Classic Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

While buttercream frosting may be better suited for some cakes, cream cheese frosting is the only way to go for many others, like carrot cake. The two frosting types are quite similar, and both have butter as a base, but cream cheese frosting has an extra level of creamy, tangy goodness, thanks to the addition of cream cheese. Perfectly sweet, smooth, and decadent, there's really no stopping the number of sweet treats that you can slather this good stuff on.

Recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished has crafted a perfectly balanced, classic cream cheese frosting recipe, one that she says, "pairs so well with many baked goods." She also describes this recipe as "quick, easy, and foolproof," and if you want frosting that "turns out perfectly every time," then you can't go wrong here. Carrot cake, red velvet cake, even cinnamon rolls will benefit from this frosting, and if you're used to using premade, store-bought frosting, you'll be delighted by how delicious and easy it is to make an infinitely better version right in your own kitchen.

To make cream cheese frosting, you'll only need a handful of classic ingredients, including a softened block of cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and powdered sugar.

Shelbert uses a stand mixer to make her frosting, but she notes that, "If you do not have a stand mixer, a hand mixer works just as well and yields the same result." So, into the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate, large bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix these ingredients together on medium-high for about a minute, just until they're creamy and incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring that all the good stuff stays in the center of the bowl.

Now, it's time to sweeten things up. Start by adding half of the powdered sugar, so 1 ½ cups, and mix it in on a medium-high speed until it's fully incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and keep on mixing, for about a minute more, until you have a smooth, creamy, and sweet frosting. 

As soon as you're done mixing in the sugar, you can immediately use this frosting, as desired. Shelbert used some to garnish cinnamon rolls, but notes that "this frosting is truly versatile." She suggests adding it to sweet breads, like pumpkin or banana bread, or on the classic carrot cake. "Additionally, it can be used to frost cookies or as a filling for sandwich cookies, such as cinnamon raisin cookies," she says. 

If you thought cream cheese frosting was only good on cake, boy did you think wrong! Fortunately, with this easy recipe, you can experiment with all of the different desserts that you can frost.