This easy maple cream cheese frosting is the perfect refined sugar-free topping for cakes, breads, and muffins. With our tips and just 4 all real ingredients, you will have the best frosting you’ve ever tasted.
When I need a go to frosting recipe for topping something sweet this is my choice. Sweet, simple and I always get asked what is in my recipe while people are making quick work of whatever dessert I frost with this.
I cannot stress the importance of buying top quality ingredients for this frosting…Kerrygold butter is my go to butter choice and Philadelphia for my cream cheese. A high quality maple syrup and real vanilla extract are crucial. You can of course also break out some vanilla bean paste or dried vanilla beans if you like the flecked appearance it lends.
In order for this to lend the best result you must leave the butter and cream cheese at room temperature for at least an hour to soften them properly. If you are in a rush gently warming them in a warm water bath in a sealed ziplock can help expedite the process. It is crucial not to melt the butter but only to warm it to spreadable consistency.
If you lean towards the impatient tendencies (as I do) and anxiously start before the time is up and end up with lumpy frosting you can improve it by microwaving it in 20-30 second increments and whipping 1-2 minutes further with your mixer. It may be past spreadable consistency depending on how many sessions it requires and need to firm up a bit in the fridge to not melt all over.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1/4-1/2 cup pure maple syrup to your sweetness taste
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Ensure cream cheese and butter are both at room temperature.
Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and pour in maple syrup while you are mixing slowly until smooth and fully combined.
Thank you so much describing the process so clearly. It really makes a world of a difference in the outcome. I find making frosting quite tricky and your tip to have the butter and cream cheese at room temp and how to fix a lumpy frosting is such a useful tip!
1/2 cup 1 stick salted butter – Can you please clarify this? Do you mean 1/2 cup + 1 stick, or is 1 stick the same as 1/2 cup.. ? Or did you mean to say 1/2 a stick of butter? OR could you just give it to me in grams hahaaa… Sorry I’m Swedish = metric so something completely clear might go straight over my head here! Thanks a mill 🙂
Happy to help. The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of butter which is one stick of butter. Alternatively 113 grams of butter.
Thanks so much Holli! I am using this with a zucchini cake, should be perfect as an extra touch 🙂
This frosting looks so creamy and fabulous! Love the flavor of real maple syrup!