You are going to love this amazing Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting recipe! I love any dessert that involves cream cheese, and I especially love cakes and cupcakes that are filled and swirled with a generous dose cream cheese frosting!
We have another delicious recipe for Cream Cheese frosting that we have used for years, and can still be found on our site, but this new version of ours pipes even better, has a creamier consistency, and holds it’s shape perfectly.
You’ll find that this Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting recipe delivers all of the cream cheese deliciousness that you are looking for without being overly sweet. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do (be warned: it’s highly addictive)!
What Cakes Pair Well with Cream Cheese Frosting?
This is a trick question, because I would argue that EVERY cake tastes better with cream cheese frosting! But here are a few favorites!:
- Red Velvet Cake (Try our Red Velvet Scratch, Doctored Cake Mix, or Cupcake recipes!)
- Carrot Cake– This scratch carrot cake recipe is out of this world!
- Spice Cakes (Like our Caramel Apple Spice, Gingerbread Cake, Pumpkin Spice Cake…)
- Hummingbird Cake– A fantastic combination of bananas, crushed pineapple, pecans, and a hint of cinnamon
- Italian Cream Cake-This southern classic wouldn’t be the same without cream cheese frosting!
- Classic Chocolate Cake– Ahhhh… this decadent chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is heaven!
Helpful Tips for Cream Cheese Frosting
- Is Cream Cheese Frosting softer than regular frosting? Yes. As with most cream cheese frostings, the consistency of this frosting is a little on the softer side. If you need a thicker consistency, you can add additional powdered sugar in small amounts until you reach the desired consistency. However, this cream cheese frosting is thicker than most, thanks to the amount of cream cheese in the recipe.
- What Should I do if my Cream Cheese Frosting becomes too soft to work with? If your Cream Cheese Buttercream becomes increasingly soft as you pipe, to the point that it no longer holds it’s shape, just pop it in the refrigerator for a minute. Some decorators even prefer to prepare two piping bags and alternate between them.
This could be caused by a very warm kitchen, or warm hands against the piping bag. Either way, a few minutes in the fridge will work wonders. (Just not too long or it’ll become too firm!)
- Does Cream Cheese Frosting need to be refrigerated? Yes. Cream cheese frosting, and cakes frosted with cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated. However, it does become firm when chilled. You will want to remove from the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving (or using) so that it has time to soften.
don’t miss our roundup of the best cream cheese frosting recipes!
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the recipe!
Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) (226g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in microwave)
- 3 (8 ounces) (226g) packages full fat cream cheese, (total 678g) cut into 1 inch pieces and softened.....do not use reduced fat cream cheese or cream in tub containers (do not soften in microwave)
- 3 cups (343g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put the softened butter in the bowl of your mixer and mix until smooth.
- Add the pieces of softened cream cheese to the mixing bowl. The cream cheese should be soft enough that it combines easily into the butter/powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low/medium speed about 1 minute or until the cream cheese is blended in.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on Medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes (a bit longer if using a hand mixer). Scrape the bowl mid way through. Do not over beat.
- Makes 6 cups
- Use immediately or refrigerate. If beaten too long it my become too soft. If this happens, just refrigerate a short time and let it firm up.
We hope that you enjoy this recipe! Don’t miss our full collection of favorite cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes section!
Also, if you are interested in Free Cake Decorating Tutorials, we have lots of great ones that are as creative & unique as they are simple! If you are interested in having full online access to every cake decorating tutorial we’ve made, you should consider becoming a member of My Cake School! You can find all of the details here: Joining Information for MyCakeSchool.com
Hi Nilda, Yes, you should be able to pipe with no problem. As you know, the completed cake will need to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese. Let the cake warm up a hour or so before serving.
Hi ladies,
Would you say this recipe could also be considered a crusting recipe?
Hi Nannette, It will not crust as a buttercream recipe does. It firms up nicely when refrigerated and can be smoothed with the hot knife method.
Hi. Can I cover this frosting with fondant, and if so, do I need to refrigerate? I’m concerned about what that would do to the fondant
Hi Lesley, We do not recommend using cream cheese frosting under fondant. Cream cheese always needs to be refrigerated. As an option you could use a cream cheese filling and frost the cake with buttercream or ganache, then lay on the fondant. If you use a cream cheese filling, take the cake out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving so the cake can warm up a bit.
This recipe uses more cream cheese but less sugar than your original cream cheese frosting. Can I still frost a two tiered cake with this?
Hi Crystal, This recipe makes 6 cups of frosting. To frost a 2 layer 8 or 9 inch cake you will need 4 1/2 to 5 cups. If you plan to do a lot of decorative piping, (more than just a border at the top and bottom) you may need to increase the recipe by 1/2.
I just got my cakes out of the oven and they have sunk abt an inch in the middle. Not sure what the problem is. Over mixing?
Hi Cindy, I am sorry about that. The most common cause for sinking in the center is because they were under baked. Did you check by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake? The toothpick should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Also, you should buy an oven thermometer to see if your oven is reaching the temperature that you have set it to.
Actually they were sunken in while still in the oven. I reread the recipe and I realized that I had omitted the flour. I am thinking that was the problem.
Hi Cindy, Yes, that would be the cause. Don’t worry, leaving out an ingredient happens to everyone now and then.
Hi BeBe: I am making a white cake and cheese cake layer cake for Easter and am looking for a raspberry cream cheese frosting. Would this hold up if I use a raspberry purée in it and how much would you suggest.
Hi Pat, This recipe has all the liquid it needs with the butter and cream cheese. Adding additional raspberry puree or jam would make it too soft. You could use 1 teaspoon raspberry extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla instead of the 2 tsp. vanilla written in the recipe. You could make a raspberry puree with fresh or frozen raspberries or a quicker method is to use 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam, 1/2 teaspoon extract and a bit of red gel food color to get the right color. Spread this between the layers for raspberry flavor.
Hi, Thank You so much for sharing your wonderful talent–it is greatly appreciated!!– As you stated in a previous comment it has a slight yellow tint, so I was wondering is there any way to make the icing more white in color that will not jeopardize the icing ? Thank You so much for your time and help!!
Oh, I forget to ask in my precious comment–Sorry—I want to ice a cake with this buttercream and then do the drip–will this icing be a good choice for this, with no issues? Thanks again–Blessings
I would like to add tequila and lime juice to this. Is it possible without making it too runny? If it is, how much should I add?