The frosting looks and tastes like light fluffy clouds. It really will become your favorite frosting and you will be wondering where it’s been all your life.
It’s been in heaven.
The Story:
Sometimes (oftentimes) the best things come by mistake. Like the way I frosted these cupcakes. I was just messing around in Leigh Anne’s kitchen one day and before I knew it I looked at the cupcake in my hand, and it looked like a cloud. Who would have thought?
Cloud Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese cold (right from the fridge) and don't use low-fat
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream cold (right from the fridge)
Instructions
-
1. Using a whisk attachment on your stand mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
-
2. With the mixer on slow, add vanilla and heavy whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
-
3. Pipe onto vanilla (or rainbow!) cupcakes with a large circle tip starting in the center and movie outward to create little "mounds." Feel free to practice on the bottom of a cup until you like how they look. To keep with my St. Patrick's theme, I put a little gold coin in some of the clouds.
Here’s a video I made of HOW to actually make the frosting:
Here’s a video I made of how to PIPE the frosting out:
Start with a COLD mixing bowl. (Just run the outside of the bowl under cold water for 10 seconds.)
Cream cheese…
Plus the powdered sugar…
Whip it until it’s smooth. Sometimes you’ll have to break up the cream cheese with your spatula first to get it going…
Add the vanilla and heavy whipping cream.
Here’s where you start to wonder if this is really going to be frosting…
Whip, whip! Ahh… there’s the frosting!
Large circle tip!
You COULD make your vanilla cupcakes rainbow by dying them colors and then put a chocolate gold coin in the clouds because Leprechauns always find gold at the end of rainbows!
Confession: I ate this frosting with strawberries for dinner. It was incredible.
The gorgeous greaseproof liners are from Sweets & Treats!
I’ve been looking for a great frosting recipe! Can you use butter instead of cream cheese to make a buttercream?
I haven’t tried it! So I can’t be sure… sorry!
Yes you may use butter to make a butter cream frosting…
Cutest thing ever!!
Can you provide a tutorial on how to use that round tip to make these cloud puffs? I am a novice trying hard to get better at this! 🙂 Thank you!
I meant to but things just got crazy the day I made them! I will do my best to make one and post it here though!
Lizzy, I first found this frosting on your site with the Fruity Fourth of July cupcakes you
made last year. This has become my favorite whipped frosting and holds up so well! I love the usual whipped cream, but sometimes it is hard to decorate a cake with it. Everyone loves this frosting. I like mine a little sweeter, so I use 2 cups of powdered sugar and even added cooled ganache to it for a chocolate version. Thank you for introducing me to this recipe!
Yes, I first used this recipe for my Tiramisu Cupcakes a few years ago and I’m still obsessed with it! It’s so great on everything!!
Can’t wait to try this one! Thanks:)
If your using this frosting for cupcakes and your not eating them right away will they need to be stored in the refrigerator?
Correct! Treat it like you would a whipped cream! If you won’t be using it in a while or if its really hot outside…. yeah, refrigerate it!
This frosting looks amazing! I love that it doesn’t have butter or a truckload of sugar. I’ll be sure to give it a try 🙂
ah that is ADORABLE!!
I was just looking for a different frosting recipe with cream cheese! I’m so excited to try it!!!
Fabulous!! I added 1/4 cup of freeze dried blueberry powder and it added a beautiful lavendar color. The taste is delicious not too sweet. This will be perfect for a Sofia the First cupcake dress I will be making for my nieces 2nd birthday!
Oh that sounds incredible! I’ll need to do that with strawberry!
This recipe sounds so good, I’m off to try it now, where can I buy dried blueberry powder in England?
You’ll need freeze dried blueberries! Then you use a blender or a food processor to grind them down to “powder.” A lot of more specialty grocery stores will carry freeze dried fruit, just call ahead and ask!
I was so excited to try this last night and it completely failed! all I got was runny frosting. i used the mixer and followed directions perfectly. Should I have used cold cream cheese and cream? Still had good flavor but there is no way i was getting it on cupcakes! Help!
I’ve made this a ton and that happened to me ONCE. Yes I do keep my cream cheese and cream cold. I also make sure to use HEAVY whipping cream. I’ll adjust the ingredients to specify cold.
I have made a whipped cream frosting similar to this. It doesn’t have cream cheese in it, but I’m definitely thinking of trying it after seeing this!
Before I start, I put my whisk and bowl in the fridge (freezer if I’m pressed for time) in order to get both really cold. It helps to keep the ingredients cold. Heavy wiping cream needs to be cold in order to whip into the texture you want.
I also put 1/4 cup water and one packet of unflavored gelatin in the bowl before I put anything else. I just let it sit for about a minute or two before I start the recipe. It helps to stabilize it after it has been put in the fridge for a little while. But the cream cheese might be all you need for this recipe.
Once, I didn’t refrigerate before traveling with the cake (we left right after i finished making it) and the top layer slid off about 25%. I didn’t fix it right away, so it set that way when I put it in the fridge. It actually was a little hard to move!
How many cupcakes can we frost with this frosting ?
It just depends how much frosting you want to put on each cupcake. The frosting makes about 3-4 cups of frosting!
What size tip did you use?
Thanks
I used an Ateco 809 tip!
Can you make this frosting a week ahead of time and store it in the fridge? If so, would you just re-whip it before putting it on cupcakes?
i’m no expert but i wouldnt make it a week in advance. it doesnt take long to make though. if you whip cream too much, it turns into butter and ruins your frosting. so if it starts to delfate after a week and you whip it more, you will have butter curds and buttermilk soup. not good for piping or eating. hope this helps 🙂
I love this recipe ! The kids’ new favorite frosting. Do you know the best way to turn it into a chocolate version !
Just adding cocoa powder makes the most sense to me!
This frosting is so good! I made it for a little kids birthday party tomorrow and forgot the vanilla, which I think the kids would prefer. I could eat it by the spoonful without the vanilla! Can I add it though I’ve already finished it or will it make it fall flat? Thanks!
Don’t worry about adding it, the kids won’t miss the flavoring!
Can this frosting be made ahead and stored in refrigerator till ready to use?
looks so fluffy and light!
Ansa
yes it can! But keep in mind to not go paste the whipped cream expiration date!
I too made this frosting 2 X now because I REALLY want a whipped frosting that will work. The first time… room temp cream cheese, and the only thing I can do is use it to dip my cupcakes in.. way too runny. This time I made sure and only used cold ingredients. again – fail.. too runny. I currently have it in my fridge and am hoping if I pull it out tomorrow and whip it… it will come to form? I wanna so bad use it to make those lil cute clouds like in your picture. Everyone loves my buttercream, but I prefer whipping cream icing and I just cannot seem to make it 🙁 And ideas?
Watch the videos on how I make it and maybe follow along!
I am a believer – it really works.
As our swiss cream cheese is a bit watery I put it in a cloth and pressed out as much liquid as possible.
Then i used 250ml double cream and rest normal cream.
There was a runny moment and then – it all came together beautifully.
Thanks – my cloud cupcakes were a hit!
Do you have any suggestions for a non dairy frosting? Would vegetable shortening work as a substitute for butter?
Thanks!
Yes! But it obviously won’t taste the same!
Just tried this recipe – I think it will become my favorite frosting! Perfect texture and perfect amount of sweetness! And reaaaally easy to make. Thanks so much for sharing!
Yes, it’s the best frosting ever! Not too sweet and fluffy!
Hello, I love this recipe and cannot wait to try it. But I did have one question for you. Could I possibly get the same consistency using a MarshMallow mixture? Instead of cream cheese, maybe fluff? Or do you have a recipe where I could make these same clouds but with MarshMallow Fluff?
-Thank You, I would greatly appreciate the input. Making over 100 cupcakes for my best friends baby shower. Theme:Rain drops. So I’m making her some rain clouds 🙂
I think it would have to use the cream cheese
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe! Do you think that rosettes would keep their shape if piped with this recipe? Also if it’s strong enough to hold a chevron pattern(made from marshmallow fondant) on the side of a cake?
A rosette from this frosting will be gorgeous and will hold great! As for the side of a cake, I would assume it will be fine but I haven’t tried it before…
Thank you!
Just wanted to say THANK YOU this frosting is AMAZING! SO easy to make and delicious…Saved my life couple of times !! Thanks again
After the cupcakes are frosted do they need to be put in the fridge or can they be at room temperature in an air tight container? Thank you!
They can sit out for 24 hours no problem!
Hi! I’m really looking forward to mAking this frosting but I don’t have a whisk attachment, i do have a stand mixer though, but will it still work?
I made this frosting to put on cupcakes for my daughter-in-law’s baby shower yesterday and it was all anyone would talk about afterward! It was a HUGE hit. Everyone asked for the recipe, and I was able to write it down on the spot because there are only four common ingredients and very simple instructions. I can’t recommend this recipe highly enough, it is absolutely delicious! Thank you!
About how many cupcakes with a recipe frost? Thanks!!
This frosting is fantastic! We didn’t use the ‘piping’ method we just spread them generously with an offset spatula and it has a beautiful light texture and my 6 yr old loves it! we tinted them with teal gel coloring and added a few sprinkles to them. Thanks for a deliciously easy frosting recipe! 🙂
Can I use stabilized whip cream (heavy whipping cream with knox gelatin) to make the clouds? Will they hold their shape? Also, how long can I leave cupcakes with this cream cheese frosting on the counter?
Hi!
May I know the volume in mL of 1 pint of heavy cream?
thanks 🙂
This looks so great, I’m making cupcakes for a birthday party and they want colourful frosting- would it be okay to add gel food colouring to the frosting or would it make the frosting deflate/ Runny?
Thank you
You know what, I haven’t tried dying it. BUT i would dye the whipping cream part first, and then just do the recipe as directed!
Hi! I used gel food coloring and it was perfect. It didn’t change the consistency of the frosting and I added the color after I made the frosting.
Oh yay! Thanks for letting me know how that went!
I’m dying to try this frosting for halloween cupcakes! Will it do well with different icing tips for fun designs? I’m wanting to dye it with gel color. Also, will it hold shape if it sits out for a little while? I don’t want it melting if they have to sit or endure a 20 minute car ride.
I added food coloring to make it purple. It’s not getting stiff! Can I or should I add more powdered sugar!
Can I color it with color gel?
Also I noticed in your video on making the frosting that you didn’t put in the vanilla. Would that cause it to become runny if you did?
These are beautiful! Is the frosting more like cream cheese frosting, or whipped cream frosting? It looks super fluffy!
This looks so yummy! Just wondering how many cupcakes you iced with this recipe? Thanks so much!
Great recipe and pretty simple for beginners too! Can you add blueberry syrup/puree to this for flavour/colour or will the liquid mess with the consistency? Other recipes suggest to add freeze dried fruit powder but that’s not easily available where I live, sadly.
Hello – Just made this (it’s 1am here – bday party tomorrow) – worked a treat. Doubled the quantity and have loads left over for freezing (yes this is ok here) after icing a massive cake and doing 12 cupcakes. I have no idea what heavy whipping cream is, but I used a combination of double cream and whipping cream and I used a bit less because it comes in different quantities here and I got confused, still worked fine. Has about half the sugar quantity of any other american recipe I read and it’s totally sweet enough.
I.was.wondering can.u.make.this.up.head of time.and put into refrigerator and it be ok to use a couple days later or a day later?
Hi!! Can I use gel color in this frosting?? Thanks
Hi!! Can I use gel color in this frosting? Thanks
On this recipe can you use just a whisk instead of a whisk mixer
Could I freeze this frosting recipe, and use it at a later date?
Hi, Can the frost set on room temperature without melting? Thank you very much!!
Yes!! It holds up great! Maybe not in 100 degree heat but I’ve left them out on my counter all day with no problem!
Could I make small snowmen with these on top of a cake? Will they hold up stacked on top of each other? I think it would be so cute on a Christmas cake!
if i make night before, and sit not in fridge, will frosting keep next day?
thank you
Does the cake or cupcakes need to be refrigerated after decorating?
If you’re serving that day, no!
How many cupcakes would this recipe frost?
It depends how much frosting you use on each one!
I just made 1 batch and was able to frost 24 cupcakes looking similiar in amount to what you had done. Thanks!
Thank you for this delicious frosting. I use it to frost my lamb cake every Easter.
Can this be made the day before if kept in refrigerator??
Does this cloud frosting need to be kept cold or can it be made the and frosted the nite before and be out.
Awesome, thanks for these easy topping.
Should this hold until Saturday? I’m making it today (Wednesday)?
Does this frees well?
*freeze
The frosting probably won’t freeze all that well since there’s so much air in it, but I haven’t tried freezing them so I can’t say for sure.
This looks perfect I’m going to try this recipe this weekend thank you Rosie
I love this frosting! How many cupcakes will it frost? I have made it a few times and I haven’t paid attention to how many it will frost.
Please Help Me!!!! LOL, This is exactly what my neighbor girl wants!! Now…I need to frost 100 cupcakes!!! Have any ideas of any kind of measurements to use? I will most likely do it in 4 batches (if possible), I AM NOT A DECORATER AT ALL, JUST DID A MARSHMALLOW FROSTING ON CAKES FOR EASTER, well..she loved them. But I like this recipe much better then marshmallow. Do you think it will be as easy to pipe as that was? I love your recipes and ideas!!! I am not clever and artistically talented such as yourself…but you do inspire me!!!!
I love this frosting!!
Question: How many days will this frosting keep it’s shape? I’m wanting to frost a cake with it 2 days in advance… do you think it will still be good after 2 days?
How fragile is the icing? I want to make these for my team at work but don’t want the icing to fall off on the drive to the office.
How many cups of frosting does this yield? Can you tell me how many cupcakes this covers? I’m thinking of using this recipe for my son’s birthday cupcakes.
Aurora,
this recipe is so light and yummy! So very easy to make and held up well. I did double up the recipe to have enough to do a 1/4 sheet cake. Now my go to cream cheese icing!
Can this frosting be tinted with gel colors?
I was wondering if a pudding mix or even crushed oreos could be added in while making this and at what point I should add them in if so?
How long can this stay out at room temperature on a cake that will be indoors?
I actually really loved this cloud recipe!!! They totally looked like puffy little clouds and soooo yummy!
Does anyone know if this frosting will hold up to having a ganache type drip added to the top of it?
How many cupcakes does one recipe frost?
Hello! Do you think I could color this frosting?
Is there a small-batch version of this recipe?
Lives up to the hype. So delicious on my cannoli cake.
Beyond delicious! This frosting was an absolute hit at my daughters 1st birthday. Thanks for the great recipe.