Cream Cheese Frosting – Swiss Buttercream Recipe

Ahhh cream cheese frosting.  It’s what makes certain recipes so very delicious.  Carrot cake…red velvet cake…  they just aren’t the same without a sweet & tangy cream cheese frosting to top them off.

This is a light and fluffy as clouds buttercream recipe.  Lightly sweet and tangy, not thick, goopy and super sweet like a traditional cream cheese frosting. Plus it is pipeable and holds it’s shape for cupcake swirls and rosettes!  Sweet!

How do you make a pipeable cream cheese frosting?

There are two secrets to this.  Temperature and mixing time.   As you know, cream cheese will soften as it warms and comes to room temperature.  And it seems like common sense that you would want your cream cheese soft so it’s easier to mix with the butter and sugar.  In fact almost all cream cheese frosting recipes you find call for softened cream cheese! But that is when you end up with a sloppy mess.  Keep your cream cheese COLD, it will stay much more firm and not separate so easily.  You can soften the butter but DO NOT soften the cream cheese.

The next critical factor is mixing time.  When cream cheese is mixed it becomes soft and goopy.  When mixing cream cheese you start separating the liquids from the solids and the cream cheese tends to separate. So DON’T over mix!  I find it best to make it in a food processor.  This allows quick mixing and incorporating of the ingredients without over mixing.

Traditional Cream Cheese Frosting versus Swiss Meringue Cream Cheese Buttercream

I have two versions of cream cheese frosting.  The base recipe is the ultra rich creamy one that I sometimes use for a cake filling.   It’s quite sweet so I prefer to use a lighter version.  SO I mix this base recipe with a batch of my Swiss meringue buttercream for a wonderfully light and fluffy cream cheese buttercream that is the perfect match for my Carrot Cake recipe.  You will need a batch of my Swiss Meringue Buttercream for this.

Again, the secret to my Swiss meringue version of cream cheese frosting is in the mixing.  DON’T OVER MIX!  You need to gently fold the base cream cheese frosting into your Swiss meringue buttercream.  If you mix too much it will start to separate.  Cream cheese is just finicky like that.  So go slow and fold gently.  If you are coloring the buttercream it’s best to color the Swiss Meringue first before folding in the cream cheese frosting.  Color it darker than what you want your end color to be, when you fold in the cream cheese frosting base it will lighten the color.

Cream Cheese Swiss Buttercream is perfect for so many different cake flavors

I mean it’s a no brainer to use it for carrot cake and red velvet cake.  But you really should try it on my rich and decadent Cappuccino Cake!  SOOOO freaking good!  Another thing I love to do with it is to use it as a filling for chocolate cupcakes, what and amazing surprise inside!  Waaayyyy better than Hostess cupcakes, seriously!  Or how about on a pumpkin spice cake?  THAT is definitely a winner!  Get creative and let me know what your favorite thing to use cream cheese frosting on.

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Cream Cheese Frosting - Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

This light and fluffy as clouds cream cheese frosting is a mix of traditional cream cheese frosting and Swiss meringues buttercream.

Course

dessert

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

batch

Ingredients

• 1 batch Swiss Meringue Buttercream link to my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe in notes: (omit the strawberry juice)
• 1 8 oz package Cream cheese COLD!!
• 5 tablespoons butter (2.5 oz) softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Course dessert Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings batch Ingredients 1 batch Swiss Meringue Buttercream link to my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe in notes: (omit the strawberry juice) 1 8 oz package Cream cheese COLD!! 5 tablespoons butter (2.5 oz) softened 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse the a few times then scrape the sides. Repeat pulsing and scraping a few times until all ingredients are just incorporated. DO NOT OVER MIX!!
2. Prepare a batch of my Swiss Meringue Buttercream (link below in notes).
3. Gently fold cream cheese frosting base into the Swiss meringue buttercream. Mix until just incorporated. DO NOT OVER MIX! The texture of your frosting will change a little. The more you mix the more it will separate. Be gentle!
4.  If you are coloring the buttercream it's best to color the Swiss Meringue first before folding in the cream cheese frosting.  Color it darker than what you want your end color to be, when you fold in the cream cheese frosting base it will lighten the color.
5. Since this is a cream cheese based frosting it will need to stay refrigerated. Maximum time out of the refrigerator should be no more than 4 hours.

Recipe Notes

You will need one batch of my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe >>> Link <<<  Just omit the fresh strawberry juice.

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