A tangier version of the classic frosting with a fruity option—this goes perfectly with carrot cake!

The story

It’s been almost five weeks of shelter-in-place for us in the Bay Area. Normal life feels like yesterday and a hundred years ago all at once. It took me a few weeks, but I found a rhythm this week. Getting my work done (sort of), exercising and even running a few times a week, spending time with my toddler and just being. Plus, I found a book I really like and it’s like mental dessert to sneak in time to read it.

One thing that helped was realizing that my feelings of depression are essentially grief. Grieving what life is, what it’s not, what it should be. Grieving what has been lost in this time. Some is temporary loss. Some, likely more permanent.

It also helped to start identifying bad days. Just naming it, calling it what it is, and pondering why the day is bad has helped tremendously. I’m sure for lots of reasons, like accepting where I’m at, not trying to fight my emotions and force them into what I think I have to feel, and having a sense of control—it’s a bad day for reasons I can grasp and name and maybe even alter.

Maybe not the most intriguing story, but that’s my story right now. That’s where I am.

And contemplative seems to match this recipe. It’s simple and not exactly unique. But it’s also my grandma’s. It goes with her carrot cake. I made it for Easter this year, because Easter and carrot cake seem to go together. As I was making it, I remembered she passed away Easter morning two years ago. Bittersweet and fitting.

Cream cheese frosting is a fun alternative to regular buttercream (which, technically, it’s in the buttercream family). There’s a tang to it that some people love, some people hate. It can go with almost any flavor of cake. And it’s not as sweet as your typical frosting.

I love that you can customize it easily, using more or less cream cheese. This recipe calls for more, to compliment the earthy, spicy flavor of Grandma’s carrot cake. Below you’ll find my formula for how to adjust it should you want a more subtle flavor.

Tips for this recipe

Adjust butter/cream cheese ratio to taste

This recipe calls for twice as much cream cheese as butter. It gives a nice tang, but it does make for a softer frosting. Since you have to refrigerate it anyway, it doesn’t really matter. Refrigeration will form it up and keep it from sliding. However, if you’d like, you can go from what I have, a 2:1 ratio (2 parts cream cheese to 1 part butter) and use anything from 1:1 (equal parts), 1:2, or even 1:3.

Use vanilla bean paste for a speckled look

Since my cake was for Easter, I pretty much had to use vanilla bean paste to get the speckled look in my frosting. You can also use food coloring and a food brush to achieve this, but why not do so naturally? Plus, I love the taste of vanilla bean!

Refrigerate between layers

I refrigerated each layer of frosting before adding cake on top of it. I only did this about 5 minutes each layer, but I noticed a difference. It makes frosting the next layer so much easier.

Always refrigerate leftovers!

You can leave it out for a few hours, like for a birthday party. But it should never be left out overnight or all day (basically no longer than about 2-4 hours). If you need to make the frosting ahead of time, just let it come to room temperature (about an hour, depending on ambient temperature in your house). If it’s a bit stiff, give it a quick whip with a hand mixer, about 20-30 seconds on high.

Refrigerated cakes should be taken out 20-30 minutes before serving.

Swap vanilla for pineapple juice for a fruity, tropical twist

One of my grandma’s notes was to use pineapple juice instead of vanilla. Since her carrot cake uses drained crushed pineapple, you have some juice on hand anyway. And there’s a great tropical flavor when you do this that pairs well with carrot cake. It’s a personal choice, but it’s a fun option!

Cream Cheese Frosting

total time: 5-10 minutes

Yields: about 1.5 cups, enough for a 6” cake or a naked or lightly frosted 8” cake

Ingredients:

8 ounces (1 normal block) cream cheese, room temperature (full fat or low-fat both work)

4 ounces unsalted, room temperature butter (European style, like Kerrygold, is recommended)

3 ½ to 5 cups powdered sugar (to taste)

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or sub 1-2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)

⅛ sea salt

optional: few splashes heavy cream (for smoothness, if needed)

Instructions:

Combine butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment, mix on high until well-blended and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, fully incorporating and scraping bowl after each addition. After 3 cups sugar, add vanilla and salt and mix well. Taste and continue adding sugar until desired taste and consistency is reached. If needed, add a few splashes of heavy whipping cream to smooth the frosting, but be cautious, as it can turn runny quickly.

Frost cake and enjoy! Frosting will last tightly sealed in the fridge 2-3 weeks or frozen for 1-2 months. Allow to come to room temperature and whip quickly before using stored frosting. See notes for recommendations on refrigerating frosted cakes.

Enjoy!