Cream Cheese Frosting
Creamy, smooth, silky Cream Cheese Frosting with a touch of salt, this delicious icing is classically teamed with Carrot Cake but is actually very versatile. I often replace the cream cheese with Mascarpone cheese – which is equally delicious. Mascarpone has a less tangy flavour so use whichever you prefer/have available.
Try this frosting on:
- Carrot Cake with Coconut and Pecans and a Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes with Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting
- Light Lemon Fruitcake with Almonds and Vanilla Mascarpone Icing
- Chocolate and Courgette Slice with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Red Velvet Cake or cupcakes
- Hummingbird Cake or cupcakes
- Vanilla sponge cake or cupcakes
- Chocolate, coffee or mocha sponge cake
- Banana Cake with Vanilla
- White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
It is also delicious with other vegetable/fruit spicy cakes (recipes coming soon) such as:
- Apple Cake with Coconut and Pecans, Apple Butter and Cinnamon
- Courgette and Pistachio Cake with Oats, Coconut, Lemon and Cardamom
- Pumpkin Cake with Rolled Oats, Ginger and Walnuts
- Chocolate Courgette Cake with Chocolate Chunks
- Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice, Nutmeg and Raisins
- Pear and Ginger Cake
- Beetroot and Chocolate Cake
You can also flavour this frosting – recipes coming soon:
- chocolate
- coffee
- mocha
- white chocolate
- ginger
- raspberry
- lemon
- passionfruit
How to make Cream Cheese Frosting
First, collect all your ingredients together:
- unsalted butter (make sure it is at room temperature)
- cream cheese
- icing sugar
- vanilla extract
- fine salt
Put the butter into the bowl of your electric whisk and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar whisking well in between each addition. (NB You may wish to first fold the icing sugar in with a spoon before whisking – this will help to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!)
Beat until very light and fluffy. This can take up to 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract and finally beat in the cream cheese. Taste and add more vanilla, if necessary.
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Frost the cakes
When the cakes are cold, you can ice them with this delicious frosting.
Carrot Cake with Coconut and Pecans and a Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting 
Hummingbird Cake – coming soon
Made this recipe?
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Cream Cheese Frosting
Creamy, smooth, silky Cream Cheese Frosting with a touch of salt, this icing is delicious on a range of different cakes and cup cakes.
Ingredients
- See 'Recipe Notes' for specific quantities
- unsalted butter, at room temperature
- fine salt
- icing sugar
- cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
- vanilla extract
Instructions
-
Put the butter into the bowl of your electric whisk and beat until light and fluffy.
-
Gradually add the icing sugar whisking well in between each addition. (NB you may wish to first fold the icing sugar in with a spoon before whisking – this will help to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!) Beat until very light and fluffy. This can take up to 5 minutes.
-
Beat in the vanilla extract and finally beat in the cream cheese.
-
Taste and add more vanilla, if necessary
-
Use the frosting to ice your cake or cupcakes.
NB Make sure your cakes have completely cooled before icing.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- electric whisk and mixing bowl
See below for recommended quantities by cake size –
We like quite a lot of icing, but not everyone does, so I have allowed some flexibility in how much you should use. If you want to scales it up or down the ratio is:
For every 65g of icing sugar add 25g butter and 25g cream cheese and 1/16 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for a 3 – 4 layer 7 or 8 inch cake, top, inside and sides
- 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ plus ⅛ plus 1/16 teaspoon fine salt
- 175g cream cheese
- 455g icing sugar
- 1¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for a 3 – 4 layer 7 or 8 inch cake, top and inside only
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 150g cream cheese
- 390g icing sugar
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for a 2 – 3 layer 7 or 8 inch cake, top, inside and sides
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ plus 1/16 teaspoon fine salt
- 125g cream cheese
- 325g icing sugar
- 1 and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for a 2 – 3 layer 7 or 8 inch cake, top and inside only
- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 100g cream cheese
- 250g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for a 2 layer 7 or 8 inch cake, top, inside and sides
- 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅛ plus 1/16 teaspoon fine salt
- 75g cream cheese
- 195g icing sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for a 1 layer 7 or 8 inch cake, top or top and sides
- 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 50g cream cheese
- 130g icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
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