This Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe is perfect for piping beautiful swirls onto cakes and cupcakes…
How much frosting does this recipe make?
If you’d like to pipe frosting onto your cupcakes just like the photo shows above, you’ll have enough frosting for about 18 cupcakes. If you just want to spread frosting onto cupcakes without piping it on in a decorative way, you’ll have enough for 24 cupcakes.
If making a cake, you may wish to make a recipe and a half. You should have enough to frost the cake. But then you’ll also have some extra to pipe frosting in a decorative way on top.
Tips for making the best frosting for piping:
Don’t over-mix the ingredients. You’ll beat the butter with an electric mixer. Then you’ll add slightly chilled cream cheese and combine those until they are evenly combined. Then STOP MIXING them together. Add in some vanilla, and then you’ll mix in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time just until it’s mixed in. Some people have commented that they like to refrigerate the frosting for a while before piping it onto their cakes and cupcakes.
Keep cupcakes and cakes that are frosted in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
If you’re looking for more frosting recipes, you might like to try some of these:
- Coconut Buttercream Frosting
- Classic White Frosting Recipe
- Chocolate Frosting Recipe
- Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
- Cookies and Cream Frosting
- Orange Buttercream Frosting
- Sweetened Condensed Milk Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature for 10 minutes
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter; beat just until creamy. Then add the cream cheese and beat until combined. IF YOU BEAT THE CREAM CHEESE TOO LONG, THE MIXTURE WILL BE TOO SOFT FOR PIPING.
- Mix in the vanilla, then gradually add the powdered sugar- 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until the frosting ingredients are completely combined- do not over-mix. Check the consistency at this point. If it seems too soft, go ahead and add a little more sifted powdered sugar. If it seems too thick, mix in a teaspoon or so of milk. Use the frosting to frost your cake or cupcakes immediately- either by spreading or filling a piping bag, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use (should be used to frost the same day).
- I can't stress enough... if you over-mix, the frosting will be too soft for piping. Adding more powdered sugar will just make it softer.
Notes
- Nutritional information is for the frosting only-- not the entire cupcake.
- If you spread the frosting on the cupcakes instead of piping it on tall like the pictures show, you'll be able to frost 24 cupcakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this frosting and it’s always come out great. Have you ever used food coloring with it and how true does the color come out?
Instead of using food coloring (liquid), I would use color paste instead so it does not affect the texture and you can control the hue of the color. You can find it at a craft store like Michaels.
Thank you for your helpful tips of NOT overmixing. I’ve been wondering why my cream cheese frosting keeps getting too soft even with more powder sugar….now I know. Thanks again!!
Do you know how many batches of this icing I would need to make 3 layer 8 inch cake and 24 cupcakes? I have a picture of the design I’m doing as well because it takes a lot of piping.
Maybe three times the recipe to be safe?