• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

makes:

3 cups, enough to frost a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes

prep:

5 minutes

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature (see Note)

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature

3½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners’ sugar a bit at a time, beating with the mixer on low speed until the confectioners’ sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute longer. Use the frosting at once.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

For a new take on an old favorite, add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the Cream Cheese Frosting.

Note: I’m all for using reduced-fat cream cheese. It is more watery than regular cream cheese, so save it for cooler weather. Or, place the frosted cake in the refrigerator to let the frosting set for 20 minutes before serving.

To frost a 13 by 9–inch sheet cake, follow the steps but use:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To frost a3-layer cake or to generously frost a2-layer cake, follow the steps but use:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Confectioners’ Sugar

What is confectioners’ sugar? This was the question my eleven-year-old son posed as I dusted a stack of brownies to take to a party. Moms seem to have the answer for just about everything, but somehow I couldn’t give him a good one for an ingredient I use every day. So, I did a little research.

Confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, is just a finely ground sugar that often contains cornstarch to make it easy to spoon and pour. The 10-X on the package means the sugar has been ground ten times.

Because confectioners’ sugar absorbs moisture easily it needs to be kept sealed in a plastic bag or airtight jar. If it gets lumpy, sift it before baking.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS FROSTING makes me hungry! Try it on the Chocolate Chip Layer Cake on page 111 or on just about anything else.

makes:

3 cups, enough to frost a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes

prep:

5 minutes

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the butter and cream cheese in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar, a bit at a time, beating with the mixer on low speed until the confectioners’ sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute longer. Use the frosting at once.

Chocolate Notes

It’s a funny thing—the longer you beat the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, the lighter in color it will become.

If you fold in ¼ cup of miniature chocolate chips, you will have a delicious chocolate chip cream cheese frosting.

ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

THIS SIMPLE FROSTING—made with ingredients you most likely have in your kitchen—turns a plain vanilla cake into an orange cake. It makes any cake special, but you’ll love it on the Fresh Orange Birthday Cake (page 37).

makes:

3 cups, enough to frost a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes

prep:

5 minutes

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon grated orange zest (see Note)

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh orange juice

3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Place the butter