Glorious Treats Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

• unsalted butter1⁄2 cup

  (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)

• cream cheese↗8 ounces

  (directly from fridge)

• vanilla extract↗1 teaspoon

  (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)

• powdered confectioners' sugar↗4 cups
• heavy whipping cream or milk1 -4 tablespoons

  (I do like the richness that cream adds)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   *Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds.

2. 2

   *Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.

3. 3

   *Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.).

4. 4

   *Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

5. 5

   *Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.).

6. 6

   The recipe above will produce a delicious VANILLA flavored frosting, here are a couple of other options to try….

7. 7

   For a Stronger Cream Cheese Flavor: Use an additional 4 oz. (½ block) of cream cheese. This is good for any cake/cupcake recipe that is traditionally topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, like Carrot Cake, or Red Velvet Cake.

8. 8

   For Chocolate Frosting: (my favorite!) add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Ghirardelli brand, it’s really good). Add the cocoa powder before adding the powdered sugar, so it gets fully incorporated into the butter and cream cheese.

9. 9

   Recipe by GloriousTreats.com.