Whipped Cream Frosting

There are times when you want a slightly fluffy icing on a cake. A frosting somewhere between the billowy fluff of whipped cream and a heavier buttercream. That’s where this whipped cream frosting with cream cheese comes in. Firm and sturdy enough to glaze and frost a cake, yet light and dreamy enough not to feel like eating a candy bomb.

This frosting has a light note from the cream cheese, a hint of sweetness from the powdered sugar and a subtle hint of vanilla. It’s for all the people who love cakes but hate the heavy sugary icing that often comes with them.

Frosting Snapshot

Frosting Benefits:

• Skill Level: Easy to do
• Flavor: Slightly sweet
• Texture: Smooth and fluffy
• Piping: Ok for piping but may drain over time
• Works Best On: Sheet Cakes and Cupcakes; not recommended for layered cakes
• Make-Ahead: You can make this frosting a day ahead and refrigerate before using.

Frosting cons:

• Doesn’t freeze well
• Not good for hot outdoor environments
• Just leave well for 2 hours, then it should be refrigerated immediately
• Not good for layer cakes

For traditional cream cheese frosting, you mix room temperature cream cheese with butter, then add a large amount of powdered sugar.

My whipped cream frosting starts with cold cream cheese. This is because the cold helps to whip the heavy cream to bigger, fluffier heights! While it may seem odd because most cream cheese recipes tell you to use room temperature cream cheese to create a smooth mixture with the butter that goes into traditional cream cheese frosting, the cream cheese works differently in this recipe. Here it is used to stabilize the frosting and prevent it from deflating. But to get that super fluffy whipped cream, you want to keep the cream as cold as possible. Cold cream emulsifies better and stays emulsified longer, meaning your cream can be whipped more easily without breaking. Warm cream cheese can mix and smooth faster, but it also works against the cold cream. So get your cream cheese straight out of the fridge and just let the stand mixer do the work of smoothing the cream cheese.

• Take your cold cream cheese and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Place the cream cheese cubes in the bowl of a stand mixer and blend on medium-high until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer, but it may take more than 2 minutes to get creamy and smooth.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure all of the cream cheese is thoroughly mixed. This is especially important if you are using a hand mixer.
• Once the cream cheese is smooth, while the mixer is running on low speed, add the cream and mix until you have a thick liquid.
• Swap the paddle attachment for the whisk attachment, then beat at medium-high speed until you have soft peaks.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy and the sugar and vanilla are absorbed!

Tips for making the icing

The key to this frosting is patience! Don’t rush the process. Here are some troubleshooting tips.

• Mix cream cheese thoroughly. You want to try to get as many lumps out of the cream cheese as possible. This means periodically stopping your blender, scraping the sides of the bowl, and then continuing to blend.
• Don’t mix the whipping cream too much. Some people are impatient and turn the mixer on high to whip the cream. Make sure you use a medium speed so you can control how quickly the cream foams.
• Once I’ve achieved soft peaks, I often take the bowl off the stand and use a whisk to hand-beat the frosting until stiff. Skipping the frosting will make it grainy. With a whisk you have more control and can stop immediately when it has reached the right stiffness.
• Use cold materials. Cream whips best when cold. If your kitchen is super warm, pop the bowl, beater, and whisk attachment in the fridge for 10 minutes. This will cool it down and help with beating.
• Use full-fat cream cheese. You might be tempted to use low-fat cream cheese, but full-fat cream cheese not only has more flavor, it also contains less water.
• Sift powdered sugar. It may seem like an extra step, but not sifting your powdered sugar will result in a lumpy icing. Also, sift the powdered sugar after you measure it, not before.

How to flavor whipped cream frosting

Although the flavor of cream cheese adds a subtle touch to this frosting, you can customize it as well.

• cocoa: Try adding 3 tablespoons of Dutch processed cocoa to the whipped cream for a chocolate twist.
• mocha: Add 1 tablespoon instant coffee and 3 tablespoons dutch cocoa to the whipped cream to make a mocha version.
• peppermint: Replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract to make a peppermint version.
• lemon or orange: Replace the vanilla extract with lemon or orange extract to make a citrus version.
• Double Vanilla: Scrape the seeds out of half a vanilla bean and use them in addition to the vanilla extract to give the frosting a luxurious upgrade.

How to Color Whipped Cream Frosting

You can color this icing by adding drops of food coloring when it’s in the soft-tipped stage. You can also divide the frosting into multiple bowls during the soft top stage and use a whisk or silicone spatula to add a different color to each bowl.

How to store the frosting

Since this glaze is made from dairy products, it must be stored in the refrigerator. You should use or consume the glaze within 3 days of making it.

You should store unused frosting or a frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the frosted cake to come to room temperature (about 1 hour on the counter) before serving. The icing is stable and can sit at room temperature for about 2 hours before needing to be refrigerated.

Leaving a cake with this whipped cream frosting outside on a hot day or taking it to a picnic is not recommended as the frosting could collapse or spoil from the heat.