Good Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Frosting
Karen’s mother’s old fashioned, unimpeachable formula for smooth, tangy cream-cheese frosting. Spread it over cinnamon buns, use it to frost your banana, carrot, or red-velvet cake, or eat it straight from the bowl with graham crackers. YUM.
Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Enough for one double-layer cake, plus a little extra
1. Cream your butter
Toss butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until soft. If you don’t have a mixer, combine with a stiff whisk or a hand beater in a large bowl.
2. Add cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla
Add the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla and continue mixing on medium speed, or by hand with a stiff whisk or hand beater, until smooth.
3. Add milk or lemon juice to loosen
A little at a time, add liquid to loosen up your frosting to the desired consistency. For a nice stiff frosting, best for cakes, cupcakes, and cinnamon buns, just one or two teaspoons will do. For a flowy, drizzly icing, add more.
NOTE: You can add colors and aromatics instead of milk or lemon juice, or in addition, if you wish.
Um, excuse me?
What kind of milk should I use?
Whatever you have on hand is fine.
My frosting is lumpy, what happened?
Your butter or cream cheese were probably too cold. Never fear, here’s a neat trick: while stirring your frosting (ideally in a stand mixer), run a blowdryer along the sides for about 2 minutes. This loosens up the lumps in a snap.
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
It doesn’t matter. I use salted because I like my food salty, but either will work.
Can I freeze it for later?
Yes! It freezes really well—reserve it in a plastic bag in the freezer for three months or longer.
Should I use milk or lemon juice?
It doesn’t really matter—there’s not enough liquid to seriously impact the flavor. As you can imagine, lemon adds tang and milk adds richness, but you really can’t go wrong either way.
What kind of aromatics or colors could I add?
Up to you! You could add essential oils, like lavender or lemon, or a few drops of natural or artificial food coloring. It depends on what you’re making.
