Cream Cheese Frosting from Anne Byrn
A perennial classic recipe, cream cheese frosting has been spread on some of America’s favorite cakes—the carrot cake, red velvet, and Hummingbird. And as long as cream cheese has been used in baking, it has been folded into frostings. An early chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe can be found in the 1948 Rumford Complete Cook Book. Here are 2 variations for preparing this frosting, depending on the number of layers in your cake. Make sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before beginning. If needed, place them in a glass bowl in the microwave on high power for 20 seconds to soften.
Ingredients
FOR A 3-LAYER CAKE
- 12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 5 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
FOR A 2-LAYER CAKE
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
Instructions
- .
- Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds.
- Add the pinch of salt and half of the confectioners’ sugar.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add the vanilla and the rest of the confectioners’ sugar, and blend until smooth.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until fluffy, about 1 minute more.
- Frost the cake of your choice.
- Store the frosting, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Let it come to room temperature before spreading on the cake.
