I originally published this recipe along with my recipe for Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting but I think it is sensational enough to deserve its own post.
After many, many years in Austria and countless batches of runny, drippy frosting that were only suitable for the garbage can, I have FINALLY found a recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting that turns out EVERY TIME.
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It’s actually not so much the recipe itself as the METHOD for making the frosting using European cream cheese, which contains more liquid than the American cream cheese that is available in blocks or bricks in the U.S. The cream cheese in Europe is essentially a cream cheese spread. Even the Philadelphia brand cream cheese is a spread.
How do I know if my cream cheese is a spread or not? If your cream cheese is in a plastic tub with a peel-back foil lid, it’s a spread and you need to use the method below for making Cream Cheese Frosting. If your cream cheese is wrapped in foil (like plain butter is packaged), it is brick-style cream cheese and you should use a traditional American Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
The problem is that when you add sugar to cream cheese spread, it draws the liquid out of the cream cheese, resulting in the soupy consistency I mentioned earlier. Normally, adding some additional powdered sugar would thicken up an American buttercream like this one. But that doesn’t work in this case. No amount of powdered sugar can rescue a runny cream cheese frosting. Believe me, I have tried!
The key to success is binding the powdered sugar with the butter first and THEN the cream cheese can be safely mixed in without the sugar drawing the liquid out of the cream cheese. Applied physics!
I am so excited I finally found the key to making my favorite frosting with European Cream Cheese! The taste and texture are just right. You can pipe it or use it to fill and frost cakes. If you use a stand mixer it’s really easy to make. Try it!
The cupcakes featured in these photos are my Perfect American Vanilla Cupcakes, absolutely dreamy light, moist and fluffy vanilla cupcakes. Cream Cheese Frosting is the best frosting for Carrot Cake as well as Banana Cake, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes and much more.
On to the recipe!
After beating the butter and powdered sugar together you will have a very stiff buttercream. Then you can beat in the cream cheese. The result is this heavenly frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting with European Cream Cheese (or Cream Cheese Spread)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (250 g) butter room temperature
- 5 ½ cups (600 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 ½ ounces (300 g) cream cheese spread full fat
Instructions
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Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, one third at a time, and beat on high speed for several minutes until mixture is light and creamy. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process until all of the powdered sugar is well incorporated. Beat in vanilla. You should now have a very stiff buttercream.
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Add the cream cheese and beat on high for a couple of seconds to incorporate. Scrape bowl and beat on high again for a couple of seconds.
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The frosting can now be spread on cake or cupcakes or chilled until it is firm enough to pipe. This amount is enough to frost and fill a two-layer cake or generously frost 24-30 cupcakes. Store frosting and frosted baked goods in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Eat and Feast, Sugar-Sweet and Herznah.
Hi Krista!!
Just checked out your blog and fell in love with it immediately! Your frosting looks sooo good and the pictures are gorgeous!
Right now I struggle with exactly the same baking problems – having moved from Germany to Canada I find that I have to change most of my recipes! Especially the dairy based ones.
I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you to get used to the German/Austrian dairy isle! It’s a jungle! I so miss all the Topfen and Schmand for making my cheesecakes though. I actually started making my own quark but I still haven’t found a good way to replace schmand!
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Greetings from Calgary,
Kiki
Thanks for the compliment – you are too kind, Kiki! I’m just beginning to figure things out and I find YOUR blog so inspiring!
We don’t have Schmand in Austria and it always stumped me in recipes – what is it? If I were living in North America again I would definitely miss the cheeses and other dairy we get here, now that I know what they are!
Thanks so much. Oh, I didn’t Schmand know that schmand was unavailable in Austria. I would put it somewhere in between cream and sour cream. A bit like creme fraiche but less fatty.if you ever cross the border for some groceries you should get some. It’s wonderful for baking and really cheap in Germany. I wish I could have it delivered to Calgary but no dice…
Good to know! I want to try Schmand now!
Hey Krista
I was wondering if i want to half the recipe, what would be the measurements?
Hi Walula, you can half the amount of each of the ingredients, that would be ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (125 g) butter, 2 ¼ cups (300 g) powdered sugar, ½ teapsoon vanilla extract and 5 ¼ ounces (150 g) cream cheese. Enjoy!
Thank you so much Krista❤️😘
Hey Krista I used your recipe to make cream cheese frosting and i loved it thank you so much. It was my first time making it and i was scared because i didnt know whether id get it right or not and i didnt want to waste any ingredients either. So im really happy that i tried your recipe out and this will be my go to recipe:)))
I’m glad to hear the recipe worked for you!! Thanks so much for your feedback, Walula!
Your recipe for cream cheese icing saved my bacon . I went to make my ward winning top-secret Steve’s killer carrot cake for a boatload of oil field workers and found out my cream cheese is a spread not a block of cheese you’re icing recipe. Your secret to using cream cheese spread cream cheese icing made my cake over the top and 32 grown men wishing I was there wife , just kidding thank you 😀
That’s so great, Steve! Greetings to all of you working hard on the oil field – at least there’s carrot cake! 😀
Hi Krista,
Can you recommend a brand of cream cheese spread? Which one(s) do you usually use? I live in Hungary and we have quite similar products in supermarkets here to those in Austria… Anyway it would be even worth it crossing the border and going to Vienna if I can’t get a good one here.
Thank you for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
Teodora
Hi Teodora! If you’re looking for the “best” brand, I guess that would be Philadelphia if you can get it. However, I have tried many of the discount and store brands and didn’t notice any difference in the Cream Cheese Frosting, so I would give those a try. Just be sure to buy the full fat kind. Hope that answers your question!
Thank you! Maybe it’s stupid, but I was wondering if it has to be unsalted…? I think the Philadelphia I’ve bought was always salted, but maybe I haven’t been looking carefully… 🙂 Anyway, I will try as soon as possible, thank for the tips!
Maybe you’re thinking the savory cream cheese spreads, with herbs or whatever. Definitely buy the plain, unsalted, full fat kind! 🙂
You blessed soul! You know how long I been trying to make cream cheese frosting like in the pictures? Nobody wants my cream cheese sugar soup! Thanks a billion!
Cream cheese sugar soup is never good. 😀 I also struggled for YEARS trying to make my favorite frosting before I finally stumbled upon the solution! I’m so glad this was helpful to you!
Thanks a million. This is super! I wish I had seen your post before I also made ‘soupy cheese icing! …I tried to mix the quark and butter first and what a catastrophic thing! Eventually, after an hour of struggling I just managed to salvage it (had to as it was a celebration cake) by adding about 3kg of icing! Haha 😂 it was so sweet my daughter said she was going to turn diabetic on the spot! I’ve learned my lesson and yours will be my go to recipe in future.
Thanks again from Brighton, 🇬🇧
Hi Tracy! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you like my recipe – I’m so happy you found it helpful! 🌸
Hi! Just got here and love it already!!
Let me ask one thing: can we use color or will it change the chemistry of the Frosting? And can we use quark instead of normal cream cheese?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Olga! Welcome!! Yes, you can color cream cheese frosting. And no, quark will not work for this frosting. Stick to Philadelphia-style, plain, full-fat cream cheese.
Hi Krista! Thanks a lot! 😊
Hi Krista,
I’m willing to make this recipe tomorrow and I was wondering if I can use food coloring to the frosting .I’m making cupcakes for kids school.
Thank you
Gia
Hi Gia! Yes, you can color this frosting. Hope it turns out great! 😄
omg i just stumbled upon this blog post and i have to try this!!!! ive been struggling to make the perfect cream cheese frosting using spreadable cream cheese because every single recipe ive checked uses the brick kind. would this work with an electric hand mixer??? also could you pleaaase tell me would this recipe be enough to completely frost a 3 layered 7 inch cake?
I’m glad you’ve found your way here too. 😊 To answer your questions, yes, I think you could use an electric hand mixer if it’s got a strong enough motor. You could try giving your mixer a break to cool down before the final addition of powdered sugar. And yes, this makes enough to fill and frost a 3 layered 7 inch cake.
My cream cheese frosting is perfect thanks to you
That’s great to hear – thank you! 🙂
I just had to pass on my thanks to you. I’ve been making a gorgeous hummingbird cake sponge on multiple occasions now but not being able to share it last minute because I can never get my cream cheese frosting to become anything like frosting; it always emerged as liquid (albeit delicious liquid). I never could figure out what I was doing wrong but now I guess I can pass the buck onto being European with our spreadable cream cheese! Your recipe has worked perfectly for me and I cannot believe it’s been fixed by such a simple step. Thank you SO much for sharing your discovery. This really has opened up so many doors for me and my baking. Thank you!
Hi Ellie! That’s wonderful to hear! I’m happy to be able to help you solve a problem that I was struggling with too. Thank you for your feedback and happy baking! 💕
Thank you so much! I was dumbfounded by the lack of brick cream cheese when I moved to Europe! I run a small cake business and this method of make cream cheese frosting is an absolute game changer!
Yippee, I’m delighted to hear that! I wish you lots of success with your cake business! 👍