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)!
Cream Cheese Frosting- Pipeable
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
Directions
- 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.
Oh this looks great! I have been wanting to pipe with a cream cheese frosting that will hold it’s shape. Not be too gloopy or soft, but holds it’s edges. This looks and sounds like it!
Question: will it crust? Thanks Melissa!!
Hi Paula, It pipes beautifully but it does not crust.
Thanks BeBe. I will still try it as it will hold it’s shape.
I am a bit concerned about the cream cheese type we get here in dubai we don’t get philidelipha as block but we have it as a spread do you think it would work
Hi Mariam, I am sorry but the spreadable cream cheese in a tub would not work well for this recipe. Is there another brand available to you in Dubai that would be a full fat cream cheese?
Thanks BeBe I have to look around.
Hi, just wondering if this recipe would work under fondant.
Thanks!
Hi Terri, We do not use cream cheese frosting under fondant, not even this recipe. Our preferences are spreadable ganache or buttercream.
A note for Mariam Jamil. If you have any friends/ relatives in Kuwait, you can ask them to get you cream cheese from Saveco. It’s a bigblock of cream cheese (I guess around 3 pounds if I am not mistaken) brought from Sates. Or there are similar cream cheese in blocks can be found in stores that sell bakers stuff (in Shuwaikh).
Hi Bebe,
Is it possible to add food colour to this frosting specifically ameri color?
Hi SD, I think I have only colored cream cheese frosting one time, it was quite some time ago but I don’t remember having a problem. The cream cheese frosting is a bit more yellow to begin with so you may not get a color as bright as you want…….yes, use AmeriColor Gel coloring.
Thanks BeBe. Will give it a go.
Fantastically written blog and this recipe look so delicious. I will definitely follow this recipe for my bakery. Thanks for writing this blog and highly appreciable.
Hi. Is this frosting suitable to be used for a cake that’s topped with ganache drip?
Yes, you can use a ganache drip on a cream cheese frosted cake.
How well does this cream cheese frosting hold up… I’m using this to pipe on Cup Cakes for a baby shower.. sitting out a couple of hours…
Want to pipe this cream cheese frosting on cup cap that will be sitting out of fridge a few hours… will it hold up?
Thank you..
Hi Freda, yes a few hours out of the refrigerator should be fine!
Hi there, can i reduce the powdered sugar in the recipe? If i reduced it will the frosting still hold?
Hi Celeste, Yes, you can reduce the sugar in the recipe and the frosting will be fine. Just be sure to use full fat cream cheese and don’t let it become too soft and also don’t over mix it because the longer it is beaten the softer it will become. If it does become too soft, you can always refrigerate for a short while to firm it up before frosting your cake.
Does anyone know where I can get block cream cheese in the UK? Full fat cream cheese in tubs seems to go runny.
Can you please tell me what tip you used on the cupcakes in the photo and how did you make the design?? Thank you!!!
Hi Tammy, it was a large star tip– either a 2D or 1M. I just made a basic swirl by piping first around the outer edge of the cupcake and then worked my way up to finish.
Can you add flavoring such as lemon juice? If so how much lemon would you add? Has anyone tried this with this recipe? Love your recipes btw!!!
Hi Bernadette, You could reduce the vanilla to 1 teaspoon and add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice plus zest of 1 lemon. One problem with adding lemon zest is the zest can clog up a small piping tip, so keep that in mind. I find the best lemon flavor come with using lemon extract. I suggest using 1 teaspoon vanilla plus 1 or 2 teaspoons lemon extract. Taste the frosting after 1 teaspoon lemon extract and add a second teaspoon if you want a more intense lemon flavor.
Can this be made using maple flavoring instead of vanilla extract.
Hi Elaine, Yes, you can use maple extract.
Can you use this under fondant?
I have a dumb question just wanted to make sure I am reading the recipe correctly. It takes 24oz of cream cheese?
Hi Julia- I haven’t tried this under fondant. Ganache is my first choice, although I use our classic vanilla buttercream now and then. Since there’s a higher moisture content in cream cheese frosting, I would at least do a trial run just to be on the safe side. It may be okay, but I’m just not sure.
Hi Kim- Yes, it does! This gives it a firmer consistency…however if you may also like our other favorite Cream Cheese Frosting recipe which is a little softer but still tastes great and calls for two packages of cream cheese frosting rather than three. Here’s the link if you’d like to try it!:
link to mycakeschool.com