Put off by the over-sweet taste of plain buttercream frosting?

When I first started baking, I basically just used whatever recipes were in front of me. For the first few months, that meant making a lot of buttercream.

Buttercream frosting is basically whipped butter and powdered sugar, with enough liquid to make a workable consistency and a bit of flavoring.

There was just one problem I ran into. After several bakes decorated with plain buttercream, several rounds of feedback complained "the frosting was just a little too sweet!"

Over time, as I experimented with different frostings (even facing down my intimidation to try out Swiss meringue buttercream) - I found a combo that combines the ease and speed of regular buttercream with the less-overpowering sweetness of meringue-based frostings.

This recipe combines amazing taste with the speed of buttercream! The tang of the cream cheese in the frosting - while not obviously detectable unless you know what you're looking for - cuts the overpowering-sweet of the buttercream enough that my 'too sweet' complaints have vanished. In my book, it's a keeper!

Can I make this frosting ahead of time?

Absolutely! If well-sealed and protected from drying out, frosting will keep about 24 hours at room temperature, 2-3 weeks refrigerated, or 2-3 months frozen (will likely require re-beating once thawed).

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Don't forget to pin for later!

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting pinterest pin

Print Recipe

Favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream

Want a frosting that's delicious, not overly sweet, but is still great for decorating? Here's my Favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream frosting recipe!

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Total Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting recipe, Cream Chese Buttercream Frosting

Servings: 8-inch cake or 24 cupcakes

Calories: 328kcal

Equipment

Stand mixer + paddle attachment (or hand mixer)

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
6 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

Instructions

Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches a spreadable/pipeable consistency.
Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
(Add liquid or gel food colorings if desired!)

Notes

(Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Calorie count for 1/24th recipe - amount for 1 cupcake - is 218; including 3og carbohydrate, 1g protein, and 11g fat.)

Nutrition

Serving: 116th recipe (amount for 1 cake slice) | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g

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Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting - 2x recipe
(makes enough to frost and decorate a tiered 3-layer 8-inch + 6-inch cake or generously frosts 48 cupcakes)

16 ounces cream cheese (2 packages, softened)
2 cups butter (four sticks, softened)
12 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons clear vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

(Follow instructions in recipe card above)

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting - 0.5 x recipe
(makes enough to frost and decorate a 6-inch cake or generously frosts 12 cupcakes)

4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 package; softened)
1/2 cup butter (one stick, softened)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

(Follow instructions in recipe card above)

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Favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream Recipe