Cream Cheese Buttercream

This is the recipe I've relied on for decades when making desserts that demand to be covered in a thick layer of cream cheese buttercream, like Carrot Cake and Red Velvet Cake.

This is also my favorite frosting for homemade Cinnamon Rolls. And, with the addition of a bit of coconut extract, it's insanely delicious on Coconut Cream Cake and Hummingbird Cupcakes.

And, honestly, it's hard to beat a slice of dark chocolate Devil's Food Cake or a simple One Layer Chocolate Almond Cake slathered in a thick layer of cream cheese buttercream.

Why This Recipe Works

Cream Cheese Buttercream is one of the easiest kinds of frosting to make. You basically put all the ingredients into a bowl, beat them together, and you're done.

Because it's such a simple frosting, the quality and ratio of ingredients really matters. Here's what you'll find in this recipe:

• An equal amount of cream cheese and butter
• A touch of sour cream for flavor and to balance the sweetness of the sugar
• Enough salt to bring out the flavor of the cream cheese and butter
• Plenty of vanilla extract

Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe

You only need 6 ingredients to make cream cheese buttercream. As is the case with all simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients you use will determine the quality of the buttercream.

1. Cream Cheese: My preference is to use Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese because it's a bit tangier than other brands. That extra tang is a delicious balance to the sweetness of buttercream. Do NOT use spreadable or low-fat cream cheese. The fat in regular full-fat cream cheese helps stabilize this buttercream.
2. Unsalted Butter: Salt is a vital ingredient in buttercream, but it's important to be able to control the amount. Choosing unsalted butter means you have 100% control over how much or how little salt the frosting contains.
3. Sour Cream: Just 3 tablespoons of sour cream boosts the flavor of cream cheese buttercream and gives it a subtle tang that's the perfect compliment to nearly any flavor of cake. 
4. Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract, not the imitation kind.
5. Salt: Salt balances out the sweetness in this buttercream and brings out the flavor of the cream cheese and butter. Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and then add as much more as you like.
6. Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar. It's very important to use powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) NOT granulated sugar to make cream cheese buttercream. Powdered sugar will dissolve easily into the butter and cream cheese to create a creamy consistency. Granulated sugar will not completely dissolve and will create a grainy consistancy.

How to Make Cream Cheese Buttercream

#1. Start with room temperature cream cheese and butter. Cold butter and cream cheese will not blend. To bring them to room temperature just let them sit out on your countertop for an hour or two. Or, here's how to bring them to room temperature quickly.

#2. Beat the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer until very creamy and almost fluffy. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

#3. Add 9 cups of powdered sugar to the bowl. Turn the mixer to LOW and beat on low speed just to incorporate the sugar without it flying all over your kitchen.

Slowly increase the speed of the mixer and beat on medium-high for another 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl two or three times.

If the buttercream isn't thick enough to ice your cake, add more powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until you get the consistency you're looking for. (See note below about temperature.)

You can also incorporate a bit of cornstarch to thicken the buttercream if you like. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, beat well, and check the consistency. If you want the buttercream to be thicker, add additional cornstarch in very small amounts -1 teaspoon at a time.

#4. Taste and add more vanilla or salt if you like.

This buttercream can also be flavored with almond or coconut extract. Cream Cheese Buttercream flavored with coconut extract is my favorite frosting for Coconut Cream Cake.

Cream Cheese Buttercream FAQs

Cream Cheese Buttercream is a Building Block Recipe

Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new. > Scroll through all Building Block recipes.

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