An amazing cake or a cupcake is nothing without a delicious frosting to top it! This Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting is sweet, silky, tangy, lightly spicy, and amazing on all sorts of cakes, cupcakes, and desserts.
You’ll have a hard time finding a cake that this frosting won’t taste good on. The flavors are very balanced in this recipe, with the sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon all helping to balance each other out and create a versatile cake topping. You’ll make this recipe over and over again!
Use Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting on a Pumpkin Cake, Carrot Cake, Banana Cake, or even a Chocolate Cake. Pumpkin Cupcakes will be amazing with this frosting too!
Why You’ll Love It:
- Perfect Piping Consistency: For fancy details or just sturdy layer cake construction, this cream cheese frosting has you covered. You can thin it out if needed for cookies, but it’s perfect as is for piping decorations.
- Versatile Flavor: This stuff is delicious. On. Everything. I dare you to try to not lick the beaters – you won’t be able to resist.
Ingredients in Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cream Cheese: the base of this frosting is creamy, tangy cream cheese. Let the cream cheese come to room temperature before trying to mix it up.
- Butter: While this isn’t a buttercream frosting, a bit of butter creamed together with the cream cheese adds a decadent mouth feel. Be sure to use unsalted butter, and allow it to come to room temperature as well.
- Vanilla: This warm, aromatic extract is a must for a good frosting. I suggest buying the best quality vanilla extract that you can reasonably afford. It makes a difference.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is our other main flavoring. It’s ever so slightly spicy.
- Powdered Sugar: Confectioners or powdered sugar is our sweetener here. This frosting is sweet, but not too sweet. It’s perfect.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is super simple to make in just a few steps!
- Cream: Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer on medium speed, cream together the softened cream cheese and butter until well blended, about two minutes. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Mix in Sugar: Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low until all powdered sugar is incorporated.
That’s it! Use your frosting right away, or store in the fridge to use later.
Tip!
Avoid a sugar storm! Make sure to put your mixer on LOW to mix in the sugar, or you’ll be wearing the powdered sugar all over your shirt.
FAQs
To soften cream cheese quickly, cut it into small cubes. The extra surface area will make the softening time at room temperature shorter. You can also microwave the block of cream cheese in 5 second increments, flipping every 5 seconds until soft.
These same tips work for softening butter quickly. Be sure not to microwave for too long, as melted butter and cream cheese will not make proper icing.
If your frosting seems too thick, or if you want it to be thinner for cookies or a sheet cake, you can add milk to thin it out. Add milk or heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s the desired consistency.
If your frosting is too thin, you can add powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until it’s thick enough. You can go back and forth like this if you need to, this frosting is very forgiving.
This cinnamon cream cheese frosting is delicious on soft sugar cookies or pumpkin cookies. Keep in mind that this frosting won’t harden like royal icing will, so it may not be your best choice for detailed cut outs, or cookies that you’ll be shipping.
Yes, always refrigerate any leftover cream cheese frosting, and refrigerate any desserts containing it, to avoid spoiling.
Allow cakes or frosting to sit outside of the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
I can’t wait to hear about what you make with this super delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting! Don’t want to bake a cake today? I won’t tell anyone if you make this and eat it with a spoon instead!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce packages (450g) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, 2 sticks, 227g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 cups (750g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla.
- Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low until all powdered sugar is incorporated.
Notes:
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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