This classic vanilla cream cheese frosting is thick, tangy and perfectly sweet. It is the ultimate topping for carrot cake, red velvet cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies… any dessert that needs the addition of a rich, creamy frosting…
It is quick to whip up and can be used as a soft, spreadable frosting at room temperature or chilled a bit and piped out into beautiful shapes that will hold their lines and curves. This frosting is rich, decadent and well balanced. You’re going to love it…
Let’s get started…
Begin by adding 8 ounces of room temperature full fat cream cheese and 8 tablespoons of room temperature salted sweet cream butter into a large bowl. If you did not plan ahead and are just now pulling the cream cheese and butter out of your refrigerator, do not be disappointed! Simply place the bowl into a microwave for 15-30 seconds on defrost mode or until a gentle poke will create a dent in the cream cheese. You definitely do not want to melt anything, just soften it a little.
You will also need 3 to 4 cups of sifted confectioners sugar and some vanilla.
Why sift? I’m glad you asked…because confectioners sugar can be quite clumpy in the bag and if you add it directly into your frosting without running it through a sifter, you will have all of these little clumps of sugar in your frosting and nobody wants that…
Now let’s talk vanilla. We have a few different options here…
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- The easiest and cheapest option is vanilla extract. You can find it everywhere and its probably already in your pantry.
- Your next best option is vanilla paste. This is what I am using today and I really love it, especially the paste with real vanilla seeds included. It’s a little more expensive, but you get a lot of bang for your buck and can use it in plenty more recipes to come.
- The best option is scraping the seeds and caviar out of whole vanilla pods. This will give you the absolute best vanilla flavor and the most beautiful little speckles throughout your frosting.
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Use an electric hand mixer to whip the softened cream cheese and butter until they are fully combined. Grab a half cup scoop and begin slowly adding a little bit of the sifted confectioners sugar as you whip the mixture on medium speed.
Taste the frosting as you add the confectioner sugar. The more sugar you add, the sweeter it will be (obviously) and the thicker the consistency will get, so you can play with it a little as you make it. If you prefer your frosting not super sweet, then start your taste testing right around 3 cups.
If you prefer your frosting to be thicker, you can either add a little more confectioners sugar or chill the frosting. Both will firm it up nicely.
Once the frosting is ready to go, transfer it into a piping bag or start spreading it directly onto your cakes, cupcakes or cookies…
Look how smooth, whipped and creamy this frosting is… and it is every bit as delicious as it is beautiful…
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons of salted butter, room temperature
- 3-4 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Using an electric hand mixer, whip 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter until creamy
- Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 cups of confectioners sugar and whip until incorporated
- Gradually add additional confectioners sugar until consistency and desired level of sweetness is achieved
- Use immediately to top cakes, cupcakes or cookies
- Chill if a stiffer frosting is desired
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