Dreamy lemon cream cheese frosting, sweet yet subtly tart, attractively flecked with bits of lemon zest — the perfect topping for your favorite cakes.
Who doesn’t love
cream cheese frosting? Carrot cakes
wouldn’t be the same without a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Or how about those
favorite pumpkin or banana bars? The addition of cream cheese to frosting gives it a
subtle tang that is so undeniably delectable.
Try adding a touch of lemon to cream cheese frosting to really put the wow! into your
frosting. The lemony taste perfectly complements and enhances the tanginess of cream
cheese and balances the sweetness inherent in frosting. You get a sweet/sour thing going
on. Kind of like SweetTarts.
I just love this recipe. I was first introduced to lemon cream cheese frosting by my mom
who always frosts her famous
banana cake with it. Or try lemon
cheese frosting with this
white layer cake
with lemon filling.
About this lemon cream cheese frosting:
Lemon cream cheese frosting is basically cream cheese frosting made even more delicious
with the addition of lemon juice and lemon zest. It’s perfect for lemon cake, vanilla or
white cake, banana cake, pretty much any kind of cake.
Except for chocolate cake, maybe. For that, there’s
chocolate cream
cheese frosting. So good!
This frosting recipe makes 2 cups of frosting, plenty to frost a 9×13 inch cake or 24
cupcakes. For a layer cake, make at least one and a half batches, more if you’re using
it as a filling between layers.
How do you make lemon frosting from scratch?
You can make this frosting in about ten minutes. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to
make fantastic frosting. It’s super easy and there’s nothing tricky about it. There’s
no cooking involved and no fancy ingredients.
There is a little thinking ahead though. You need to take the cream cheese and butter
out of the fridge to soften. How long? It depends on how warm your kitchen is. If it’s
a hot summer day or if you have a warm place in your kitchen, it won’t take long! The
butter and cream cheese should be close to room temperature.
Can you cheat if you forget? Sure, the microwave is your friend. Unwrap the cream cheese
and butter, place them on a plate, and microwave at low power (30-50% power) in one
minute intervals until both are softened, but not melted. Trust me, I’ve resorted to
that process many times.
Zest a lemon and squeeze the juice from it. Set those two items aside.
You can use a stand mixer, a hand mixer, a food processor, or your trusty arms to make
the frosting. I usually use my hand mixer.
Put the softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until the mixture is creamy
and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and lemon juice, beating until the mixture is the right
consistency. Too thin? Add more sugar. Too thick? Add more lemon juice. Fold in the
lemon zest and you’re ready to frost.
Make sure your cake is totally cool before you frost it. Warm cake + frosting = a mess.
Make it your own
-
Don’t have a lemon? Use a teaspoon of lemon extract. Add a teaspoon or two of
milk to get the desired texture. -
If you would rather make plain cream cheese frosting, omit the lemon and add
one and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract and a teaspoon or two of milk. Or
substitute maple extract or almond extract. -
You can make cream cheese frosting without butter but it will have a
different texture. Use 8 oz. cream cheese, 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream, 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract and 3 cups powdered sugar. -
Frosting a bundt cake or a coffee cake? Make cream cheese frosting with
only one cup of powdered sugar. Mix in hot water a tablespoon at a time until you
reach the right consistency for drizzling or pouring. -
Looking for a recipe without powdered sugar? Hmm, maybe this isn’t the recipe for
you today. If you have a good blender, you can turn granulated sugar into powdered
sugar, but your blender will never be the same. Trust me.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
One of the really nice things about cream cheese frosting is that you can make it
ahead. Prepare it up to a week in advance and store it in a tightly covered
container in the fridge. Take the frosting out of the fridge an hour before you plan
on frosting your cake so it has a chance to soften slightly. Give it a good stir and
you’re ready to frost.
Want to keep your cream cheese frosting even longer? Store it in the freezer for up to
a month. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Cake Toppings
Frosting and more! Try one of these delicious ideas:
-
Vanilla buttercream
frosting -
Whipped cream (a lighter
alternative to frosting) -
Caramel sauce or
Bourbon caramel sauce - Hot fudge sauce
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
26 votes
minutes
minutes
cups
Pin
attractively flecked with bits of lemon zest — the perfect topping for your
favorite cakes.