Cream Cheese Frosting made with Cream

cream cheese frosting with the consistency of whipped cream.

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Cream Cheese Frosting made with Cream

This Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting is unreal, you guys. You thought you had to stop eating cream cheese frosting at some point, because you go into a sugar coma, right? Now you never have to stop. This recipe is light, airy, fresh. It feels like you're eating whipped cream, but with the flavor of tangy cream cheese. Here's the secret: instead of butter we are using CREAM. And instead of powdered sugar we are using granulated sugar. I know, WHAT? Read on! It's magic. Especially on my Red Velvet Cake!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 100kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

2 (8-oz packages) full fat Philadelphia cream cheese do NOT use low fat
1 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 and 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt start with 1/4 teaspoon if all you have is table salt
1 and 1/2 cups COLD heavy cream added SLOWLY
powdered sugar optional, see notes

Instructions

NOTE: This recipe is best made in a stand mixer, because the powerful motor has a greater ability to beat the cream peaks. Use the whisk attachment. You can make this with a hand mixer! You have to be beating at the highest speed possible the entire time you are adding the cream. Get someone to help if possible!
In a stand mixer or a large bowl, add 2 (8-oz) packages of COLD full fat cream cheese and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Beat with the whisk attachment or with the hand mixer for at least 2 minutes, until it is very smooth and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (only use 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon if all you have is table salt.) Beat 1 minute until totally incorporated, scraping the edges of the bowl and beating again.
Get your VERY cold cream out of the fridge. Don't let it sit out on the counter! If you are using a hand mixer, it's helpful to put the cream in the freezer for 5 minutes before using it, to make sure it's extremely cold.
With the mixer on high speed, add 1 and 1/2 cups cream—only 1 tablespoon at a time. You don't need to measure this, just eyeball it. Add a small amount of cream and make sure that it is fully incorporated into the cream cheese before adding more. Keep the mixer on high speed! Wear an apron!
The cream and cream cheese mixture will eventually form peaks, just like whipped cream. You will be able to drag a spoon or beater through it and see marks. See notes for troubleshooting.
Keep the frosting chilled in the fridge until you are ready to use it for your cake. I love this frosting with Spice Cake (use the scaled up version in the notes) or Red Velvet Cake.
Optional: Give your frosting a taste. It's quite tangy. If you like a sweeter frosting, add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 1/2 cup) until it is the sweetness level you like.
Store this cream cheese frosting in the fridge!

Notes

TROUBLESHOOTING: If your frosting is not beating into peaks, it could be a couple things that went wrong. Did you use full fat cream cheese? Do you have heavy cream that is at least 30% fat content? Did you use VERY cold cream? Are you beating constantly at the highest power, without stopping? (get help!) If you can check all those boxes and it is still too liquid-y to pipe or spread, put the whole bowl of frosting in the fridge and beat again.

SCALE UP THE RECIPE: This is enough frosting to cover a 2 layer cake or a sheet cake. Here is a very slightly scaled up version, perfect for a 3 layer cake, like my Spice Cake. You can make the recipe as written above for my Red Velvet Cake, but if you like a lot of frosting, make this scaled up version!

20 ounces cream cheese (2 and 1/2 of the 8-oz packages)
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 and 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
additional powdered sugar, optional

SCALE DOWN THE RECIPE: Here is half the recipe, using only 1 pack of cream cheese:

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
additional powdered sugar, optional

CREAM CHEESE: Philadephia is the BEST cream cheese brand on the market. If you make this successfully with another brand of cream cheese, please leave a comment on the post, so we know which ones work!

HEAVY CREAM: What you’re looking for in the dairy aisle is often sold in a cardboard carton or sometimes in a tall plastic bottle with a cap. It’s going to be found near the rest of the milk, in a refrigerator case, and will be labeled as one of the following:

“heavy cream”
“whipping cream”
“heavy whipping cream”
or sometimes even, “ultra heavy whipping cream”

All of these different names are secret codes used in the dairy industry to vaguely indicate the level of fat content in the cream. 30% fat is the amount necessary in order to whip cream into peaks, and is an industry standard. So rest assured, any type of cream that you buy, whether it’s called “heavy” or “whipping,” will beat up just fine in this frosting recipe. If it says “heavy” or “ultra,” there will be more fat content, meaning your frosting will whip faster and higher, and you may die younger. Embrace it. Buy the highest fat content you can find.

Cream amounts:

POWDERED SUGAR: You can add powdered sugar after adding the cream, if you would like a sweeter frosting. Add up to 1/2 cup!

Nutrition