This cream cheese frosting recipe pairs perfectly with my carrot cake cupcakes! The tartness of the cream cheese perfectly balances out the sweetness of the cupcakes! The best thing about it? It’s crazy easy and simple. With just 4 ingredients, this frosting can be whipped up in no time! So skip the sugar-laden, hydrogenated store-bought frosting and opt for this homemade frosting that’s easy, healthy, and super tasty!
If you’re wanting a really light, fluffy frosting, this probably isn’t the one for you. Because the base is cream cheese, it’s a little heavier than your regular buttercream frosting. That’s not to say that it’s not delicious though. I love how well the cream cheese balances out the sweet cakes. Sometimes buttercream frostings make desserts just too sweet for me, but that’s not the case with cream cheese frosting!
Growing up my mom would always rave about how much better homemade frosting was than store-bought. As a kid, I didn’t really care. Frosting was frosting! Put a nice thick spread of frosting on a graham cracker and I’m good! Now that I’m older though, I understand what she was talking about. Homemade frosting is much much better! But to prevent a sugar coma, I made this cream cheese frosting with just a small amount of maple syrup. I wanted the real highlight of the frosting to be the cream cheese.
Not into cakes or cupcakes? Try this recipe as a fruit dip with strawberries, pineapple, and more!
How do you make cream cheese frosting from scratch?
This cream cheese frosting is super simple to make. First, you’ll need a stand mixer like a KitchenAid, or an electric hand mixer.
Simply add all of the ingredients to the bowl and mix it up until it’s nice and whipped!
I put 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp of maple syrup in my frosting, but if you want yours a little sweeter, just add more maple syrup (little by little), until it’s as sweet as you want.
To frost the cupcakes, fill a plastic baggie with the frosting. Cut off the corner of the bag and squeeze the frosting out of the corner onto the cupcakes!
Ingredients needed for cream cheese frosting:
- Cream cheese (full fat)
- Butter
- Vanilla
- Maple Syrup
Enjoy this delicious cream cheese frosting in whatever way you like! I hope you like it as much as we do!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Electric mixer (KitchenAid or hand mixer)
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2½ Tbsp butter softened
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the ingredients until nice and light.
