This is for all you frosting lovers out there – you know who you are! The good news is, it’s possible to create a healthier frosting that actually tastes great! And with this simple cream cheese frosting recipe, you can create not just one, but three fabulous frosting flavors perfect for topping your favorite cakes and cupcakes. Yum! Each of our four favorites are shared below … Happy Frosting!
P.S. My ultra-chocolatey ganache-style icing recipe is perfect for all you chocolate lovers out there – and unlike the other yummy frosting recipes listed below, my decadent chocolate ganache can be made dairy-free for those living a DF lifestyle. So be sure to check it out!
This light, creamy frosting makes the perfect topping for my Soaked Chocolate Cupcakes and Coconut Flour Brownie Cake.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw heavy cream
- 3 oz. organic *cultured cream cheese
- 3 tbsp raw honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, whip cream at high speed until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, honey and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream.
- Store in frig until ready to spread on cupcakes.
- (Frosting will keep in frig about 12 hours before it begins to separate.)
Notes
*Cultured cream cheese tastes great and provides added healthy probiotics. You can make your own cultured cream cheese or purchase it at many whole foods type stores. You can also use regular cream cheese for this recipe as well, if you do not have cultured cream cheese on hand.
This creamy lemon frosting is the perfect topping for my Lemondrop Cupcakes and Strawberry Shortcake Pie.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw heavy cream
- 3 oz. organic *cultured cream cheese
- 3 tbsp raw honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 1 tsp fresh organic lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, whip cream at high speed until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, honey, lemon zest and lemon extract until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream.
- Store in frig until ready to spread on cake/cupcakes.
- (Frosting will keep in frig about 12 hours before it begins to separate.)
Notes
*Cultured cream cheese tastes great and provides added healthy probiotics. You can make your own cultured cream cheese or purchase it at many whole foods type stores. You can also use regular cream cheese for this recipe as well, if you do not have cultured cream cheese on hand.
This delicious chocolate cream frosting is a great way to top my ultimate Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake & Cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cream
- 1/2 cup organic *cultured cream cheese
- 1/2 cup raw honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 2 tbsp, plus 1 tsp fair-trade unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, whip cream at high speed until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, honey, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream.
- Store in frig until ready to spread on cupcakes.
- (Frosting will keep in frig about 12 hours before it begins to separate.)
Notes
*Cultured cream cheese tastes great and provides added healthy probiotics. You can make your own cultured cream cheese or purchase it at many whole foods type stores. You can also use regular cream cheese for this recipe as well, if you do not have cultured cream cheese on hand.
These look delicious & the 3 look similar but only one states it is GF. What is the difference between the cream cheese & the cultured cream cheese?
Oops, just an oversight. Thank you so much for letting me know so I can go in and fix the boo-boo. All three recipes are GF. I usually use cultured cream cheese due to the extra probiotics it contains (similar to yogurt in that it has cultures). The taste is the same either way. I just like getting in those extra probiotics whenever I can. You can make your own cultured cream cheese and you can also purchase it. Here’s the most common brand you can find in whole food type stores: http://www.nancysyogurt.com/index.php/products/organic-cream-cheese. Thanks again, Jane, for making me aware of this typo. Blessings, Kelly
Hi there! Thanks so much for your new blog! We are so excited to try these lemon drop cupcakes and all of these frosting are so simple to make. I do have a question about coconut flour…what have you found to be a good price per pound? We do not have any gluten issues (as of right now) but I am wanting to try this healthy flour. Thanks for your help!
Hi, Christina! That’s exactly what we do – we eat a lot of GF baked goods using two of my favorite healthy, nutritious GF flours: blanched almond flour and coconut flour. These two are both high in fiber and protein, as well as contain lots of beneficial nutrients unlike many other GF flours/flour mixes (such as white rice flour, tapioca, potato, etc.). So kudos to you for wanting to add some nutritious variety to your diet outside of typical whole grain flours (which are also great, if you don’t have gluten issues). So to answer your question, I purchase my coconut flour through the Azure Standard co-op I belong to. I would really recommend checking to see if one is available in your area as the prices are terrific! There website is http://www.azurestandard.com. Bob’s Red Mill carries both coconut flour and blanched almond flour and is sold on numerous online sites. Buying either of these at a whole food type store is going to be much more expensive than purchasing them online. My blanched almond flour of choice is Honeyville Grains and if you sign up to be on their email list, they will send you notifications when they have sales and that’s when I purchase my blanched almond flour in bulk and then freeze it. I do the same with coconut flour through Azure. Another site that sells all things coconut, including coconut flour is Tropical Traditions. So I would do some online investigating to see what the best price is, if you are not able to join an azure co-op. Hope this helps! Blessings, Kelly
I wanted to make the lemon cupcakes, but don’t have access to cultured cream cheese. Can I use regular? Thanks
Hi, Jennifer. Yes, you can use regular cream cheese for this recipe. Thanks for the question. I went ahead and updated the notes on the recipes incase others have the same questions. Lots of blessings, Kelly
Hi:) the frosting (for at least one of them)calls for 3tbsp of honey.. Normally frosting recipes call for as much as 3cups of sugar.. Do you think your amount is enough to make it nice and sweet like a regular frosting. Thanks!
Hi, Minti! Thanks for your question. Honey is sweeter to taste than sugar, so we find this to be quite sweet. It’s a cream cheese style frosting so it’s not sugary sweet like buttercream. Blessings, Kelly
Kelly, Have you ever used butter instead of the cream cheese? We’ve got a Papa in this house who has never liked cream cheese frosting.
I haven’t, but I have seen a few recipes that do call for butter. I’m a cream cheese lover. I just adore that slightly soured flavor, especially with cultured cream cheese
This looks so YUMMY! In lieu of the raw cream, can chilled, canned coconut milk be used?
Hi, Connie. Thanks for your kind words! If you’re looking for a dairy free frosting recipe, you may want to check these two out. Since this recipe was specifically developed using cream cheese and heavy cream, it may not work well to remove the two and sub with coconut milk. Blessings, Kelly
• Coconut Milk Whipped Cream: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/08/30/coconut-whipped-cream-a-step-by-step-photo-tutorial/
• Buttercream-Style Coconut Frosting: http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2011/05/coconut-buttercream-frosting-gluten.html
THANK YOU, Kelly, for sharing these 2 recipes….MUCH APPRECIATED! They, too, look amazingly delicious! Will add them to my ever-increasing DF, GF, SF collection of dessert recipes. Can’t wait to make your YUMMY cupcakes, too!
My pleasure, Connie! Have a blessed day!