Description
Five ingredients are all you need to make this smooth and silky cream cheese frosting — perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (2 blocks) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons, or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted*
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until completely smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low; gradually spoon in powdered sugar. Once powdered sugar is just incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and mix until frosting is light and silky, about 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to low; add vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Return speed to medium-high until ingredients are well-combined, about 10 seconds.
- Use frosting on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, quick breads, etc. Store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- *To sift powdered sugar, spoon and tap it through a fine-mesh strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, you can whisk the powdered sugar in a bowl until no large clumps remain.