No more runny cream cheese icing! Learn how to make our no-fail cream cheese icing with only two ingredients! If you ever had problems making classic cream cheese frosting with butter and powdered sugar, then this recipe is for you! This cream cheese icing is made only with cream cheese and white chocolate. We’ll also explain what type of cream cheese you should use to get the best result.
Tips to get the best results
This recipe couldn’t be easier! Follow these tips to achieve a perfectly smooth and creamy icing.
1) What chocolate should I use?
Regular eating chocolate, couverture, compound chocolate and even candy melts work fine for this recipe, though compound chocolate is the easiest to use. You can either use chocolate chips or chop the chocolate bars into small bits.
Tip for chocolate variations: You can also prepare this icing with milk or dark chocolate. When using dark chocolate, we found it’s best to use a ratio of 1/3 white chocolate and 2/3 dark chocolate, so the icing doesn’t get too firm.
2) Which type of cream cheese should I use?
Traditionally, cream cheese icing is made with bars or blocks of cream cheese, which are relatively firm and need to be softened before they can be turned into icing. While this type of cream cheese is widely available in the US and Canada, here in Britain cream cheese, also called “soft cheese”, is usually sold in tubs.
This type of cream cheese is usually whipped and has a creamy, spreadable consistency, which is why the classic cream cheese icing can become unstable and runny.
I developed our recipe especially for soft cream cheese or soft cheese that has a spreadable consistency, not block cream cheese. If you only have block cream cheese, beat it very well with an electric mixer and thin down the finished icing with few a tablespoons milk or cream if it turns out too stiff.
This no-fail cream cheese icing is the perfect accompaniment for our red velvet cupcakes and looks extra cute decorated with chocolate curls and sprinkles
Make the icing firmer
If you want to make a firmer icing, for example, to fill macarons, use equal amounts of white chocolate and cream cheese. Allow the icing to chill well before using it.
Storage & shelf life
Keep the icing in the fridge for up to 4 days or store it an airtight container in the freezer for a month. Allow frozen icing to defrost in the fridge and stir it before use. You should also store cakes and cupcakes that are decorated with cream cheese in the fridge.
2 Ingredient Cream Cheese Icing Recipe
This no-fail cream cheese icing is rich, has a wonderful chocolaty flavor and goes perfectly with red velvet, carrot or spice cakes!
Ingredients
Full portion
- 300 g (10.5 oz) white chocolate chopped or white chocolate chips (see tips above)
- 450 g (16 oz) full-fat cream cheese or soft cheese (see tips above)
Half Portion
- Half portion
- 150 g (5.5 oz) white chocolate chopped or white chocolate chips (see tips above)
- 225 g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese or soft cheese (see tips above)
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate. You can melt the chocolate one of two ways:
- Microwave method. To melt the chocolate in a microwave, place it in a microwave-safe bowl or dish and heat on medium high in intervals of 20 seconds. Stir between each interval and repeat this process until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Double boiler method. To melt the chocolate in a double boiler, fill a saucepan 1/3 with water and bring to a mild simmer. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and place on top of the saucepan. The water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl and make sure the chocolate doesn’t come in contact with water or it might seize and become unusable. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted.
- Tip: It’s important to melt the chocolate properly until no more solid chunks of chocolate are visible and be careful not to burn the chocolate to preserve its smooth texture.
- Mix the ingredients. Put the cream cheese or soft cheese into a large mixing bowl and give it a good whisk. We recommend doing this step by hand, so the cream cheese doesn’t get too aerated. Pour the chocolate over the cream cheese and immediately start whisking until the chocolate and cream cheese are perfectly combined.
- Chill the icing. Put the icing in the fridge for about an hour to firm up. Now it has the perfect consistency for filling and coating cakes or piping gorgeous swirls on cupcakes.
Notes
Full portion yields: 750 g (26.5 oz) icing, which is enough to fill and frost a 20 cm / 8 in cake or 16 to 20 cupcakes.
Half portion yields: 375 g (13 oz) icing, which is enough to ice 9 to 12 cupcakes.
