Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting
Originally uploaded by Glorious Treats

Cream Cheese Frosting

Here is the frosting recipe I use by far the most often. There are two reasons I love this recipe, one is that it is really, really easy, and the second is that it is really delicious! While I do also enjoy other styles of frosting, like Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Fluffy 7 Minute Frosting, or Whipped Ganache, this recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting is easier than any other. This is basically American style buttercream (which is butter, powdered sugar, milk), but with the addition of cream cheese. The cream cheese is really the key ingredient, since it helps off-set the sweetness of the powdered sugar, and adds to the creamyness of the butter while also removing the greasy, pure butter flavor. Another thing I really like about this recipe is that if you use these proportions, the frosting is not really over powered by the cream cheese, it take on the flavor of whatever extract or additional flavorings are added.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1-4 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)

Directions:
*Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.
*Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
*Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
*Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
*Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)

The recipe above will produce a delicious VANILLA flavored frosting, here are a couple of other options to try...

For a Stonger Cream Cheese Flavor: Use an additional 4 oz. (½ block) of cream cheese. This would be good for any cake/cupcake recipe that is traditionally topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, like Carrot Cake, or Red Velvet Cake.

For Chocolate Frosting: add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Ghirardelli brand, it's really good). Add the cocoa powder before adding the sugar, so it gets fully incorporated into the butter and cream cheese.

Strawberry, Blackberry, etc: Add 2-4 tablespoons of preserves. Depending on how chunky or seedy the preserves are, you may want to blend it in the food processor, and/or strain it through a fine strainer before adding it to the frosting. Also, depending on the amount of preserves you add you may need very little or no cream, especially if you want the frosting thick enough to pipe. A final option would be to add a drop of food coloring to add to the color of the preserves (for example, pink coloring for the Strawberry flavor).

* This recipe will frost about 22-24 cupcakes if you are piping a nice swirl, or even more if you just spread it on.

Thank you so much Glory!