If you’ve scrolled through our collection of cake recipes, you know that we have a thing for Cream Cheese Frosting!
This easy Caramel Cream Cheese frosting ranks right up at the top of my list of favorites, and when making fall cakes or cakes for caramel lovers, you just can’t beat it! It’s just SO good!
What Cake Flavors Go With Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting?
This caramel cream cheese frosting would taste amazing with so many cakes, from spiced layer cakes to caramel cakes, banana cakes, chocolate cakes, and more!
Using Caramel Topping in the Frosting
Before trying the recipe, we wondered if the small amount of caramel topping that added to one of our favorite cream cheese frosting recipes would give us a strong enough caramel flavor– we were so happy to find that it did!
It is such a time saver to be able to use caramel topping, and the results are fabulous. It has just the right amount of caramel flavoring- and is dangerously good!! Mmmmm…
In fact, we recently frosted our new Toffee Pecan Caramel Cake with it and the result was pure heaven. Ahhhhh. Toffee, pecan, and caramel. What could be better?
You must have this easy caramel frosting a try! You won’t be disappointed.
Love Cream Cheese Frosting? Here are Some other Favorites!
How to make EASY Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- This delicious caramel frosting is my favorite kind of recipe, the flavor is divine and nobody would ever guess how easy it is to make! It is silky smooth, easy to frost and pipe with, and has wonderful flavor!
- In the bowl of your mixer, add the softened butter and cream cheese, mixing until well blended.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, caramel topping, salt & vanilla. Mix until creamy and smooth!
- This luscious caramel cream cheese comes together in minutes.
*Remember that Cream Cheese frostings should be refrigerated.
Also, cream cheese frostings are softer than your average buttercream frosting. If your frosting seems too soft to work with, chill for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator (you could also add additional confectioners sugar).
Easy Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8oz) (226g) package full fat cream cheese (Light or reduced fat cream cheese will be too soft for the recipe)
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 6 cups (690g) powdered sugar (½ cup more if needed)
- 3 Tablespoons (42g) caramel sauce ( we used Smucker's Caramel Topping)
Instructions
- In the bowl of your mixer, add the softened butter and cream cheese, mix until smooth. Do not mix above medium speed.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar along with the caramel topping, salt and vanilla. Mix until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Don't over mix or it may become too soft. If it does become too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes or so to firm it up to a consistency you like. If you plan to do any piping, you may need to chill the piping bag occasionally, as warm hands soften the frosting.
- Refrigerate after frosting the cake.
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Yummy! Cream Cheese Frosting is the best! ;-)
Wow, this sounds wonderful! I’m definitely saving this for later. Looks soooo enticing! The next time I make my caramel cake, I’m giving this caramel cream cheese frosting a try. But I believe it’d taste amazing with banana cake, too.
Melissa, thank you for inspiring me and all of your useful tips. I’m so lucky to have stumbled across this post. Look forward to your new awesome ideas!
p.s. I should definitely try your other recipes for cream cheese frosting.
I have no luck with cream cheese icing, it has no integrity at all, i do love it thats for sure, but man is slips and slides. If i add more powdered sugar, it makes it way too sweet.
Hi Deborah. This was my problem too. Then I discovered mascarpone cheese. The frosting with 2 parts of CC and 1 part of masc. is amazing to work with and sooo delicious.
Hi Gabriela, It’s a great idea to use mascarpone cheese. I’m going to try that. Thanks for posting!
Hi Deborah, Often, after we have made the cream cheese frosting, it is softer than we like for spreading. We refrigerate until it is the consistency we like. It firms up rather quickly in the refrigerator. Since a cake with cream cheese frosting needs refrigeration, once the cake is frosted there is no problem. If you are using cream cheese for decorative piping, some people have warmer hands and they will need to refrigerate the piping bag if it becomes too soft while piping. You can always fill two piping bags and alternate having one in the refrigerator. Also, be sure to always use full fat cream cheese for the recipe. Reduced fat or cream cheese in the tub will be too soft. Hope this helps.
Hi I am making a roll apple cake and using the caramel frosting inside so glad I found it !! I will post pics of cake!! Thank you
I have read ad nauseam trying to find what size cake pan (I am horrible trying to use round cake pans) to use for your “Easy Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting”. I simply want to make a sheet cake pan. Is your recipe acceptable for a 13×9 cake pan? Please respond—I am looking forward to making your recipe. ( I thought I had an I.Q. equal to a carrot, but that may be debatable).
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Hi Karen, Yes, this recipe is enough to frost a 13×9 sheetcake
Thank you for your timely response. I shall be making many more of your recipes. You are so talented and I am so jealous—GAD how do you know all this “stuff”?
When I read Gabriela’s suggestion to use mascarpone cheese combined with the cream cheese for the frosting. She wrote she used two parts cream cheese with one part mascarpone. I feel ridiculous asking, but am I to interpret her recommendation is to use two 8 ounce cream cheese with one cup mascarpone cheese? I like the idea—I simply need elucidation about the ratios. I truly want to try your recipe with Gabriela’s suggestion. Please respond. I thank you in advance.
Hi Greer! I go by weight, (and use grams) so for 500 grams of cream cheese I’d use 250 grams of mascarpone. You can do the same in ounces, just half the weight of cc for mascarpone.
Whoops—I just read my first sentence and realized I needed to omit the “when” and simply begin with “I”.
Hi Greer, It would be two 8 ounce packages and one 8 ounce container of mascarpone. Just be sure to go my weight rather than cup measurement. Let us know what you think, I want to try it also.
I am so sorry to bother you—did you mean …”.go By
weight rather than “My weight?” I have re-read your recipe and did not see “weight”—only ounces. I did plan to go by ounces not weight/heck, I do not know how to measure weight; I was simply going to take the packages and spoon out two 8 ounce cream cheese and one ounce mascarpone cheese. I must add, you are the most professional, articulate, amiable recipe experts I have read.
Your diplomacy is exemplary.
Hi Greer, I am sorry that was not clear. An ounce is a unit of weight, there is also gram weight, plus fluid weight so this can be confusing. This is when a digital food scale is nice to have. In your first post, you referred to measuring out 1 cup mascarpone. If putting into a measuring cup you cannot be sure when you have 8 ounces because some bakers fill a cup loosely while others pack into a cup. I am not sure where you live but in the US cream cheese is sold in 8 ounce packages and so is mascarpone so it makes is easier to know to buy two eight ounce packages and one 8 ounce package of mascarpone. If yours is not sold this way, I think you can come close to the correct amount using a measuring cup for solid ingredients. I hope this explanation helps.
I had a feeling the weight issue might involve a food scale which I do not own; thus, the reason behind “I do not know how to measure weight”. You and Gabriela have been extremely helpful and I thank you for taking the time to respond to what-I-know-must-sound-like-a-less-than-intelligent-question.