Can I Make Cream Cheese Icing Without Icing Sugar
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This honey cream cheese frosting recipe will knock your socks off. It's so good, so simple, and sweetened with a touch of honey (an unrefined sugar). Instead of dumping the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl, just add a bit of honey and you'll end up with a healthier, but still delicious cream cheese frosting to enjoy on your cakes, cookies, or brownies today!
In the great debate of, "Which is better buttercream or cream cheese frosting?", I'm a HUGE fan of cream cheese frosting. So I'm in the cream cheese frosting camp in that debate.
This honey cream cheese frosting recipe is simple, delicious, and it doesn't require you to use pounds of powdered sugar that's typically added to frosting. Whenever possible, I try to avoid refined sugar. And frosting is no exception.
Tools Used
- Mixer - stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Bowl (or use the bowl with your stand mixer)
Ingredients Used
- Unsalted butter - We love this grass fed butter
- Cream cheese
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
When making this frosting, it's essential that the butter and the cream cheese are brought to room temperature before trying to mix them. If they're not, you'll likely end up with lumps in your frosting - which are annoying when you're trying to decorate your cake. They're also really hard to get rid of once they're there.
Once your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, you can make the frosting. Lucky for you, this is a SUPER simple recipe.
- Mix all ingredients in your stand mixer or with a rubber spatula and a bowl, until mixed & smooth
- Frost cake, cookies, or brownies.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below and I'll answer ASAP. I'd love to hear how you plan to use your refined-sugar free cream cheese frosting!
Is cream cheese frosting stable at room temp?
According to this website, cream cheese frosting can be left on the counter (on a cake or off) for 8 hours before it needs to be refrigerated. Other sources say after two hours it should be put in the fridge.
We left ours out closer to the 8 hour mark (maybe more). Make the decision based on what you're comfortable with.
How long does this frosting keep in the fridge?
This frosting will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days, or you can freeze it for 1-3 months.
Does this frosting work for piping, even though it doesn't have powdered sugar?
As seen in this picture, the frosting worked really well for piping. Let me be clear that I am not a professional baker, but I like to decorate cakes and make them look pretty. I had fun piping this cake with some of my piping tips and I was really pleased with the result.
Troubleshooting Your Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Why is my cream cheese frosting gummy or lumpy?
In order to avoid the dreaded lumpy cream cheese frosting, you'll want to make sure the cream cheese and butter are both at room temperature before mixing them together.
What is a good substitute for cream cheese frosting?
If you don't have any cream cheese on hand, a buttercream frosting will work just fine. And if you want a deliciously healthy chocolate frosting made with avocados and honey, you'll want to save this avocado chocolate frosting recipe for later.
How can you use this honey cream cheese frosting?
If you're looking for a yummy way to use this cream cheese frosting (other than just eating it by the spoonful) here are some ideas for you:
- Use it to frost cakes & cupcakes: I used it on this chocolate cake recipe, we also love it on carrot cake/cupcakes (recipe coming soon).
- Frost cookies - like these double chocolate almond cookies, or ginger chocolate chip cookies
- On brownies. Frost your brownies with this honey cream cheese frosting for a real treat. These are my favorite healthy brownies.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
1. Let butter and cream cheese come to room temperature before starting to mix together
2. Add all ingredients into bowl & mix with rubber spatula or into the bowl of your stand mixer
3. Mix until combined and lumps are gone
Save this for later on Pinterest
Can I Make Cream Cheese Icing Without Icing Sugar
Source: https://www.scratchtobasics.com/honey-cream-cheese-frosting/