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Cream Cheese Frosting II

See how to make the best cream-cheese frosting for cakes, cookies, and breads. See more

READY IN 10 mins

Cream Cheese Frosting II

Read Reviews (2809)

"This is a wonderfully creamy frosting that goes well with pumpkin bread, carrot cake, chocolate cake, on cookies, or between cookies. If you want chocolate frosting, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup cocoa, according to how rich you want it." — Janni

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Original recipe makes 3 cups Change Servings

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Directions

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
READY IN 10 mins

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 21, 2006

I give it a 5 star with these changes. I only used 1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/4 c. butter, and 2 c. powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. It covered a 9 x 13 carrot cake perfectly.

—PABBYDOG

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 23, 2011

Not a frosting, more like an icing. Very runny after following the recipe exactly. Had to alter the end product to try and thicken it enough so it wouldn't run off my cupcakes. I wish I would have read the reviews. With such a high rating, I was expecting something much better. Would use again if I needed a thin icing, but not as a frosting.

—COOKINWIFEANDMOM

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3,648 Ratings

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Dec 25, 2005

Note: You need to know that this cream cheese frosting is for the person that wants a REAL cream cheese taste, as if they were eating actual cheesecake. This is not a sweet, sweet, sugary frosting. This is a cream cheese blessing! Not the kind you find in the container in the grocery store. This is homemade, amazingly delicious, cream cheese frosting!

—DeirdreM

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May 23, 2004

Oh my goodness, this is a simple and yummy recipe and only took 15 minutes in my mixer. Make sure you start with room tempurature or softened butter and cream cheese. It will make your life a million times easier. I also followed the advice of the previous reviewers and added an extra 1 cup of sifted confectioners sugar because we like our frosting sweet. I also doubled the vanilla extract for a more intense flavor. I had no problems with the consistancy whatsoever. Since my husband likes the white frosting and I like chocolate, this batch made enough so I could divide it up into 2 separate batches. I just took out 1/2 of the batch and set it aside. Then I added 1/3 cup of pure cocoa powder (not hot chocolate mix) to the remaining batch and mixed it some more. We each frosted our own 1-layer 9" separate cakes and it was delicious both ways! If you only have 1 cake, you might want to reduce the recipe by half. Enjoy!

—ATOMICLUSH

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Nov 18, 2006

This recipe has both an unusually high proportion of cheese and low proportion of sugar (IMO). I like the resulting flavor, but it isn’t for everyone. For a less 'in your face' cheese flavor, I halve the cream cheese (8 oz instead of 16), add 1/4 cup of butter, and one more cup of powdered sugar. The final thickness tends to vary on several factors (brand/type/temperature of the cheese and butter) so I add milk/powdered-sugar to give me the 'spreadability' I want. I use this as a 'base' recipe for frosting many baked items, changing thickness and flavoring to suit my current use. It isn’t a decorator frosting for the real fancy stuff, but it isn’t meant to be.

—keydancer

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Dec 03, 2007

Great recipe! I used a slightly different method: beat softened cream cheese with vanilla until smooth, then add softened butter a little at time, beating until smooth. Finally, add powdered sugar to taste (I usually use less than called for). I found this method to give the best consistency. I've used this frosting on sam's carrot cake and pumpkin gingerbread (both from this site) with great results!

—RALWATTAR

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May 09, 2003

This frosting could be eaten by the spoonful. Thought it was a tiny bit too tangy, so I used 3 cups of powdered sugar instead of 2. I used it to top a carrot cake, and everyone wanted the recipe. I truly don't see how you can go wrong with this frosting.

—JADEDPLASTIC

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Feb 07, 2008

It was the lesser amount of butter and sugar that made me curious to try this recipe over what I've been making since forever. I don't know how this would have held up on a layer cake as it would definitely need to be firmed up in the refrigerator first, but let me tell you, it was awesome on the carrot bars I made today, and would be great on any sheet-type cake. Just lightly sweet and perfectly cream cheesy. Each recipe has its place, and I will make this again for any kind of bar or sheet cake needing a cream cheese frosting. Thanks for sharing your recipe Janni!

—naples34102

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Nutrition

Calories
140 kcal
7%

Carbohydrates
10.9 g
4%

Cholesterol
31 mg
10%

Fat
10.4 g
16%

Fiber
0 g
0%

Protein
1.4 g
3%

Sodium
83 mg
3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Cream Cheese Frosting II

Serving Size: 1/24 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 140
Calories from Fat: 93

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10.4g 16 %
Saturated Fat 6.5g 33 %
Cholesterol 31mg 10 %
Sodium 83mg 3 %
Potassium 24mg < 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 10.9g 4 %
Dietary Fiber 0g 0 %
Protein 1.4g 3 %
Sugars 10.3g
Vitamin A 7 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium 2 %
Iron 2 %
Thiamin < 1 %
Niacin 2 %
Vitamin B6 < 1 %
Magnesium < 1 %
Folate 1 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.