White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (2 Ingredients)
Recipe
Best Cream Cheese Frosting (Stable)
Video
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Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream cheese Full fat, Cold, Please use Philadelphia brand and avoid generic brands
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature. For additional stability, you can use ¼ cup butter and ¼ cup shortening.
- 4 cups Powdered sugar Preferably sifted
- ¼ cup Cornstarch For stability
- 1 tablespoon Meringue powder For stability
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract Use clear vanilla extract if you want a pure white color. Regular extract will result in a slightly off white in color.
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter.
- Add vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add cornstarch, meringue powder and half the powdered sugar. Mix until it's partially combined.
- Add remaining powdered sugar, while continuing to mix until all the sugar is fully incorporated. You will end up with a smooth and creamy mixture.
- If icing is too thick, mix in some milk as necessary. Start with 1 tablespoon or even 1 teaspoon and add more as necessary. Enjoy.
Notes
- Use unsalted butter to prevent this icing from becoming too salty.
- Use full fat cream cheese for maximum richness and creaminess.
- Please note that you must use cold cream cheese and not room temperature.
- Use gel food coloring to tint this icing any color you like.
- This should be enough to fill and frost a round 8x3 cake.
- This should also be enough to ice 24 cupcakes in a simple swirl and not a super high swirl.
- For pure white colored icing, use clear extract. If you use regular extract, you will have a slightly off white color.
- Sift powdered sugar to remove any lumps and this will ensure the smoothest consistency.
- If icing is too thick, mix in some milk as necessary. Start with 1 tablespoon or even 1 teaspoon and add more as necessary.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftover icing can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Anonymous
Hello,
I am wanting to make this frosting. Would it be ok if i added double the meringue powder to make it extra stiff?
Also what does the corn-starch act as in this recipe?
Thank you.
Abeer Rizvi
I don't recommend doubling the amount because you are adding cornstarch too which helps to thicken the icing and also stabilize it further. If you add more meringue powder than the amount I stated, it would create a hard crust, similar to royal icing that's used for cookie decorating. That just won't work!
Joan
Can we use egg albumen powder if meringue powder is not available?
Abeer Rizvi
I haven't used that to know what would happen. If you try it out, I would love to hear how it goes.
Marvie
Hi! Is it okay not to add the meringue powder, just the cornstarch? Will it be stable? Thanks
Abeer Rizvi
If you are planning to serve desserts with this frosting outside in the heat, then I highly recommend adding the meringue powder for maximum stability. If you are serving indoors, you can easily omit it.
ian
hi can i leave the cream cheese frosting at room temperature overnight?
Abeer Rizvi
No, I don't recommend that. It has dairy and that can go bad unless refrigerated.
Renee
Thank you for creating a thicker (and not overly sweet) cream cheese frosting! I have two questions: can I crumb coat with this frosting and then finish coat with buttercream? And do you have recommendations for putting gum paste decorations on this frosting ? Thank you so much for your help!
Abeer Rizvi
I have never crumb coated with 2 different frostings. So, I am really not sure what would happen but if you try it out, I would love to hear how it goes. As for gum paste decorations, if they are not too heavy, you can just stick them onto the cake. The frosting will act like a glue.
Ava
What does the cornstarch do for the frosting?
Abeer Rizvi
It stabilizes it and helps it hold its firm shape.
Deb McCarty
If I make ahead and use on lemon curd cupcakes, do I need to refrigerate them until used?
Abeer Rizvi
I recommend refrigerating frosted cupcakes to keep the frosting from going bad.
Jenn
Thank you so much for this recipe. I ended up using 2 tbsp of cornstarch and 560 g of powdered sugar, the only 2 changes I made to your recipe. My frosting piped so much better than other recipes. I still have a hard time getting it mixed without overheating it, but this was a huge improvement, no more soup for me!
Abeer Rizvi
That's so good to hear. No one wants soupy frosting. Do you chill the frosting before piping? I always chill for 20-30 minutes before piping. It's so much easier and the frosting holds its shape even better.
Krystle
Can you freeze leftover cream cheese icing?
Abeer Rizvi
I am not personally too fond of freezing frostings but yes, you can do it. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and whip again to make smooth and creamy.
Jacqueline Koki
If I wanted to half the recipe is that ok?
Abeer Rizvi
Just make sure to halve ALL the ingredients.