Cream Cheese Frosting without Butter (the Best ever!)

This cream cheese frosting without butter is simply delicious. Pair it with any type of chocolate cake, red velvet cake, red velvet cupcakes or carrot cake or banana cake and you will never go wrong.

Unlike the classic cream cheese frosting which contains butter, this is a no butter cream cheese frosting. It is made with 3 simple ingredients i.e cream cheese, powdered sugar and shortening.

For flavoring, I have used pure vanilla extract, but it is optional. The resulting tangy cream cheese frosting is not only delicious as a cake frosting, it is perfect for piping too. What is more, it crusts so perfectly and works well in warm temperatures too!

I for one, love this sweet and tangy frosting and it is a perfect frosting for my eggless chocolate cake. If you are a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, you should try this recipe. It pairs really well with banana cupcakes, spice cake, cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, carrot cake cupcakes, pumpkin cake and many other treats.

Why No Butter?

As delicious as butter cream cheese frosting always is, working with it not always easy. And that is simply because cream cheese is super sensitive to heat and is always a challenge to work with if you live and hot and humid environment like me.

I have tried many versions of cream cheese icing recipes only to be disappointed with how runny it ends up on my cakes and cupcakes.

The problem is not with the recipes, it’s just that the relationship between cream cheese, butter and hot weather is always very bad.

For this reason, I have always avoided this frosting when decorating cakes until I tried making the frosting again, and this time without butter. I used it to frost this eggless chocolate cake for my mother’s birthday and it was a great success! This delicious frosting is now my go-to recipe.

How to Make

Ingredients

• Powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioners' sugar)
• Full fat cream cheese (firm)
• Shortening
• Pure vanilla extract

Making the icing

• Sift powdered sugar to break all lumps. Set aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and shortening until well combined and creamy with an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer).
• Add the sugar and mix into the cream cheese and shortening mixture with a spoon. Once the sugar is well moistened with the cream cheese mixture, continue to cream the frosting with an electric mixer on low speed first and then medium high speed until it becomes creamy and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
• Add the pure vanilla extract and continue beating until the vanilla is well incorporated and the frosting is all light and fluffy.
• Color the icing as you wish. Fill and cover your cake as you like. To make piped decorations, transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip and use as desired.

Notes

Why is it important to sift the powdered sugar?

• Powdered sugar is often lumpy. It needs to be sifted to break the lumps before using it for any type of frosting. The sugar lumps, though very tiny, are difficult to break even with high speed mixing. And they can cause unsightly lumps in your otherwise smooth frosting.
• What is more, if you are using the icing to pipe designs on your cake or cupcakes, these sugar lumps can obstruct the holes in your piping tips especially those with small holes.

Which cream cheese is best for frosting?

• The only type of cream cheese you should be using to make the cream cheese frosting is the brick-style cream cheese.
• Never use the spreadable cream cheese or low-fat cream cheese. They are too soft and will result in runny frosting.
• For best results (i.e. creamy consistency), use full-fat cream cheese.

How do you make the frosting thicker?

• This icing is thick enough for piping so you really do not need to make it any thicker.
• But if you still wish to make a thicker frosting, you can add a little more powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency. Add the sugar in small increments and mix well after each addition.

Can you make the frosting thinner?

• To make thinner frosting, you can add some heavy cream (heavy whipping cream). The cream can be added in liquid form and need not be whipped cream.
• Another option is to use less sugar, but with this option, the taste of the icing will be impacted, depending on how much you reduce.

Flavor variations for this homemade frosting recipe

• Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract for almond cream cheese frosting.
• Sift in one tablespoon of cocoa powder into the frosting to make chocolate cream cheese frosting.
• Add one teaspoon of grated lemon rind and one teaspoon of lemon juice to make lemon cream cheese frosting.

Does a cake with cream cheese icing need to be refrigerated?

• Yes, since cream cheese requires refrigeration, any cakes that are filled, frosted or decorated with cream cheese frosting should not be left out at room temperature for more than 3 to 4 hours.
• The cakes and cupcakes are best kept refrigerated. You can leave them out at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

How long does the icing last at room temperature?

• The cream cheese frosting should not be left at room temperature for more than 3 hours. Leftover cream cheese frosting is best kept refrigerated in an airtight container.

How long can you keep the frosting in the fridge?

• I would not recommend keeping this homemade cream cheese icing in the fridge for more than 3 days.

Like this easy recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Butter Icing Recipe (How to Make)
• Cream Cheese Candy - Easy Homemade Mints
• Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cookies
• Glaze Icing for Cakes (How to Make)
• Royal Icing - 2 Easy Recipes
• Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Cake Decorating
• Homemade Fondant (How to Make Fondant Icing)

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my perfectly crusting no butter cream cheese icing recipe. 

📖Recipe

Update:

I have made some egg less chocolate cupcakes using my egg less chocolate cake recipe, and here is how my delicious cream cheese frosting fared when piped on the cupcakes. Pretty right?

And that's my easy cream cheese homemade frosting for you.

Happy decorating 🙂