How to: Foolproof Thick Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. Problems with your cream cheese frosting? Runny, yellow, lumpy? Follow my foolproof tutorial for the THICKEST, best Cream Cheese Frosting ever!
Problems with your cream cheese frosting? Too runny, lumpy, or yellow? Read on for the answers to all your cream cheese frosting problems, and beautifully thick, white and delicious frosting!
Cream cheese frosting is a really important part of my life. Ha, no I’m not joking. 💖
Carrot Cake is traditionally covered with cream cheese frosting – the perfect contrast to the moist fragrant carrot cake (here’s my recipe for an amazing carrot cake!).
My favourite cake ever, Rainbow Cake, is covered with it, and it’s crucial for the look of the cake that the frosting is very thick to cover those bright rainbow layers! I also love using cream cheese frosting to decorate cupcakes – I find normal buttercream (with just icing sugar and butter) to be too sickly, but the cream cheese in this frosting stops it from being too sweet. You can also make flavoured cream cheese frosting – chocolate, strawberry, lemon – you name it!
My cream cheese frosting is flavoured with vanilla bean paste (for those gorgeous flecks and flavour), and lemon juice, which doesn’t make it lemony, but just lifts the whole thing, cuts through the sweetness and makes it even more delicious.
So how is this THE Foolproof Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe? Well, for starters, the method is unusual – it actually involves MELTING your butter before you start, as well as draining all of the excess water out of the cream cheese using a muslin or tea towel. There’s no stand mixer involved – it’s all done by hand and is the work of just a few minutes. Most importantly, it’s SUPER THICK – you can see just how thick in this video!
Why does cream cheese frosting tend to come out runnier in countries outside of the US?
In America, they’re lucky enough to have something called ‘blocks’ or bricks of cream cheese, which are very thick and super dense – crucially, they contain very little moisture. What we have here in the UK is soft cream cheese that is easily spreadable, similar to the difference between butter and margarine – one is very easy to spread.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that blocks of cream cheese become available in the UK eventually, in the meantime, I developed this method which helps you to achieve really stiff, thick cream cheese frosting.
IMPORTANT NOTE – This recipe works for me and my readers 90% of the time, but it occasionally (maybe due to humidity or other factors) doesn’t work and becomes runny. I’m in the process of testing more recipes to find one that’s even more foolproof, but in the meantime, I also recommend this recipe which uses double cream. The cream cheese frosting is lighter and fluffier, but it absolutely always holds its shape and is pipe-able.
- 250g cream cheese
- 100g soft unsalted butter
- 400-600g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- First, take your cream cheese and drain it. This only applies to non-Americans – in the UK (and possibly in other countries!) we have very runny cream cheese. The cream cheese I came across in America was incredibly thick – the texture of a very thick mousse with absolutely no liquid in it whatsoever.
- Note – I only do this when my cream cheese appears to be runny. If I’m using goldessa cream cheese from Lidl, I don’t strain it as it’s very thick, but I do pour off any extra water from on top into the sink still.
- In order to get really stiff frosting, the excess fluid needs to be drained out before it’s used. Otherwise it will just become incorporated in the frosting and you’ll have runny frosting.
- To drain, scoop out your cream cheese onto the centre of a square of muslin cloth. Gather up the cloth and twist it, like you would the top of a piping bag. Hold it over a bowl or sink, and apply pressure, and watch liquid drip out! I got about 30ml out of mine. Once it seems like no more will come out (if you squeeze too hard tiny bits of cream cheese will start to push out too!), set the ball down on some kitchen towel to allow it to dry further.
- In a medium-large heatproof bowl, heat your 100g of butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. You’re looking for it to be incredibly soft, but not completely melted so that it changes colour. It should still have some of it’s structure. Next, take a whisk and whisk the butter thoroughly – at first it will be very lumpy as there are still some bits of unmelted butter. Whisk vigorously until there’s only smooth, liquid butter.
- Next, unwrap the muslin and scoop your cream cheese into the butter mixture. Use the whisk to whisk the two together until completely mixed. Now, switch from the whisk to a wooden spoon.
- Add in the icing sugar. I don’t normally weigh it – I simply continue to add it until the frosting seems right, but it’s always within the 400g – 600g window. It also depends on how sweet you’d like it! To add the icing sugar, hold a sieve over your bowl and add 150g at a time, sieving it into the bowl.
- Using the wooden spoon, gently fold the icing sugar in slowly. The aim here is to keep the frosting thick – if you overbeat it by stirring it too many times, the frosting will slacken (go more runny), so just barely beat in each lot of icing sugar before adding the next 150g.
- You will fear that you are going to end up with runny, lumpy frosting after all! But never fear, carry on and I promise it will turn out amazing!
- The frosting will at this point be very thick – as you can see in the photos – it will be so stiff it won’t fall from a spoon, or even from the bowl if you hold it upside down! *Try this at your own peril! If your frosting isn’t quite so thick, you can add some more icing sugar and then pop it into the fridge to cool before piping or using to decorate.
- Finally, stir in the vanilla bean paste and lemon juice. Set aside, or refrigerate until 10 minutes before you’re ready to use it. It’s perfect for holding it’s shape while piping!
Pin it for later – you’ll want to keep hold of this recipe!
This is silly, but here I am holding the bowl with cream cheese frosting over my head so you can see how thick it is!
Thick Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs:
How can I get the lumps out of my cream cheese frosting?
Lumpy? Lumpy cream cheese frosting is a common problem, and it can happen when lumps of unmelted / unincorporated butter hang about in the frosting. If you’ve followed the method I’ve given above you should have absolutely no problems with lumps, as the butter is completely liquid. Ensure you whisk it very well at this point – no lumps must remain!
If you DO realise at the end that the frosting has lumps of butter in it (if you squish them between your fingers, they will be yellow), you CAN as a last resort microwave the frosting for short bursts (10 seconds) and whisk thoroughly after each burst. I have used this method successfully to remove lumps, but the heat will obviously make the frosting runnier. Only give this a go if you have plenty of time for the frosting to go into the fridge or freezer to thicken up.
The other thing that can cause lumps is the icing sugar – you must sieve the sugar, as otherwise errant lumps can make your frosting lumpy. Don’t be tempted to skip this step!
How to disguise lumps in cream cheese frosting?
So, the lumps are there, but don’t panic! If the frosting are thick and tastes delicious, it’s FINE! Just disguise it by adding something else lumpy to your frosting. 😂 Maybe desiccated coconut, finely chopped carrot, or chopped nuts?
How can I get my cream cheese frosting really WHITE?
Yellowy? Cream cheese frosting should be beautifully pale. I always use Tesco everyday value unsalted butter to make my frosting, and although it’s relatively yellowy, the frosting still turns out incredibly pale (see pictures!). If you’d like to ensure it’s as white as possible, use a very pale butter, like Lurpack or President. You can also add some white food colouring like this one, although generally I don’t.
Trust me, once you start making your cream cheese frosting this way, you will never go back to using a stand mixer and doing it the traditional way!
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Hello 🙂
I am super thrilled to have found this. I am in Germany and I’ve been struggling with runny European cream cheese since forever. Can’t wait to give this a go. Thank you so, so much! Sure the Lidl Goldessa will work without squeezing? That one we’ve got here…
Best Regards, Cora
Great! I’d always drain your cream cheese whatever brand you use – you’ll definitely have a better outcome!
hI kERRY, mADE YOUR FROSTING THIS PAST WEEKEND. i’VE BEEN LIVING IN eUROPE FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS NOW AND HAVE NEVER HAD SUCCESS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. i WASN’T CONVINCED ABOUT YOUR RECIPE, DESPITE ALL THE POSITIVE COMMENTS BUT DECIDED TO TRY anyway. iT CAME OUT GREAT! jUST A COUPLE ADJUSTMENTS, i MELTED THE BUTTER, THEN PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE FOR A COUPLE MINUTES TO COOL BEFORE WHISKING IN THE CREAM CHEESE. i USED ONLY LEMON JUICE, AND VERY LITTLE, BECAUSE i WAS AFRAID OF MAKING IT TOO RUNNY, BUT THE FROSTING HELD IT’S SHAPE BEAUTIFULLY! nEXT TIME i WILLadd the vanilla and more lemon juice and MAKE A DOUBLE RECIPE AS i ONLY HAD ENOUGH FOR THE TOPS OF 3 LAYERS. ALSO i FOUND THE gODDESSA CREAM CHEESE AT LIDL SO i’LL TRY THAT, TOO! tHIS RECIPE IS DEFINITELY A KEEPER!!! THANK YOU!!
So glad you liked it Lynn!!
HI, cAN YOU TELL ME PLEASE, WOULD THIS BE THICK ENOUGH TO USE AS A DAM BETWEEN LAYERS? I WOULD LIKE TO SANDWHICH MY CAKE TOGETHER WITH JAM AND HAVE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING ON TOP, BUT I KNOW that I AM SUPPOSED TO USE A BUTTERCREAM DAM WITH THE JAM… I’m LAZY AND DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM JUST FOR THAT – LOL! tHANK YOU 🙂
Absolutely! It turns out super thick if the recipe is followed correctly, so definitely don’t skip the step where you strain the cream cheese 🙂
Hi, would this frosting be thick enough to be suitable for icing before covering with fondant?
Hi Carol, I know many people have done just that with my rainbow cake 🙂
Have used this recipe twice now (rainbow cake and carrot cake) and Squeezing the excess liquid out made a definite difference. I buy Lidl’s cream cheese and at 49p for 200g you’d be daft not to. Fab recipe and method.
Thanks kerry
So the Cream cheese is room temperature?
Hi Elaine, I use mine straight from the fridge 🙂
Hello Kerry,Hello dear, I
is “full fat soft cheese” same as “cream cheese”? I have just started baking and am struggling to find cream cheese here in UK. All I could get was Philadelphia full fat soft cheese in a tub, is it ok to use? Thanks :)
Hello! Yes that’s exactly it 🙂 Sadly we don’t get blocks of cream cheese here which is very annoying and why it’s harder to make stiffer cream cheese here than in the states!
I have struggled with cream cheese frosting for as long as i can remember. What ever i did it was always runny and even though my cakes were really tasty they looked such a mess when i put the frosting on them. I tried this recipe and even though i was hopeful i was ready for yest another disappointment. I followed your recipe to the letter and to my amazement fir the first time ever i had beautiful thick frosting. I drained the cream cheese getting rid of as much water as possible and i am convinced that this plays a big part. i would like to thank you for your recipe and as we speak my family are tucking in to a wonderful carrot cake.
THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR OF MAKING THIS CAKE FOR A BIRTHDAY AND EVERYONE HAS BEEN WOWED AND PLEASED WITH THE ENd result.
I bake the cakes at 160 degrees celcius as i have a fan oven and use baking parchment to line the base of the pans as a couple have stuck on when using just butter alone.
will always use this recipe when it comes to making rainbow cakes. Thanks Kerry x
Thank you so much for your lovely comment Susanne!! xx
This will work every time: beat sugar and room temp butter FIRST until smooth and creamy, in a magimix or with a beater, and only then add COLD cream cheese until just mixed and your icing will not be runny. It does not have to be Philly, but full fat. I use 300g sugar, 200g butter and 200g cream cheese, plus cocoa or coffee powder. if you’ve ruined your frosting and it’s runny, start over, you cannot save it. However you can re-use it to make cookies, just add plain flour, fold in until a soft dough, make small balls and press onto cookie sheet and bake!
Hi Kerry, how would i make choc cream cheese icing? Just add soem cocoa powder and milk if needed? Thanks!
Hey Jane! You can do it like that – I also have a recipe for it on this cake – it’s delicious! https://kerrycooks.com/best-classic-easy-one-bowl-chocolate-cake/
Hi kerry… I was trying to figure out how to post just a regular comment but it wasn’t apparent on my phone so I decided to try to just reply…
If you want to keep from going through all of the insane draining and wishing try my method… I know it sounds really odd, but it is a matter of science
Cream your softened cream cheese with a mixer tell it is very soft and there are no lumps… Then a bit at a time blend in your powdered sugar as much as you can, after that then you add your butter and any remaining powdered sugar if needed… It’s a matter of a chemical reaction, the butter makes the cream cheese change chemically if they are added together first…
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I thought when I first heard it how could this even work but I can tell you it absolutely does… Give it a try
Hmm! Interesting – when I start to mix cream cheese it becomes watery, without icing sugar or butter. Are you using English cream cheese?
Thank you for a great recipe. Worked very Well.
I didn’t have to strain my cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese) so that saved me some work. And I forgot about switching to a wooden spoon and used my hand held electric beater for the whole thing. After transferring the frosting to a piping bag, I refrigerated it for about 15 minutes. It piped beautifully with lovely ridges which stood up until I devoured the pretty red velvet cupcake. well done.
Thank you! So glad you liked it 🙂
How many cups does this recipe make, thanks
I think the people who didn’t have it work didn’t read your tidbit about overmixing making it runny. It’s definitely a recipe you have to figure out, but after two or three tries I think I’ll stop overthinking it and adding too much sugar and making it runny. 🙂 I’m never good at deciding when to stop at stuff like this. ONly gave it 4 stars because of the finicky nature of it, but it tastes excellent. Also, if you didn’t know, the text in the text box for this is in capital font. It makes it really hard to tell when you’re typing correctly. Hope this comes across as the constructive criticism it is instead of sounding rude. Just came across this blog today but it seems like you do some really great work!
Ah thanks Grace! 🙂 That’s very kind of you
As an American now living in scotland – THANK YOU!!! for you this recipe. I had begun to suspect I’d need to drain the cream cheese to successfully make frosting here, and between that and your butter idea it came out perfectly the very first time! I’m so grateful! 🙂
Can you add more cream cheese to this recipe? I liked the stiffness, but it tasted too sweet and not cream cheesey enough for me.
Hi Lou – of course! YOu can adjust the recipe more to your liking, I’ve tried it without any butter and less sugar before and that’s very good too 🙂
Add a little salt. That tones down the sweetness without compromising the TEXTURE. I’m Really not a Rude American but for some reason when I typed it was all in caps. Hopefully changes when posted.
Hi! I need som advice: I want to try this on a red velvet cake for my nephews special day, but i am wondering if you know how it holds up when displayed over time? I usually pick the buttercream frosting instead, because the philadelphia frosting just runs off the cake after som time. (And That sucks when you’ve just spent two hours decorating it!!)
I was thinking blue kind of swirly roses in frosting, do you think this frosting will hold/stick? Perhaps adding som gelatine would help?
Or should i just stick with buttercream which i know holds, but dosen’t nearly taste as good? 🙂
Hello! Did you see the part of the post where I mention the alternative recipe using double cream? I know that 100% holds even in hotter weather, so you could use that 🙂
Hi Kerry,
I tried your recipe unsuccessfully. I used full fat PHILADELPHIA and Tried to strain it in some musliN but no liquid came out, the cheese just squeezed theough the holes. Also thr more icing sugar i added, thE runnier it got (i mixed it as little as possible to avoid losening thrvmix even more). Any idea how i can perfect this method As i am in great need of thick cream cheese icing for my sister wedding cake.
Hi Rosanna! I’m sorry to hear that! It’s odd that the straining didn’t work – I’d suggest trying it once more (maybe try the lidl one I recommend) and if it still doesn’t work, try giving this recipe a go instead.
Thanks Kerry, i’ll tRy again with the lidl cream cheese. Do You do a siNgle layer of muslin for the squeezing oit bit or just one layEr?
I didn’t use muslin. I just let it sit in a sieve for several hours and it drained itself. Might that be worth a try?
Thanks lady! I’ll try that next time 🙂
I have never boThered to comment on recipes until now … thANk you so much Kelly ! I have always had ProbLems with cream cheese frosting, it alWays went runny. This recipe does what you say it does and i had thiCk creamy icing !! Thank you again as i needed thE icing to be perfect for my daughters 21st birthday cupcakes – you are a life saver I just hope i dont put on too many eXtra pounds from all The rEd velevet cupcakes with cream cheese Icing I’m baking now
Sorry noT sure why my text Is a mixTure of upper aNd loWercase !
And i got your name wrong ! Kerry …. still at least my cupcakes are perfect
Aw bless you for coming back to correct it! So pleased the frosting worked for you Karen! xx
I made this frosting for a birthday cake this weekend. I was a little sceptical as my cream cheese always goes wrong. This recipe was perfect. I used lidls cream cheese. Thankyou for an amazing recipe. Would recommend everyone to try this recipe.
Thank you lady! So pleased it worked for you
Ace recipe! How would you adapt for chocolate? Simply add cocoa powder?
Hi Emily! I have a chocolate version I need to post – you can do it with either cocoa powder or melted plain choc. Here’s a recipe using cocoa – if you add melted plain choc, use about 50g. 🙂
Looking forward to trying this. I am in Canada, and usually use Philly (in the harder brick style) and have had it come out runny. There isn’t a lot of visible moisture typically, but I will try your method. Thank you!!
Violet
Thanks for your comment Violet! SO interesting that sometimes that blocks don’t work either! 🙂
Hello! I am on the road towards making cakes as a side-job, and this recipe has legit changed my life. i have never made cream cheese frosting successfully but my last client explicitly specified it – i put all my hopes on this recipe and it worked beautifully! It was just the best tasting frosting ive ever made and it was noticeably thicker than my usual buttercream. I ended up having to take the finished cake on the bus to deliver it, and despite the bumpy ride everything held its shape perfectly, an area where ive been let down in the past by shop-bought frosting. Thank you so much for solving the cream cheese riddle!
Aw that’s so great to hear Alex! So pleased it worked and thank you for taking the time to let me know in your lovely comment!
Hi there, I just wanted to double check – if I use philadelphia, do I still need to strain it, or is pouring out the excess liquid from the tub enough? Thank you!
Hi Sasha – I’d still strain it as Philadelphia has added water too *angry face* 🙂
Thank you for helping me top my Guinness cake!
This recipe was perfect, I strained my Morrison’s own brand cream cheese for a long TIME and worked so well. I added some lilac food colour to take some yellow out, even after that stirring it was still stiff and not running. Brill thanks
How many cupcakes will this cover please?
Hi Lindsay – it depends how tall you frost them, but it should do 18 cupcakes 🙂
I WAS AMAZED that it worked! the result was just brilliant and after failing my cream cheese frosting the day before, i was ready to try another recipe; thank you so much for sharing! instead of the philadelphia sticks (not sold in france) i used kiri cheese, worked wonders!
So happy it worked for you Linda! I’m off to google kiri cheese!
Brilliant! I didn’t use as much sugar as I don’t like it too sweet and it turned out perfectly! It did appear a bit too soft but after 15minites in the fridge it was absolutely spot on! Thank you x
Can u please convert the measurements to US measurements please? I have red velvet cupcakes that need to go out today and for some reason, the recipe I’ve always used has failed me this time! Thanks KS so much!
Hi Mimi – you should be able to find a conversion tool online to help you do that, like this website http://dish.allrecipes.com/cup-to-gram-conversions/
Wow, Thank you very much for this recipe! I tried it so many times but I’d end up with a runny frosting each time.. And now thanks to your recipe I finally get it done! It’s a very nice and thick frosting 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment Patricia!
Oh I wanted this TO WORK SO BADLY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS A COMPLETE DISASTER. i FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER, BUT THE RESULT WAS BLAND AND RUNNY. i WASN’T EVEN TRYING TO PIPE THE ICING; i JUST WANTED IT TO STAY ON TOP OF MY CUPCAKES. bUT INSTEAD IT WAS OOZING ALL OVER IN A LIQUIDY MESS. mY KITCHEN IS NOW COVERED WITH DAMP, CREAM CHEESY DISHCLOTHS, ICING SUGAR, AND FRUSTRATION. i HATE TO GIVE A BAD REVIEW, BUT THIS RECIPE DID NOT WORK FOR ME AT ALL.
Hi Angie! I’m so sorry to hear that, it seems to work most of the time… did you strain the cream cheese? Really wish we got the thick kind in the UK!
Hi – can I use vanilla essence if i don’t have vanilla bean paste? Still going to add some lemon juice.
Hi Samantha – thank you for your comment! Absolutely – they are interchangeable 🙂
After failing witH my last batch of cream cheese frOsting and having to resort to shop bought, i trIed your method when I didN’t have a deadline. I made half the quantity and it came out perFectly. Thank you so mUch!
kERRY, thank you for solving this problem for me. I am not a novice Baker but like some of your other comments, have had runny cream cheese icing for the past 20 years. (It was not before, but then I bought cream cheese in the block packets) I suspected that it had to do with liquid content of the cream cheese but did not think of the obvious idea of using a muslin cloth to drain excess fluid. I just made a batch of icing, using your method to a ‘t’. it has turned out absolutely perfect. Friends have come to me with this problem and I will tell them of your method and give all accolades to you! Cheers and and applause from me!
Thank you SO much Melinda! That is great to hear 🙂
Hi do you pipe the iciNg onto your cake of just spRead it on with a Spoon? Thanks!
However you want! You can use a palette knife or even make swirls all over with a icing tip. Pinterest is a good place to look for inspiration 🙂
I’ve just baked your rainbow cake and put it in the Freezer, i want the outside of the cake to be blue which i was going to do with fondant, i was just wonderIng Could i Add blue colOuring to the cream cheese frosting instead?
Hi Sammi! You can definitely use either fondant or cream cheese frosting, I’d recommend adding some blue gel colouring to cream cheese frosting until it’s the shade you want, as that will be the most delicious
Thank you thank you
I used be good at making cream cheese frosting and the past few times it just been a runny slop, so bad that it put me off making my carrot cake, would never have thought in a million years of draining the water out of the cheese, it really works. I just make the a perfect batch of frosting, thank you so much!!
Totally didn’t work, even after over 800g of icing sugar added it was still runny and i FOLLOWED the instructions to the letter. Had my sister try it and it didn’t work for her either
Brilliant ! Was sceptil when it said mix with wooden spOon, thought no way would it get smooth, but it did easily, lovely and thick and piped a dreAm, tastes amazing too
i am going to try this recipe for red velvet cupcakes. fingers crossed ! i will let you know how it goes. thank you for posting this recipe !
Lady, I dont know who you are but this frosting rocks. i am a stay at home mum who cooks a lot and i love when i find simple but awesome ways of accomplishing things in the kitchen. i don’t currently have a mixer and it’s a challenge to find good recipes for baked goods that can be done well by hand. this is as good as anything i’ve done with a mixer and i can’t believe how easy it was. thank you so much. this is a keeper. i can really cut down on the sugar and it still tastes absolutely fantastic.
Oh Rosie. Bless you for this awesome comment, it has cheered me right up! So glad the frosting worked out well for you!