Grab your favorite cake or cupcake recipe and top it with this lightly sweet, super creamy Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting. With only four-ingredients, it's light and fluffy like whipped cream but holds its shape and can be piped like cream cheese frosting.
Now that our family has this super simple, weeknight-friendly Vanilla Snack Cake in the rotation, we needed a vanilla frosting to go on top. Most vanilla frosting recipes I found made way too much for this snack-sized cake, so I wanted a go-to version that would make just enough frosting for an 8x8 cake or a dozen cupcakes. (This is especially important since extra frosting mysteriously finds its way into my mouth.)
This version of vanilla frosting is much lighter than buttercream. It has a light but sturdy texture that makes it easy to spread and can be made a day in advance and just left at room temperature to cool down before using it.
Here’s how to make my favorite Whipped Cream Frosting!
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese - Be sure to get the cream cheese that comes in a block, not the kind in a tub that has a different texture and won’t work in this recipe. Be sure to let it soften to room temperature. The flavor of the cream cheese is subtle in this frosting, but it helps the frosting to be sturdy and hold its shape. Light or Low-fat Cream Cheese will work here.
- Powdered Sugar - This frosting uses just enough powdered sugar to lend the frosting a bit (but not too much) sweetness. Powdered sugar is sometimes also labeled “icing” or “confectioners” sugar.
- Heavy / Whipping Cream - Look for this labeled as either heavy cream or whipping cream. Be sure to keep this chilled right up until you add it to the frosting. This gives the frosting its light and fluffy texture reminiscent of whipped cream.
- Pure Vanilla Extract - A bit of pure vanilla extract gives it vanilla flavor. Even without this, the frosting still has great flavor.
How to Make Vanilla Frosting Ahead
This frosting can be made up to a day ahead. Just transfer it to any container and cover with plastic wrap, pressing down to seal the top of the frosting. When you’re ready to use it, take it out of the refrigerator about an hour before using. Let it come close to room temperature and then give it a few really good stirs with a spatula before spreading it on the cake / cupcakes.
FAQs
The cream cheese is essential for helping the frosting to hold its shape. Without the cream cheese, the frosting won't have the stability to hold its shape once piped or spread over baked goods.
The sugar also helps with the stability of the frosting. I've reduced it down to ¼ cup with great results, but can't guarantee the results with less sugar than that.
Other Snacking Cakes and Frosting Recipes
- One Bowl Chocolate Cake
- Easy Vanilla Snack Cake
- Creamy Chocolate Frosting (for an 8x8 cake)
- Applesauce Cake
- Smash Cake - If you have any young people in your life that are about to turn one, this sweet little cake is the perfect thing for "smashing" into on their first birthday.
Favorite Tools
- Mixer - Use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer for this frosting.
- Anchor 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls - My go-to mixing bowls for baking.
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Handheld Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup Heavy / Whipping Cream, chilled
- ½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (optional)
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Turn the mixer on medium and beat until evenly combined.
- Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed and slowly pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl with the mixer running. Add vanilla extract.
- When all of the cream and vanilla have been added, increase speed to medium-high until stiff peaks form. If the frosting is too thick to spread with a spatula, add more cream 1 Tablespoon at a time.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Julianne
I used this frosting on my husband's birthday cake and it was perfect! I placed cupcakes to form a shape and this frosting was so thick it was able to cover over and make it look like there were no cracks between them. The texture was delightful! And the lightly sweet flavor went perfectly with the strong flavor of a dark, mocha chocolate cake.
Kimberly
Could you add almond extract to this to make it an almond icing? If so, how much?
Jess Smith
Yes! It would be great that way. Since it's a small batch of frosting, I'd go easy on the almond extract. I'd start with 1/2 tsp.
C Herold
Do you recommend refrigerating any leftover frosted cake or can it sit at room temperature for a day or two?
Jess Smith
I do always refrigerate it once it's been frosted. I find that it stays most moist and fresh that way and, to be honest, I love this frosting cold. 😉
Sandy B.
This was the perfect frosting for my Angel food birthday cake ! Light, fluffy and not too sweet 🥰. The grandkids enjoyed helping. I wanted to replace the usual frosting that my mom used to make with heating, and then whipping Karo syrup- and this was a really good success !!!! I’m going to be using this on future baking projects. If I wanted to turn it into a chocolate version- what would you suggest ?
Thank you making my 57th birthday a delicious occasion !
Jess Smith
So glad you liked it and happy belated birthday! I've been wanting to work on a chocolate version, but haven't played around with it yet. I'd start by adding about 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder with the powdered sugar and then just adding extra milk until it reached the right consistency.
Katrina
So far this is the best light icing I have tried. Been experimenting to find a good fluffy frosting for my cupcakes. Do you happen to know how to make a chocolate version of this?
Jess Smith
So glad you liked it! It's only my list to create a chocolate version of this frosting - I'd like to use one too! Most buttercreams are just too sweet for me.
Brenda
Hi, love the outcome of this icing. If I was to add icing colors, would it hold its texture?
Jess Smith
Yes! I have added color and it does hold its shape. The gel icing colors are the most reliable since they don't add extra water, but I've used a couple drops of regular food coloring and had good success too.
Andrea
I won’t lie, I was very skeptical about this recipe, but I desperately needed something I could frost a cake with that would stay true to form for a small wedding cake that wasn’t too sweet per request. I went through 4-5 other recipes before I tried this and I’m really mad I didn’t just make this to begin with. It came out perfect, exactly what I needed. Thanks for sharing!
Jess Smith
So happy to hear this!
Lorna Terry
1 cup powder sugar not 1/3 this is one of my family's oldest and most loved recipes.... goes perfect on pies too! Merry Christmas! 🎄
Mon
This looks amazing, do you think it'll hold shape for being piped?
Jess Smith
Yes - it can be piped and will hold its shape if refrigerated! Just bet sure to beat it to stiff enough peaks.
Ricky Tanner
Could I leave this cake sitting out,I really don't like cold cakes, I love the icing, I put it on a chocolate sheet cake?
Jess Smith
It shouldn't be left out for more than an hour since it has so much dairy, though it should hold its shape fine if left out for that amount of time. I also often make the frosting ahead and refrigerate it. It just needs a good stir before adding it to the cake, so you could make both components (cake and frosting) ahead and just frost right before serving.
Amber
I made this frosting but it ended up being pretty liquidy. Do I just need to mix it more?
Jess Smith
Yes. Most likely the you just need to give it a longer mix. I will thicken up and hold its shape the longer you mix it.
Liz
Is there a good substitute for cream cheese in this recipe?
Jess Smith
There's really not. The cream cheese is what gives the frosting stability and the thickness of the cream cheese is key for that.
Tania
Do you think you could ice and decorate a birthday cake the day before? Or does it affect the cake at all and loose it’s shape?
Jess Smith
Tania- this frosting will hold it shape as long as you store it in the fridge.