Cream cheese frosting. What’s not to love, right? Light and fluffy frosting with a sweet tangy cream cheese flavor. Sure, it’s a given for your favorite carrot cake or red velvet cake, but did you know that it’s a surprisingly refreshing frosting option for summer recipes, too? Cool cream cheese frosting complements classic summertime fruit flavors, like lemon, blueberry and strawberry treats. Equally as delicious, you’ll notice a few recipes for our chocolate-lovers, too! (SPOILER ALERT: cream cheese cookie dough frosting awaits you.)
THE INSIDE SCOOP: Cream cheese frosting must be stored in the refrigerator. (Plus, the cool and creamy frosting makes for a nice reprieve from the summer heat.) The frosting will firm up when chilled but will soften quickly when it sits at room temperature so be sure to take it out just before you’re ready to serve it. Need a cream cheese icing recipe? Try ours!
American Flag CAKE with cream chees frosting
With 4th of July just around the corner, we had to through this show-stopping 5 layer cake in the mix. Get the full recipe at Land o Lakes.
THE INSIDE SCOOP: Use the Easy Layers Cake Pan Set and 2 in. round cutter to make the flag cake. (You’ll bake 2 red layers (cut out a 2 in. cake circle from one layer and save), bake 2 white layers (cut out a 2 in. cake circle from one layer and save), and one blue layer. Stack colored cake layers in this order:
- Red
- White
- Blue cake layer with 2 in. center cutout
- Insert 2 in. white cake circle inside cutout
- Top cutout with 2 in. red cake circle
Looking for more 4th of July treats? Check our version of the Flag Cake.
lemon blueberry Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Bright, tangy lemon cream cheese frosting paired with blueberry topped cupcakes, it’s a fresh flavor combination that is perfect for summer. These cupcakes make for a delicious, yet surprisingly light treat that would be perfect for a summer BBQ. Get the full recipe at The Cake Blog. 
Chocolate orange cake with cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate and orange. The two flavors that were simply meant to be. They bring out the best in each other. Rich dark chocolate enhances the bright citrus notes. The playfully bright orange balances the indulgent chocolatey goodness. Add cream cheese frosting and you’ve got yourself the perfect summertime treat for chocolate-lovers. Get the full recipe at The Hummingbird High.
Cream Cheese cookie dough Frosting
If you’re a lick-the-spoon kind of gal, you’re going to love this cookie dough frosting. Lick the spoon, lick the bowl. Whatever you want. This recipe is 100% egg-free and comes with a no-judging policy. The cream cheese gives this cookie dough frosting that signature doughy texture. Add as scoop to the top of a cupcake (or if you’re like me, eat it right out of the bowl). Get the full recipe at Chef in Training.
lemon blueberry CAKE with cream cheese frosting
Brighter than sunshine, this Lemon Blueberry Cake will blind your tastebuds with notes of fresh fruit and cream cheese frosting. Carrie Sellman from The Cake Blog uses an easy spatula iced technique that’s not too fussy for a back yard BBQ. Fresh lemon wedges and edible flowers are another easy way to decorate this summer treat. Plus, it really takes the presentation to the next level. Get the full recipe at The Cake Blog.
What’s the best cream cheese frosting recipe you have ever made? Share your favorite recipes in the comments below!
Tiffany is the Senior Copywriter at Wilton. With a B.A. in Journalism, it’s no wonder she loves getting creative with everything she does from coming up with new ideas on how to host a great theme party and make matching treats to delivering the inside scoop on how to pull it all off without a hitch. A member of the Baking & Decorating Trends Committee, she’s always got her eye on the next big thing—so you can be the first to hear about trending treats and other party feats. 