Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting

Before you start

Cream cheese frosting tastes tangier and richer than buttercream, which is why it belongs on carrot cake, red velvet and spice cakes. The trouble is that cream cheese is mostly water and turns thin the more it is worked. Many recipes end in a soft, sliding frosting that can only be spread.

This version stays pipeable by changing the order. Beat the butter until smooth first, then add the cream cheese cold, straight from the refrigerator, and mix only until blended. Most of the beating time goes into the butter, while the cheese is handled briefly. Use full-fat cream cheese sold in blocks: tub-style spreads contain extra water and stabilizers designed to be soft. A short rest in the refrigerator before piping firms the frosting enough to hold a defined swirl.

Ingredients

• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — softened to about 18°C (65°F)
• 225 g (8 oz) full-fat brick cream cheese — cold, cut into cubes
• 300–360 g (2½–3 cups) powdered sugar — sifted
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch fine salt
• ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest — optional, sharpens the tang

Method

1. Beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy with no lumps.
2. Add the cold cream cheese cubes and beat on medium-low just until the mixture is smooth and uniform, about 30 to 60 seconds. Stop as soon as no lumps of cheese remain.
3. Add the salt, vanilla, lemon zest if using and 300 g of the powdered sugar. Mix on low until the sugar is absorbed, then beat on medium for 30 seconds more.
4. Check the texture. For piping, it should hold a peak that bends only slightly at the tip. If it is too soft, add the remaining 60 g sugar on low speed. Avoid long beating at high speed.
5. Cover and refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes to firm up. Stir it a few times with a spatula, then fill the piping bag.
6. Frost only completely cooled cakes or cupcakes. Refrigerate the frosted cake for 20 minutes to set before slicing or covering.

Tips for success

• If the frosting softens in the piping bag from the heat of your hands, put the bag in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• Wrap cream cheese blocks and leave them in the refrigerator until the moment you need them; room-temperature cheese is a main cause of runny frosting.
• For a crumb coat, use a thin layer, chill the cake 20 minutes, then add the final layer.

Substitutions

Unsalted butter

Salted butter works; omit the pinch of salt. All cream cheese and no butter gives a softer frosting that is better for spreading than piping.

Brick cream cheese

Mascarpone gives a milder, richer frosting. Beat it very briefly, as it can split and turn grainy when overworked.

Lemon zest

Orange zest pairs well with carrot or spice cake, or use a pinch of ground cinnamon.

Variations

Brown butter cream cheese frosting

Brown 140 g butter, chill it until it is soft and solid again, and use 115 g of it in place of the softened butter.

Maple cream cheese frosting

Replace 60 g of the powdered sugar with 2 tbsp pure maple syrup and add a little more sugar if it softens.

Troubleshooting

Frosting is runny

The cream cheese was warm, tub-style, or overbeaten. Chill the frosting for 30 to 60 minutes. If it is still loose, beat in more sifted powdered sugar on low, a little at a time.

Small lumps of cream cheese

The butter was not smooth before the cheese went in, or the cheese was frozen. Let the frosting sit 10 minutes, then beat briefly; press stubborn lumps through a sieve.

Frosting tastes too sweet

Use the lower sugar amount, add the lemon zest and a little more salt, and chill it to firm it instead of adding more sugar.

Storage

Refrigerate the frosting in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Frosted cakes should be kept refrigerated and not left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Let slices stand 20 minutes before serving for the best texture.

Safety notes

Cream cheese frosting is a perishable dairy food. Keep frosted cakes cold and discard any left out longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C (90°F). Contains milk.