Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

How to make

This frosting is a classic, and here are a few tips and tricks to make sure you get the best frosting. Let’s take a quick look at the ingredients.

Ingredients

• Cream cheese: I recommend Philadelphia brand, as it’s consistently good quality. Use full-fat brick style cream cheese and not low-fat, tub-style, or whipped cream cheese. Low fat cream cheese contains additional moisture which can make the frosting runny. Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature (about 65° F) to avoid lumps in the frosting.
• Unsalted butter: Use unsalted butter to control the salt level. Yes, if you prefer, you can use salted butter; just leave out the pinch of salt. Let the butter soften to room temperature (about 65° F) to avoid lumps in the frosting.
• Lemon zest and lemon juice: Zest the lemon first, then juice it. I typically like to bump the lemon flavor with lemon extract, but for this recipe I don’t feel it needs it. And, sometimes the extract can have an off flavor.
• Salt: salt will balance the sweetness in the frosting. If you prefer to leave it out for dietary reasons, feel free.
• Powdered sugar: also called confectioners’ sugar, it dissolves smoothly. Besides sweetening the frosting, it also thickens it. You can add additional powdered sugar to thicken up the frosting, but keep in mind it will also make it sweeter.

Get mixing

This tangy creamy delicious frosting is as simple as beating all the ingredients together until smooth. I have detailed directions and ingredient amounts for you in the printable recipe card below. And, I have lots of tips and tricks for you here in the post.

Gather up all the ingredients, and let the cream cheese and butter come to room temperature (about 60-65°F) rather than cold from the fridge. If they’re cold from the fridge the frosting will be lumpy and difficult to mix together.

You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to beat the frosting together. I don’t recommend doing this recipe by hand.

After mixing the cream cheese and butter together, add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and pinch of salt.

Next up, powdered sugar.

If the powdered sugar is lumpy, you can sift it to make sure those lumps don’t show up in your frosting.

With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar, a little at a time. You can also cover the mixer with a towel to keep the powdered sugar from flying out.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for about two minutes or until the frosting is nice and smooth. 

Take a look at the frosting and taste it. The frosting will thicken a bit in the fridge, and the lemon flavor will develop a bit as it sits, but is it the consistency and flavor you want. Does it need more lemon zest? Is it too thin or too thick?

Cream cheese frosting is a thinner frosting. It won’t crust up like buttercream. You won’t make fancy decorative elements out of it. And, this recipe makes a soft frosting that will hold its shape, but it doesn’t have crisp edges.

Add extra powdered sugar as needed. If you want the frosting to be thicker, simply add more powdered sugar, about ½ cup at a time until it thickens to where you want it. Keep in mind that the more sugar you add, the sweeter the frosting will be.

A thin frosting could also mean that the butter and cream cheese has gotten overworked and is too melted. Refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check on the consistency.

It’s easy to spread this frosting with an offset spatula. You can also pipe it with a piping bag or even a plastic bag with the tip cut off.

After mixing the frosting, put it in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes or so. That will help the butter and cream cheese firm up and the lemon flavor develop.

If the frosting it too thick, add a splash of lemon juice or milk to thin it.

How much frosting will I need?

How much frosting you’ll need will depend on how thick or thin you apply the frosting, but here’s a guide.

This recipe should make enough to cover a 9 x 13 sheet cake or a two-layer 8-inch cake.
For cupcakes, you should be able to frost about 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife.
For piped icing topped cupcakes, it should cover about 15-18 cupcakes.

Make ahead and storage

The frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before using.

Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

For longer storage, keep the frosting in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before using.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add lemon extract? Yes, you can, but only add a small amount at a time. I have found that it can overpower this frosting quite quickly.

Can I use low-fat cream cheese? For best taste and texture, I don’t recommend using low fat or fat free cream cheese. You can use it, but it just isn’t as good.

Can I use bottled lemon juice? Fresh lemon juice and zest will give you the best flavor. If you need to, yes, you can use bottled in the same amounts as fresh.

Can I use margarine? Again, butter just yields a better frosting both in texture and taste. Margarine will work, but it isn’t as good.

How can I make it less sweet? You can reduce the powdered sugar amount to taste, but know that it will change the texture of the frosting, making it thinner. This is a good way to make a lemon cream cheese icing if you want a nice thin icing to drizzle or smear over something like warm cinnamon rolls.

How do I prevent lumps? Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature (about 60-65°F) rather than cold from the fridge. And sift the powdered sugar before using.

Serving suggestions

This frosting is a welcome addition to any cakes, cupcakes (especially carrot cake cupcakes), cinnamon rolls, lemon rolls, or cookies. It works well as a cookie sandwich filling as well as a topping.

Serve the frosting with graham crackers and fruit for a light summer dessert. And, maybe have a bowl of freshly whipped cream on the side.

It’s great on breakfast waffles or pancakes.

David’s cookies

Make a great dessert with some David’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Always fresh and delicious, these cookies are the perfect gift for special occasions, birthday gifts, or just because!

And, if you use my link you’ll get a nice percentage off your order.