Name: Cream Cheese Frosting
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened; 1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar; 4 ounces cream cheese , cut into 4 pieces and softened; 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Why This Recipe Works

For our cream cheese frosting, we made sure to use softened butter and cream cheese so there weren’t any lumps. After beating confectioners’ sugar with the softened butter until the mixture was light and fluffy, we added 4 ounces of softened cream cheese and a dash of vanilla extract for just the right amount of tang and complexity.

Before You Begin

Use softened cream cheese to avoid lumps in the finished frosting.

Instructions

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, 1 piece at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until no lumps remain.