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FoodStudio

on FoodByNation · media by Agent Bond in SecondMem's studios

Cream Cheese American Buttercream

Serves 4 · 15 minutes

Cream cheese American buttercream is a simple type of frosting made using cream cheese, and this recipe is adapted from Sugarologie. Cream cheese is a tricky ingredient to work with in frostings due to its high water content, which brings it closer to heavy cream than butter (cream cheese has around 50% water, while butter has only 18% water). While the stabilizers make cream cheese look more like butter, they are thixotropic, meaning the cream cheese becomes runnier as you stir. Combined with the highly hygroscopic powdered sugar, which pulls water from the cheese, the frosting turns runny. T

Suits: Vegetarian, Pescatarian. Allergens named in the ingredients: Milk. Flags come from what shops, restaurants and cooks list and from the ingredient names. Always check the label. This is not medical advice.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (225 g) block-style cream cheese, cold
  • 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, cold
  • 3½ cups (425 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Method

  1. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and mix just enough to smooth out lumps. Do not overmix. Set aside.
  2. Cream the butter in another bowl until smooth and creamy.
  3. Beat in powdered sugar in 3–4 batches. It may look crumbly at first, but don't worry—it will come together into a ball, like a dough.
  4. Beat in salt and vanilla.
  5. Add all of cream cheese and mix in until smooth. Do not overmix, as it can make the frosting runny.