Cream Cheese Frosting

I love cream cheese frosting - if I could I would put it on absolutely everything.

My favorite thing about it is that you can add just a splash of flavoring, a few grates of a rind, and give the frosting a whole new twist in order to suit any cake base!

A few tips that I found over on culinarycafe.com are that overbeating will cause the cream cheese to break down and produces grainy and soft frosting. Also, they recommend using cold, not softened, cream cheese, in order to produce a better texture. It's something that I've found works pretty well.

This recipe is my own, adapted from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, a favorite at my grandparent's house growing up.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cold

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk (if needed)

Using a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually add in a powdered sugar, a cup at a time, beating until smooth. If you are having trouble incorporating the sugar smoothly, drizzle in a little milk in order to soften up the frosting.

Stop blending when the frosting is evenly mixed, smooth, and spreadable. Be careful not to blend too much or your frosting will not hold its shape!