Best Cream Cheese Frosting | Easy Low-Sugar Recipe

This cream cheese frosting recipe is the best! It is incredibly delicious as it uses 50% less sugar than regular cream cheese frostings, making it tangy, refreshing, and full of flavor. Plus, it holds its shape beautifully, making it perfect for layering tall cakes and other desserts. For the best results, pair this delightful frosting with spiced cakes.

AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.

What does this cream cheese frosting taste like?

This cream cheese frosting is less sweet with a refreshing and tangy flavour that brightens up any dessert you pair it with.
It is thick, soft, fluffy and holds its shape incredibly well while piping. Even though it uses less sugar, it is stable as its prepared with a focus on technique and science to give it structure rather than using a large quantity of sugar.

Why is this the best cream cheese frosting?

Less Sweet

The best part about this frosting is that it uses much less sugar, unlike commonly prepared cream cheese frostings, making the tangy flavour of the cream cheese shine.

Flavour

Although sugar is used to provide structure to the frosting, the quantity used is much lesser which brings out the natural tanginess of the cream cheese. Not only that, the recipe uses lemon juice that increases the tangy and refreshing flavour without being overpowering.

Quick

This recipe is much faster to prepare than the usual frosting recipes and uses the technique of creaming butter and sugar.

Ease

The frosting is prepared with simple ingredients and equipment that you will certainly have in your baking pantry.

What is cream cheese frosting?

Cream cheese frosting is a buttercream made from a blend of butter and cream cheese compared to the commonly known only-butter frostings.

Cream cheese frosting is well-known for its tangy flavour that goes amazingly well with spiced cakes such as carrot cake, gingerbread cakes, or red velvet cakes. It is essentially paired with both summer and winter desserts making it a popular frosting.

Key Ingredients in this cream cheese frosting

Full-fat block style cream cheese

This recipe uses full-fat block cream cheese rather than cream cheese spread as its firm and hold its structure. Unlike cream cheese spread, using block style cream cheese helps make the frosting stable and its much easier to pipe on cakes, cupcakes, and other desserts.

Unsalted Butter

Unsalted butter is the key ingredient that provides structure to the frosting. It also makes it flavourful.

I highly recommend using good-quality European style unsalted butter for this recipe because it has a higher fat content than American-style unsalted butter, giving the frosting better flavour.

Heavy Cream

Heavy cream makes the frosting fluffy so it’s easy for you to use it to decorate your desserts. Use heavy cream with fat content of 30% or above.

Pure Vanilla Extract

I highly recommend using vanilla beans, vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract for this recipe to get a natural yet lovely vanilla flavour. Avoid using vanilla essence as it alters the flavours making it undesirable to consume,

Icing Sugar & Salt

This cream cheese frosting recipe uses icing sugar to sweeten it without being overwhelming and gives it structure. The salt helps cut the sweetness that enhances the flavours of the ingredients.

Lemon Juice

The lemon juice boosts the tangy flavours of the cream cheese and gives a subtle refreshing flavour to the frosting making it extremely enjoyable.

Which is the right cream cheese to use?

I’ll be honest with you.

Buying the correct cream cheese can be one of the most confusing tasks to do because there are so many cream cheese varieties and cheese spreads out there.

While purchasing cream cheese, always look for block or brick style cream cheese as it is firm compared to other cream cheese varieties. Just in case that is not available where you live, look at the label of the cream cheese. If it says cheese spread or cream cheese spread, then avoid purchasing it.

Another way that helps is checking the texture. When you touch the cream cheese when it’s a little cool, and it just cracks or doesn’t leave any greasiness on your finger then that is the best cream cheese to use. If it is creamy and wet when cool, then avoid using it.

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05 tips to make the best cream cheese frosting

Avoid using room temperature unsalted butter and cream cheese

You may be familiar with the term – room temperature ingredients. While baking we are always instructed to bring our ingredients to room temperature. Honestly, that term is highly misleading.

Hear me out.

The room temperature differs according to where you live and the weather. The weather changes from place to place and the temperature of your kitchen might be completely different to mine. So, I encourage you to learn how to look at the texture instead.

When the butter and cream cheese is anywhere between 18°C to 21°C, it is the right time to use it for baking. But that does not mean you have to check the butter using a thermometer every time you bake.

Here is an experiment that you should conduct to know when your butter has softened and is ready to be used for making a dessert:

Place a stick or block of butter in its packaging on your kitchen counter away from the sun.
Now every 10-15 minutes, check the butter.
When it reaches 18°C, poke the butter with your finger.

You will find that the butter will resist your finger, and you will have to put a bit of pressure to make a dent. The butter will also be a little cool to the touch and not make your finger greasy. This is when your butter has softened and is ready to be used for baking.

Observe and check how the butter looks and feels at this point.
Next, check the texture of the butter once it reaches 21°C (follow steps 4 through 3).

While doing this experiment, note down the time the butter took to reach the right temperature. So now every time you bake, you know how much time your butter needs to soften.

The same applies to the cream cheese. Make sure it has softened instead of bringing it to room temperature.

Avoid over-creaming the frosting

Usually, while preparing buttercream, the butter is creamed for a really long time to aerate it which helps give the buttercream a fluffy and airy texture. But the thing is that these frostings use butter as the hero ingredient. However, in this recipe, the hero is undoubtedly the cream cheese.

And as compared to butter, cream cheese has much lesser structure and firmness because of its high moisture content. This means that you must cream the ingredients for a short period. If not, the cream cheese frosting will not hold its structure and will be a soupy mess.

Avoid adding more icing sugar to firm up the cream cheese frosting

Adding sugar may help make regular buttercream frostings firm. But I highly encourage you not to do this.

Because this frosting contains a high quantity of cream cheese made of 80% or more water content, the more icing sugar you add, the runnier it becomes as the sugar releases all that moisture from the cream cheese.

This makes it sweeter and does not help you to understand how to make the frosting to avoid such a situation altogether. So, I encourage you to make sure that you follow the previous two tips to make a fluffy, creamy and firm cream cheese frosting.

Add the heavy cream in batches

Sometimes, you may make the mistake of over-mixing the butter and cream cheese, especially if it’s your first time making the frosting.

For this reason, add the heavy cream little by little and let it incorporate into the frosting for a few seconds before adding in more. You might not even need it to make it pipeable because of multiple reasons such as over-mixing or hot weather.

Avoid mixing in high speeds

Frostings are best prepared when the mixer is on medium speed as it aerates the frosting without causing friction.

Let me explain this.

When the mixer is running at a high speed, it causes the butter and cream cheese to release moisture making it greasy. This is because friction causes heat. Patience is your best friend here!

How to make cream cheese frosting?

During my first few recipe trials, I added the butter and cream cheese together. But this frosting needed a lot more icing sugar leading to a sweet buttercream that didn’t taste flavourful.

But during the final recipe trial, I first creamed the butter and icing sugar together and then added in the cream cheese. The buttercream was incredibly fluffy, light and held it shape well.

This was because when cream cheese is mixed into sugar for longer (when it was added first with butter), the sugar makes the fat release the water. While when it was just mixed in instead of creamed into the butter and icing sugar, it released much less moisture.

Just changing the technique and making sure the butter and cream cheese is softened instead of being at room temperature, helped this buttercream become incredibly flavourful and firm.

How to know when the cream cheese frosting is ready?

To know when the cream cheese frosting is at its perfect texture, scoop a bit of frosting using a spatula and hold it at 90°. If the frosting stays in place, then it passes test 01.

Now tilt it at a 45° angle, if it moves sideways slowly but does not fall of the spatula at all, then voila! You have mastered the art of making cream cheese frosting. (Visuals given below)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my cream cheese not hold its shape?

Avoid over-mixing the butter and cream cheese. Read more about this in the above sections. Also, make sure you are using block or brick style cream cheese and not cream cheese spread.

Does cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated?

Yes! Cream cheese frosting is best refrigerated to avoid it from becoming too soft or getting spoilt. Before decorating your cake or cupcakes, leave it out till it reaches a pipeable consistency.

What makes frosting fluffier?

Using the butter and cream cheese at the right temperature and texture helps make the cream cheese fluffy as more air gets trapped in the frosting without becoming runny.

What can I do to firm up runny cream cheese frosting?

I recommend that you always use the right cream cheese for making your frosting. Other than that, use your butter and cream cheese when it reaches the right texture. Most importantly avoid keeping a timer that you rely on while creaming your butter and sugar because each day is different – the weather differs. Instead, keep an eye on the texture, and you will surely avoid a runny cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate the cream cheese frosting to make it firm.

Step-by-step instructions

Recipes that this cream cheese frosting will taste incredible with

This cream cheese frosting goes pleasingly well with carrot cake, spiced cakes and red velvet cake.

I also have a recipe for brown butter cream cheese frosting, that is just as delicious. You can find it right here.

Here are some recipes you can pair it with:

frosting vanilla cheesecake cupcakes placed on a table

Best Cheesecake Cupcakes with Low-Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

sliced mini carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting on a platter

Mini Carrot Cake with Easy Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Half eaten roasted strawberry cupcakes decorated with vanilla buttercream and strawberry puree filling

Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla buttercream | Easy with small-batch Recipe

The Best Masala Chai Cupcakes with Spiced Chai Buttercream

Best Cheesecake Cupcakes with Low-Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Mini Carrot Cake with Easy Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla buttercream | Easy with small-batch Recipe

The Best Masala Chai Cupcakes with Spiced Chai Buttercream

freshly prepared smooth & creamy cream cheese frosting in a bowl

The Best Cream Cheese Frosting | Easy Low-Sugar Recipe

Khushali Patel

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Total Time 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 800 grams

Equipment

01 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with a paddle/whisk attachment
01 Weighing Scale
Spatulas
Bowls
Knife
Chopping Board
Air-tight container or Zip lock bag
01 Sifter

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

175 grams Unsalted Butter*
370 grams Brick-style Cream Cheese*
20 ml Heavy Cream approx.

Sugars

218 grams Icing Sugar

Dry Ingredients

02 grams Salt

Flavourings

02 ml Pure Vanilla Extract or 01 Vanilla Bean
08 ml Lemon Juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

Bring out the butter and cream cheese and let it soften. Chop the butter and cream cheese into even-sized cubes before using. See notes.
Weigh the butter and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside.
In a bowl, weigh the cream cheese.
Weigh the icing sugar and salt in a bowl and sift well.
Weigh the lemon juice and set it aside.
In another bowl, weigh the heavy cream and set aside.

Making the cream cheese frosting

In a bowl attached to a stand-mixer with a whisk/paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream the chopped butter and vanilla on a medium speed till pale and soft.
Add the icing sugar in three additions.
Mix on a low speed for 30 seconds till just combined.
Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter and icing sugar till just combined for the first two additions. Avoid overbeating.
For the final addition, add the icing sugar and salt together and mix till just combined and soft
It should be soft but still hold its shape.
Add in the cream cheese and mix until just combined. Avoid over-mixing.
Once the cream cheese has blended well, add in the lemon juice and a tablespoon of the heavy cream.
Cream till just combined. Add in more of the heavy cream till it passes the texture test mentioned in the post.
If it passes the texture test mentioned in the post, transfer the frosting to an air-tight container or zip lock and chill in the refrigerator till ready to use. Refer to the notes for more instructions.
You can also use immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before using.
This recipe can be used to frosting 12 cupcakes or a two layered cake generously.

Notes

Unsalted butter - As mentioned in the tips section, experiment and observe how long the butter comes to the right temperature and texture. Depending on the time it takes, weigh out the recipe or bring out the butter mid-way through prep.
Cream cheese - Use good quality full-fat block-style cream cheese for this recipe (fat content - 30-35%). Read the blog post for more details.
Storage & freezing Instructions -
1. This frosting stays fresh for about a week in the refrigerator and for 2 months in the freezer.
2. To freeze, I prefer transferring it to a zip-lock bag and labeling it (name, date of preparation and best before date). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it the next day. You can also freeze it in an air-tight container.
Brown Butter cream cheese frosting
Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here

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