Description
A bright and creamy lemon cream cheese filling perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and more.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fully combined (about 1–2 minutes on medium speed).
- Gradually add the powdered sugar while continuing to mix until the mixture is smooth and there are no large sugar lumps (scrape the bowl as needed).
- Mix in the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust: add more lemon juice for brightness or more powdered sugar if desired.
- Use immediately as a filling for cakes or refrigerate until needed.
Notes
To fix a grainy filling, let the cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature and beat gently until smooth. For curdled filling, chill for 15–20 minutes, then re-whip.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 65mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1.2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg