In this article, we will discuss the best way to make cream cheese frosting. It is simply a wonderful variation of buttercream frosting. The buttercream frosting is generally made with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract or another delicious flavoring. Sometimes milk and salt or heavy cream can be added to make it more delicious. To make cream cheese frosting you need to substitute cream cheese for butter.
This will be a delicious cheesy creaminess to the frosting. It pairs perfectly with red velvet, spice cakes, and carrot. You should try this versatile recipe to elevate your brownies, cookies, and other desserts too.
Ingredients You Need to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:
Things Required:
- Three cups powdered sugar
- Half stick of unsalted butter softened.
- One 8oz package of cream cheese place at room temperature or slightly cooler.
- One teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon juice and Milk (optional)
Procedure to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:
1.) Preparing the Ingredients
Avoid low-fat spreadable cream cheeses, as these, can lead to the liquid and runny frosting. This mean you should choose Neufchâtel cheese as its fat content is too low. The fat necessary in the butter and cream cheese to stabilize the frosting and keep it from spreading and liquefying. You can consider adding more and more butter to the recipe in case you can’t find full-fat cream cheese.
Make sure that the butter is not too cold as it may end up with lumps in your frosting. Cold butter also does not mix well with sugar so do not use cold butter to make cream cheese frosting. To avoid that situation you can let a cold stick of butter and place it on the counter-top for about thirty minutes to an hour.
If you do not have time to wait then cut the butter into the small piece as this will speed up the process. To make butter soft and creamy you will need to use an electric mixer or stand mixer. Do not put butter in the microwave for softening as this usually ends up melting the butter and will ruin your effort. If the butter starts melting then simply put it back in the refrigerator.
2.) Making the Icing
To beat butter you will need a stand mixer with a paddle or an electric mixer as they can do the job perfectly. Halt the process after some time to scrape the bowl with a spatula, and again start mixing. This step is quite important to eliminate lumps when the cream cheese frosting was ready. If you do not have a mixer then you have following options. You can also beat down the butter by hands and this will take little more time but easily do the job. You just need to put your butter in a large bowl and beat it with the back of a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can use a food processor with the chopping blade as this can also do the job and make the frosting extra smooth.
Now, add the vanilla extract and cream cheese and then mix them together. Avoid over whipping the cream cheese as there will be a risk of runny frosting. Stop the mixing process once the butter and cream cheese are completely fully blended. To ensure smooth frosting you can cut the cream cheese into smaller chunks.
Lower the mixer speed and add powdered sugar. The amount of sugar you need would totally depend on upon how much sweetness you like for your frosting to be. Adding more sugar can also thicken the frosting, which can be really helpful if you plan to pipe it onto the desert. Mix the powdered sugar until smooth. Your finished frosting should be thick and creamy with no lumps.
If your frosting is too thick then you can also thin it with a splash of milk. Be careful while adding milk to the mixture. Add only one tablespoon at a time so you don’t overdo it. If the frosting tastes too sweet then consider adding a little lemon juice as it can easily bring out the tanginess.
3.) Variations and Uses
Things You Try:
- You can substitute the almond or coconut extract for vanilla taste. Alternatively, you can also mix in the zest of your favorite citrus fruit.
- Mix peanut butter or jams to your frosting before adding the cream cheese. Marble the cheese frosting into brownie butter for a little extra zing.
- Dollop the frosting onto to add a little sweetness. You can also use it as the filling for a cookie sandwich. Top with another tasty cookie, again make sure that the flat or bottom side is facing the frosting.
