Simple to Whip Up Small Batch Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting

Are the cinnamon rolls ready and you want something a little more savory than powdered sugar glaze to top them with? I’ve got you, friend! This small batch cream cheese frosting can be literally whipped up in less time than it takes to bake those buns, hun.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• heavy pinch of salt

Instructions:

First, allow the cream cheese to get to room temperature and for the butter to soften as well. Do this while you are making up your cinnamon rolls or scones or whatever needs frosting.

While your masterpiece is baking, take this time to whip up your cream cheese frosting. Grab those beaters and hand-held mixer!

Now add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Using the hand-held mixer on the lowest setting, mix together the ingredients for about 3 minutes or until all are whipped nicely together.

Then use a spatula or frosting knife to ice or frost cinnamon rolls, scones, or any other baked good needing a savory, sweet, delicious cream cheese frosting.

Note: I like to add this frosting to cinnamon rolls when the rolls have cooled down a lot but not completely. The heat allows the frosting to “melt” into the cinnamon roll for a more evenly distributed frosting to roll ratio.

How much cream cheese frosting does this recipe make?

I call this recipe “small batch” but it’s more of a schmedium batch of frosting… small to medium batch. About 12 cinnamon rolls.

This recipe is still enough to use all of it up for one cinnamon roll batch, though. About 12 cinnamon rolls or buns will work for this cream cheese frosting recipe.

Generally I will make my yeast sandwich bread recipe that yields two loaves. But instead of two sandwich loaves, I’ll turn half the dough into sandwich bread for slicing and the other half into cinnamon rolls per this recipe below.

This recipe allows you to frost between 13-18 cinnamon rolls. It depends on how much frosting you like and how thick you cut your cinnamon rolls! Some like a little less frosting and some like a whole lot more.

I recently used this recipe to frost 13 cinnamon rolls about 3 inches in diameter per roll plus 8 cream scones. The scones received a light frosting, whereas the cinnamon rolls got a heavier dose.

Is this cream cheese frosting very sweet?

Not at all.

I love a sweet thing too but I can easily get that “sugar rush” from too sweet Sweet Tea and other desserts. I’m not a fan of too much sugar for a host of reasons.

This cream cheese frosting is the right amount of tangy and savory cream cheese and a touch of sweet to balance it out.

Furthermore, there’s plenty of brown sugar in my yeasty cinnamon rolls so adding more sugar to the cream cheese frosting than is necessary isn’t our preference.

These cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls pair perfectly with a cup of hot coffee or a glass of cold milk.

What is the difference between icing and frosting?

Traditionally, a frosting like this is dense, creamy, and tangy because of the cream cheese. The cheese adds a beautiful savoriness to the sweetness for a harmonious balance. Frosting is generally piped or smeared on with a frosting knife.

Icing is thinner, more glossier, best used as a glaze or for drizzling.

Frosting holds is shape better; however, due to the dairy ingredients, baked goods topped with this kind of frosting generally need to be refrigerated.

Icing is usually made of sugar plus water, juice, or sometimes milk. Not always does it need to be refrigerated. You’ll just need to decide based on the ingredients.

Frosting Mistakes

Mistakes can be made with a frosting as delicious as this one:

• Mistake #1: frosting a too hot baked good. The frosting will melt off and away. Wait for the baked good to cool mostly. Add frosting to a warm baked good; not fresh out of the oven.
• Mistake #2: using frosting when it is too cold. The frosting can tear your baked good when applying it super cold out of the refrigerator. If you made the frosting ahead of time and it is now cold, remove it from the fridge and allow it to warm up in room temperature for about 30 minutes before applying to your pastry.
• Mistake #3: not liking the spoon when frosting is complete. An unforgivable sin. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Like the spoon or frosting knife and PLEASE scrape the bowl too!

Make Cream Cheese Frosting *almost* completely homemade

If you want to get super extra with this cream cheese frosting recipe, make the ingredients yourself!

Here are a few recipes for how I make most of these ingredients by hand in my own kitchen to save money and to know EXACTLY what is in the ingredients:

Homemade Butter

Make your own Powdered Sugar!

Cheaper than store bought Vanilla Extract

And yes, I have tried to make my own cream cheese. I’ve had more failures than success but I am not willing to give up! They *say* it’s easy. I’m still a work in progress on that one.

If you liked this recipe, you may well possibly adore these:

I’m a FAN of fast and easy recipes and kitchen hacks. If it’ll save me time, taste good, have wholesome and real food ingredients; sign me up!

Moreover, I like to write about such things and share them here on my blog for you to learn too:

Yeasty Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Yeast Bread

Homemade Brown Sugar in 5 minutes

Make your own powdered sugar

Sweet and Savory Grilled Cheese

Kellen’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

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