Cream cheese frosting can be notoriously difficult to get right, especially the consistency (if you can’t relate, I commend you). The goal: a silky frosting that’s pipable and holds its shape. And yet—cream cheese frosting can easily turn into a concoction that spreads too easily and doesn’t hold up. Then you end up adding too much powdered sugar to compensate, which makes the frosting way too sweet and not nearly cream cheese-y enough. If you’ve been there, keep reading for a few tips I’ve picked up along the way—including what to do if it splits.
1. Add Heavy Cream
I think it’s safe to say I’ve made hundreds of batches of frosting over the last 15 years (I got lots of practice from making and selling dozens of cupcakes on the weekends in high school). The best tip I’ve found is to add heavy cream—whether you’re making a standard buttercream or, in this case, a cream cheese frosting. And I don’t just mean a tablespoon or two; I mean anywhere from ¼ to ¾ cup, depending on the consistency you want. The heavy cream whips up with the butter and sugar, making the frosting fluffier, lighter, and not-so-cloyingly sweet. It also helps stabilize it, making it more pipable and reliable.
2. Practice Patience
If your main struggle is a frosting that’s too loose, try waiting to add the cream cheese until after you’ve whipped together the butter, sugar, heavy cream, and any other ingredients like vanilla and salt. Cream cheese can easily become overmixed and start to split, and it also releases water the longer it’s whipped. If you add it last—once your base frosting is already as whipped and fluffy as you want—it shouldn’t affect the texture and it should remain stable. And if it does split, keep reading.
3. Keep Everything Room Temp
When making frosting of any kind, it’s important that all your dairy products (or whatever ingredients you’re using) are the same temperature. If the butter is softened to room temp but the heavy cream or cream cheese is colder, you’ll end up with a curdled-looking mess that you won’t want to use—or eat. But don’t worry—if this happens, pop the frosting in the microwave in 10 to 20-second increments and mix until all the butter curdles are melted. Once the frosting is smooth without any visible split clumps (it’ll be pretty liquidy at this point, but don’t worry), cover it and transfer it to the fridge until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Then, remove and whip it back up into a light and fluffy frosting.
If you’ve struggled with cream cheese frosting before, I hope these tips help you get it just right. And if not—well, I’m a little jealous.
What are your biggest struggles when it comes to cream cheese frosting or any other buttercream? Let me know in the comments and I can’t help answer!
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