Whipped Cream Frosting
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Light, fluffy, and perfectly pipeable, this Whipped Cream Frosting is the perfect finishing touch for any dessert. With just three simple ingredients, it comes together in minutes. It holds its shape beautifully, making it an ideal choice for cakes, cupcakes, and more.
Table of Contents
- Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Whipped Cream Frosting
- More Homemade Frosting Recipes
This recipe has been a go-to in so many of my other posts, from my Tiramisu Cake, Black Forest Cake, and Banana Pudding Cake, but it finally deserves its own spotlight. It's more stable than traditional whipped cream, meaning you can make it ahead of time without worrying about it deflating or weeping.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This frosting is quick and easy to make with just a handful of basic ingredients.
- It's light and airy, but sturdy enough for piping onto cupcakes or spreading on cakes.
- You can make it up to 48 hours ahead, and it still holds its shape well.
- The cream cheese provides extra stability without overpowering the flavor.
- It's a versatile topping that works for everything from layered cakes to fresh fruit.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
- Cream cheese: Helps stabilize the frosting and gives it a subtle tang. Use full-fat cream cheese in a brick, not the spreadable kind in a tub. Mascarpone can also be used for a milder flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the frosting and contributes to its stability, thanks to the cornstarch.
- Heavy whipping cream: Look for heavy cream or double cream, which has a high fat content. This whips up thick and fluffy. Avoid using half-and-half or light cream.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warm, sweet flavor. You can also experiment with almond extract or citrus zest for variation.
In Photos: How To Make Whipped Cream Frosting
Step 1: Whip Cream Cheese
Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix on medium speed until smooth and thoroughly combined. It's okay if the cream cheese is still cold.
Step 2: Add Heavy Cream
Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to make sure there are no lumps.
With the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly pour the cold heavy cream into the bowl in a steady stream down the side.
Step 3: Increase Speed
Pause occasionally to scrape the bowl, ensuring the mixture remains smooth.
Once all the cream is added, increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the frosting holds stiff peaks. This should only take 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to overwhip.
Step 4: Add Vanilla
Fold in vanilla extract, if using.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Use cold cream and a cold bowl to help the whipped cream whip up faster and hold its shape better.
- Scrape the bowl often to prevent lumps of cream cheese from sneaking in.
- Don't overwhip; stop as soon as stiff peaks form to avoid a grainy texture.
- Pipe immediately or store covered in the fridge until ready to use.
- Try different extracts or citrus zest to add variety to the flavor.
More Homemade Frosting Recipes
- Chocolate Ermine Frosting
- Ermine Frosting
- Favorite Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Marshmallow Frosting
- Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese*, cold
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 ¾ cups (654.5 g) heavy cream, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed and pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl in a very slow and steady stream, stopping every now and then to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip until the frosting holds stiff peaks.
- Fold in the vanilla extract, if using.
Notes
- Can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
- Keep refrigerated.
- Makes enough to fill & frost 1 triple-layer 8-inch cake, 1 double-layer 9-inch cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes.
- Perfect for Black Forest Cake, Red Velvet Cake or cupcakes, Banana Pudding Cake, or Tuxedo Cupcakes.
- For a chocolate version, add ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder in step #1 of the recipe instructions.
Made today, I followed instructions, but my frosting started softening very fast, I had to rush thru the frosting the cake process. What did I do wrong? cream cheese block was cold, I had the Ac on my kitchen was cold, heavy whipping cream was cold
Hi Hope, gee I'm not really sure? It's hard to know without seeing... maybe something to do with the technique? This recipe is mostly just whipped cream with a little cream cheese added to give it extra body. So I think it's key to whip the cream until it can hold a stiff peak. Anything less than that might make it more difficult to work with. That said, it is pretty important to use full-fat heavy whipping cream and full-fat cream cheese. I hope this helps!
This is definitely my GO TO recipe when making my carrot cake. I love that it doesn't taste too sweet and the best part is that it holds up real nice for making borders and designs! Thank you! ❤️
I'll have to post a picture of my carrot cake on Instagram when I get a chance 🙂 I was told that it looks like a store bought cake.
Hello! I am looking for a stable lighter than buttercream frosting and this looks great. Before I try this for a large batch, could someone tell me if this goes well with vanilla and chocolate cupcakes?
Yes, it goes very well with all types of cakes and cupcakes. Good luck; hope you enjoy!
Love this frosting! I put all ingredients in mixer bowl with whip attachment. Then whipped 5-8 minutes. I do stop and scrape bottom and sides a few times!
Can’t wait to try your chocolate ermine frosting!
Thanks so much for your positive feedback Sha!
Can you use food coloring to make the frosting a different color?
Yup!
As other readers have pointed out, we can't get brick cream cheese in the UK, and soft cream cheese mixed directly with icing sugar tends to turn to liquid. I get round this by mixing a good quality soft cream cheese [I use Longley Farm] with mascarpone [or whipped double cream], and then gently folding in the icing sugar. If time, I put the mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up. Alternatively I add cream cheese to Swiss meringue buttercream, which I make in bulk and freeze. If anyone has other suggestions I'd love to hear them.
p.s. I have written to Philadelphia several times to ask if brick cream cheese could be made available in the Uk but their reply is that there isn't sufficient demand for it!!!
Does the cream cheese need to be room temp or cold ?
Thank you for the excellent question! I prefer to use cold cream cheese. I will update the recipe to include that info! Hope you enjoy!
This recipe was great! Made it tonight for the first time. I have two other versions of stable whipped cream that I use but I was missing a key ingredient for one, and the other juuuuust isn’t as pipe-able as I needed. I didn’t have time to lose, and I had all these ingredients on hand. Being that I had no time to lose, I did add a little gelatin as an insurance policy. Overall, a great result that allowed me to create a lovely design with my large St Honoré piping tip. ❤️ Will definitely try this again.
Mary, We're so glad that you loved this recipe! Thank you for leaving a review.
I've made this frosting more times than I can count. It is delicious and quite stable. I do usually add Whip-It as well (which is a whipped cream stabilizer) and it holds up very well. I always make my cakes the day before and have never had an issue. The last time I added some coffee and it came out delicious too! LOVE this recipe.
I'm so glad Loretta! I'll have to look up Whip-it this is new to me. Thank you so much for the 5-star review!