Vanilla Buttercream frosting is great. Chocolate Buttercream frosting is also great. But sometimes you just need that perfect Cream Cheese Frosting recipe for a certain project. I really like this frosting on Red Velvet cupcakes, and on my Pumpkin Spice cupcakes, my Carrot Cake, and even my Harvest Apple cupcakes. There are so many times that this frosting pairs perfectly with a cake or cupcake project.
You’ll notice that this is a CRUSTING cream cheese frosting. While I loved the regular cream cheese frosting, I didn’t love that it was too soft to put in my frosting bags to decorate my cupcakes. So, I was on a mission to find and tweek the perfect Crusting Cream Cheese frosting that could be used on both cakes and cupcakes.
There are very few ingredients that you need to make this awesome recipe.
Cream Cheese. It’s right in the name. I like the Original Philadelphia Cream Cheese. DO NOT get the low fat variety. Make sure it is the Original.
Butter. You can use salted or unsalted. But, if you do use the unsalted butter, add about ¼ to ½ tsp of salt to the recipe. Doesn’t matter if it is name brand or generic. Just make sure that your butter is at Room Temperature. Remember, room temperature butter is still a little cold and firm, it is NOT soft and squishy.
Shortening. Yes, this recipe calls for cream cheese, butter, and shortening. The three ingredients work very well together to create a very smooth and rich frosting. I like the Crisco brand shortening the best.
Vanilla Extract. For this recipe I like to use the Wilton imitation vanilla extract. The only reason for this is I don’t want any extra color in my frosting. The pure Vanilla extract turns the frosting a bit more yellow. If you are making a white cake with white frosting, we want to keep all extra colors out of the recipe.
Confectioners Sugar. Again, it doesn’t matter if this is name brand or generic. Find your favorite and go with it. Sift it if you would like, but it is not necessary prior to blending.
Okay, let’s get started! This recipe will make enough frosting to frost 24 cupcakes and I usually have a little left over.
Instructions:
With your stand mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter, and shortening on HIGH for 2-3 minutes. The longer you cream it the more fluffy your frosting will be. If you cream it for a full 5 minutes, you will have a light and fluffy frosting. I’m more of a 2-3 minute person myself.
Add in your Vanilla and Confectioners Sugar. Mix this on LOW initially until the Confectioners Sugar is at least a little blended or you will have a tornado of powdered sugar in your kitchen. Also, if your stand mixer came with a cover that fits over the bowl, this is the time to use it! Once the Confectioners Sugar is a little blended, turn your mixer up to HIGH for at least 1 minute.
Test your frosting. Depending on temperature at what time of the year it is, how much humidity is in your area, and the firmness of your butter at the start, will determine how firm your frosting is now. You can add a little more confectioners sugar to reach your desired consistency.
Finding your favorite frosting consistency will take practice. At this point I can tell by looks and sound when my mixer is running if the frosting is the right consistency. But, in the beginning it took trial and error. You want a frosting that does not break apart while frosting cupcakes with your bags and tips. You also don’t want a frosting that is too “wet.” With the warmth from your hands as you are squeezing on the frosting bag, the frosting that is too wet will become soupy near the last cupcakes.
Now that you've found the perfect consistency, what else can you do with this frosting? Just like in my Vanilla Buttercream frosting post, here are a couple ideas:
You’ll notice that this is a CRUSTING cream cheese frosting. While I loved the regular cream cheese frosting, I didn’t love that it was too soft to put in my frosting bags to decorate my cupcakes. So, I was on a mission to find and tweek the perfect Crusting Cream Cheese frosting that could be used on both cakes and cupcakes.
There are very few ingredients that you need to make this awesome recipe.
Cream Cheese. It’s right in the name. I like the Original Philadelphia Cream Cheese. DO NOT get the low fat variety. Make sure it is the Original.
Butter. You can use salted or unsalted. But, if you do use the unsalted butter, add about ¼ to ½ tsp of salt to the recipe. Doesn’t matter if it is name brand or generic. Just make sure that your butter is at Room Temperature. Remember, room temperature butter is still a little cold and firm, it is NOT soft and squishy.
Shortening. Yes, this recipe calls for cream cheese, butter, and shortening. The three ingredients work very well together to create a very smooth and rich frosting. I like the Crisco brand shortening the best.
Vanilla Extract. For this recipe I like to use the Wilton imitation vanilla extract. The only reason for this is I don’t want any extra color in my frosting. The pure Vanilla extract turns the frosting a bit more yellow. If you are making a white cake with white frosting, we want to keep all extra colors out of the recipe.
Confectioners Sugar. Again, it doesn’t matter if this is name brand or generic. Find your favorite and go with it. Sift it if you would like, but it is not necessary prior to blending.
Okay, let’s get started! This recipe will make enough frosting to frost 24 cupcakes and I usually have a little left over.
Instructions:
With your stand mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter, and shortening on HIGH for 2-3 minutes. The longer you cream it the more fluffy your frosting will be. If you cream it for a full 5 minutes, you will have a light and fluffy frosting. I’m more of a 2-3 minute person myself.
Add in your Vanilla and Confectioners Sugar. Mix this on LOW initially until the Confectioners Sugar is at least a little blended or you will have a tornado of powdered sugar in your kitchen. Also, if your stand mixer came with a cover that fits over the bowl, this is the time to use it! Once the Confectioners Sugar is a little blended, turn your mixer up to HIGH for at least 1 minute.
Test your frosting. Depending on temperature at what time of the year it is, how much humidity is in your area, and the firmness of your butter at the start, will determine how firm your frosting is now. You can add a little more confectioners sugar to reach your desired consistency.
Finding your favorite frosting consistency will take practice. At this point I can tell by looks and sound when my mixer is running if the frosting is the right consistency. But, in the beginning it took trial and error. You want a frosting that does not break apart while frosting cupcakes with your bags and tips. You also don’t want a frosting that is too “wet.” With the warmth from your hands as you are squeezing on the frosting bag, the frosting that is too wet will become soupy near the last cupcakes.
Now that you've found the perfect consistency, what else can you do with this frosting? Just like in my Vanilla Buttercream frosting post, here are a couple ideas:
1. Raspberry Cream Cheese: Squeeze enough fresh raspberries through a cheesecloth or wire strainer to get about 3 Tbsp of fresh raspberry juice. Make sure there are no seeds! Add this to the frosting, but realize that you will also need to add more confectioners sugar to get your desired consistency back. It gives the frosting a beautiful pink color and raspberry taste.
2. If you own a Ninja or similar smoothie maker, buy FREEZE DRIED strawberries (or mangos, blueberries, etc) from the grocery store. Put the freeze dried fruit into the Ninja by itself and mix them until they are dust. Adding this to your frosting gives it a burst of flavor and some color. Freeze dried fruit that has been crushed like this will give you a MUCH BETTER flavor than extract.
3. Color, Color, Color: Liven up your cupcakes by coloring your frosting to match your project. I recommend using Gel color. Only a couple drops are needed to provide vibrant color to your frosting. To achieve the same color using the liquid food color, you would need to use a lot more, thus changing the consistency and possibly also the flavor of your frosting. I am a huge fan of the Americolor Gel colors. Here is a link to my Amazon supply list, which includes these colors.For page transparency: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I used to have many more colors than this, but after watching my favorite fondant coloring video I found that I really only needed these colors to create just about any color I wanted using the right theory behind it.
2. If you own a Ninja or similar smoothie maker, buy FREEZE DRIED strawberries (or mangos, blueberries, etc) from the grocery store. Put the freeze dried fruit into the Ninja by itself and mix them until they are dust. Adding this to your frosting gives it a burst of flavor and some color. Freeze dried fruit that has been crushed like this will give you a MUCH BETTER flavor than extract.
3. Color, Color, Color: Liven up your cupcakes by coloring your frosting to match your project. I recommend using Gel color. Only a couple drops are needed to provide vibrant color to your frosting. To achieve the same color using the liquid food color, you would need to use a lot more, thus changing the consistency and possibly also the flavor of your frosting. I am a huge fan of the Americolor Gel colors. Here is a link to my Amazon supply list, which includes these colors.For page transparency: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I used to have many more colors than this, but after watching my favorite fondant coloring video I found that I really only needed these colors to create just about any color I wanted using the right theory behind it.
Be sure to check out my other frosting posts. I have an amazing Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe, and a Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe as well.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Full Recipe:
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