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
This easy and delicious Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting is the BEST! Wonderful cream cheese flavor and perfect for piping!
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 Carrie, It should make 6 cups of frosting.
Hey I love carrot cake,,
but need to transport
cake long ways...
Can I use this recipe
for a 9x13 pan ,,,???
Thanks
Hi Lyn, Yes, you can use this for a 9x13 pan but cream cheese frosting is perishable. Will you be able to keep it cold during the trip?
Hi. I love your recipes!
I was wanting to make this frosting red for a barn cake for my sons birthday. If I wanted to make this red how much americolor super red would you use? Also could I make it in advance and put it in a airtight container in the fridge, then get out the day of let rest, stir, then fill my piping bags & frost?
How would you recommend doing that?
Thank you!
Can you make the iceing couple days before and refrigerate
Hi Crystal, yes you can!
Could I turn this into pipeable "chocolate" cream cheese frosting by adding 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa? Thanks.
Hi Rachel, adding cocoa to the recipe should be fine. Be sure to sift the cocoa powder. You may need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar but that won't be a problem.
Thank you so much! Does 1/4 cup cocoa for 6 cups of frosting sound correct?
We used 1 cup in our Classic Chocolate Buttercream recipe and 1/4 cup cocoa in our Chocolate Cream Cheese recipe. You can always add more cocoa for the amount of chocolate flavor you want.
Hi… love your recipes. For your pipeable cream cheese frosting can you substitute high ratio shortening for the unsalted butter in order to get a whiter tint?
Hi Debbie, We have not tried using hi ratio shortening to our cream cheese recipe but it seems like it should work, or maybe a combination of butter and shortening. Also, some butters are whiter than others. We find Land O Lakes butter to be much lighter in color than some other brands, but it still may not give you the whiter tint that you want.