Lesson 3 of 5 · Buttercream & Piping

Cream cheese frosting

  • Free video
  • Beginner
  • Frostings, Fillings & Icings
  • 4 min
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Video by Tatyana's Everyday Food on YouTube: “The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe - Just 5 Ingredients!!” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 3 of 5

Make a cream cheese frosting that's tangy, smooth and firm enough to pipe.

  • Use full-fat block cream cheese
  • Don't overbeat once the cream cheese goes in
  • Keep frosted cakes refrigerated

Ingredients for this lesson

Madagascar Vanilla Extract, 4 oz BottleVanillaGoods$19.00
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Tahitian Vanilla Extract, 2 oz BottleVanillaGoods$16.00
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

Step by step

  • Beat room-temperature butter until creamy
  • Add cool block cream cheese and beat just until smooth
  • Add powdered sugar gradually, then vanilla and a pinch of salt
  • Mix until combined; stop before it turns soft and runny

Why it gets runny

Tub-style or reduced-fat cream cheese contains more water, and overbeating breaks down the cream cheese's structure. Both make frosting too soft to pipe.

Watch for

Chill the frosting 20–30 minutes if it's too soft. Cakes with cream cheese frosting should be stored in the fridge.

← Lesson 2Next: Piping tips for beginners →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find vanilla frosting recipes

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