This smooth, creamy raspberry cream cheese frosting recipe is made with fresh raspberries and less powdered sugar than most other raspberry frosting recipes. It makes the perfect topping for cakes, cookies, and fillings.
Why You’ll Love This Version
Smooth, creamy texture. Cream cheese frosting should be light and fluffy. And if done wrong it can ruin a delicious recipe as no one wants chunks of unblended cream cheese in their frosting.
Bursting with raspberry flavor. The fresh raspberry flavor compliments the tangy flavor of cream cheese. This frosting can be made with a mild raspberry flavor, or you can punch it up a bit and have a vibrant raspberry flavor. The choice is yours.
Simple ingredients and easy to make. You will only need 15 minutes from start to finish to have delicious raspberry cream cheese frosting. (For another simple frosting, check out this Russian Buttercream Recipe.)
This frosting pairs perfectly with this Nothing Bundt Cake White Chocolate Raspberry Recipe and if you have extra, is also great in this Chocolate Cake Pops Starbucks Recipe.
Jump to RecipeIngredients
Ingredient Notes
Butter: You can use unsalted butter or salted butter for this frosting. There is no added salt, so if you prefer salted butter, you will still have a sweet frosting.
Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese. Any brand will do.
Powdered Sugar: This recipe only calls for 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar—which is less than half of most frosting recipes. Because you are also adding raspberry sauce and raspberry jello mix, you really don’t need as much sugar. It will taste more like tangy cream cheese than sweet, so if you don’t like that flavor, you can add more powdered sugar without affecting the texture.
Fresh Raspberries: You will only need a small amount as you will be making a quick puree (no stovetop or heating required). Using fresh berries provides excellent natural flavors, but you need to be careful as fresh fruit gives off a lot of liquid.
Raspberry Jello Mix: This is an optional ingredient but it brings a lot of raspberry flavor to the frosting without adding more liquid. Plus, it makes it a vibrant pink frosting.
Variations & Substitutions
Raspberry Jam: If you don’t want to use fresh raspberries, you can swap them out for raspberry jam. My recommendation is to use seedless raspberry jam as you don’t want seeds in your frosting. Start with 1/4 cup of jam and see how you like the flavor. Add any additional jam 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent adding too much liquid.
Raspberry Extract: Another great option that adds more raspberry flavor without adding liquid. Start with 2-3 drops and add more if needed based on your taste.
Freeze-dried raspberries: Pulverize 1/2 cup of freeze-dried raspberries into a powder. Add the raspberry powder to the frosting. Note: this will provide amazing raspberry flavor and pink coloring, but it will give you a grainy frosting texture.
Food coloring: If you don’t want to use raspberry jello mix but want your frosting to be a brighter pink, feel free to use a few drops of red food coloring.
Jump to RecipeStep-by-Step Instructions for Making the Best Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and cream cheese. With the paddle attachment (if using a stand mixer, an electric mixer will also work great) beat butter and cream cheese is light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the powdered sugar in small batches (I do 1/2 cup scoops at a time). Mix until fully incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the next batch. Repeat until all the remaining powdered sugar is added. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
Step 3: While your fats and sugars are blending, make the raspberry puree. In a large bowl, smash 1/2 cup raspberries either using a fork, dough cutter, or food processor. then run them through a fine mesh strainer so you’re left with only the raspberry juice. Scrap the bottom of the strainer with a rubber spatula to get all the puree that sticks to the bottom. Add the raspberry puree to the frosting in small batches, mixing in between.
Step 4: Add 1 tsp of raspberry jello powder. I know it sounds crazy, but it really makes the raspberry flavor pop, and the sugar emulsifies with the fat so it stays creamy. Whip together until light and creamy. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for Success
While making raspberry cream cheese frosting is pretty straightforward, there are a couple of things to keep in mind to make sure you have perfect frosting every single time.
All ingredients must be at room temperature. This is critical when making cream cheese frosting. The butter and cream cheese will not blend together if they aren’t at the same temperature. If they are the same temperature, it will only take about 3-4 minutes to get the light and fluffy texture you’re after.
Add the liquid in small batches. If you add the liquid all at one time, it can overwhelm the frosting, causing it to split. Add the raspberry puree one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between to prevent it from splitting.
Pro piping tip: Place the frosting on a sheet of plastic wrap before placing it into a piping bag. You’ll have significantly less mess and it will be easy to store when you’re done!
Storage Options
Because this is cream cheese based, this frosting needs to be kept in the refrigerator, even after you’ve frosted your cake.
If kept in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to five to seven days in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.
Freezer option: Place the frosting in a freezer bag, remove as much air as you can, and keep it in the freezer for up to a month.
Yield
This is a relatively small batch recipe. It will cover a dozen cupcakes or a single-layer cake. Double the recipe for multiple cake layers or two dozen cupcakes.
Where to use this Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
There are a lot of great, easy frosting recipes out there, but raspberry frosting adds a bit of flare to whatever you’re baking. It’s the perfect addition for Mother’s Day recipes or Valentine’s Day.
Need ideas for where to use this frosting? This will pair perfectly with:
- Chocolate Cake —try these chocolate cupcakes but fill them with raspberry frosting.
- Lemon cupcakes or Lemon cake —check out this Lemon Elderflower Cake and replace the glaze.
- Sugar cookies or Cut Out Butter Cookies
Frequently Asked Frosting Questions
You have to be careful when adding liquid to your cream cheese frosting as it can become too loose rather than hold its shape. A good rule of thumb is to add your raspberry filling a little at a time, tasting it along the way.
Cream cheese frosting simply adds cream cheese to a traditional buttercream frosting recipe. But it gives a much more creamy and tangy flavor, which is a little less sweet than buttercream. You could make this a raspberry buttercream frosting by removing the cream cheese and adjusting the amount of liquid you use.
Best Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter (room temperature)
- 1 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 tsp raspberry jello powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar in small batches. Mix to combine. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and repeat until all remaining powdered sugar is added.
- In a separate bowl, mash the raspberries into a puree (or put into a food processor). Run the raspberries through a small mesh strainer, removing all the seeds so you're just left with the juice.
- Add the raspberry juice, one tablespoon at a time to the frosting, mixing until combined. Repeat until all the juice is used.
- Add 1 tsp raspberry jello powder. Mix until combined and serve!
