This Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe is perfect for piping beautiful swirls onto cakes and cupcakes…

Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting on a red velvet cupcake

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.

Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting on Red Velvet Cupcakes

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.  

Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re looking for more frosting recipes, you might like to try some of these:

4.23 from 22 votes

Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting

Great frosting recipe that is easy to pipe onto cakes and cupcakes.
Prep: 10 minutes
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients

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

Serving: 1g, Calories: 197kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 126mg, Potassium: 35mg, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 496IU, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

 

4.23 from 22 votes (16 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe




107 Comments

  1. Anjie says:

    This frosting was awesome.  I piped it on and it was perfect!  

  2. Ariel says:

    I was curious, I made this recipe about a week ago and I had done exactly what the directions called for. i was not thrilled when the cream cheese and butter kept clotting up in my mixer attachment. It was the right consistency because both the cream cheese and the butter were soft enough it was like a mushy texture.  After mixing everything  together i realized the mixture was bumpy. i had a crazy idea that once i applied it to my cake that it would somehow disappear. i was wrong.  it looked completely silly. i chalked it up to that im covering it with frosting so no one will see the bumpy texture. 
    So i remade the mixture, word by word of the directions. it was now time to pipe. Once again my mixture was bumpy! So frustrated at this point that i didnt have time to look for another recipe, so i then proceeded to fill the piping bag. As I’m trying to pipe my flowers on my cake, the cream cheese kept getting clotted in the tip.  Can you please explain what i should do if i decide to give this another try? 
    i mixed it for 20-30 mins.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      It sounds like if you did not have success with it, perhaps you should try another recipe. I’m not really sure what to suggest as it’s hard to troubleshoot when you’re not seeing it yourself. Sorry you had trouble!

  3. KB says:

    The more you whip cream cheese the softer it gets,so make your buttercream frosting adding a little bit ofpowdered buttermilk to regular ingredients. At the last minute add cream cheese just to mix and eliminate lumps. Refrigerate then test mixture for piping.

  4. Tiffany says:

    I want to make a pipeable Raspberry Cream cheese frosting.. can you tell me how much to put in using Jam?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      no idea!

  5. sarah lee says:

    I creamed the butter and cream cheese for longer and added a tiny bit less sugar. I also creamed the ingredients together for a while after they were all combined, and it came out softer but super fluffy, kind of like a meringue frosting! great recipe! Unfortunately, my entire cake was a sticky crumbling fail, so i just ate the frosting with a store bought pie! Hahaha.

  6. Jackie says:

    What I learned about the fickle powdered sugar is this. Adding more is wrong. Follow the recipe above and SLOWLY add in your sugar 1/2 cup at a time. The more sugar you add the runnier it will be. Don’t over mix and don’t turn your mixer on super speed. Sometimes slow is good. And as others stated if your cheese and butter are still a little cold that’s also helpful. I made 4 practice batches to get one right batch. I don’t measure anymore, I go by feel and taste.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Thanks for your tips- very helpful!

  7. Reg says:

    I keep reading about runny frosting. It’s because the cream cheese has been overbeaten and the solution isn’t more sugar. If you reach that doomed stage, just start over.

  8. shani says:

    i need to use 450 grams cream cheese?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      If that equates to 16-ounces, then yes!

  9. Sarah says:

    This frosting was honestly so bad… in order to thicken this frosting even remotely to pipe it would have to use a ridiculous amount of sugar, which would have made it so sweet. If you use the ingredients listed above, the favour is perfect just so runny.

  10. Sara says:

    Worked for me! I did need to put the icing in the fridge before icing and also again about half way through to keep it cold. I added an extra half cup of sugar. Maybe the trick is keeping the icing cold until you are ready to serve the cupcakes? Thanks for posting this yummy recipie! I also used some of the icing to fill the inside of the cupcakes.