Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe with Spreadable Cream Cheese (Soft Cheese)

Last Updated on January 20, 2026 by becky

A cream cheese frosting recipe made with spreadable cream cheese, or UK-style soft cheese. The easiest cream cheese icing with soft cheese, and a good option for cooks who do not have access to American-style cream cheese blocks.

What Inspired This Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe?

Cream cheese frosting serves as the finishing touch for all kinds of classic American baked goods. Cinnamon rolls? Cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake cupcakes? Cream cheese frosting. A slice of red velvet cake from Sylvia’s or Amy Ruth’s? Definitely cream cheese frosting.

But when I moved to the UK to attend pastry school, I discovered that—like everything bagel seasoning, ranch dressing, graham crackers, and pumpkin pie spice—brick-style cream cheese simply does not exist in British supermarkets. So, just as I had with these other American staples, I quickly developed a workaround using  ingredients readily available to me in England. Enter this cream cheese frosting recipe with spreadable cream cheese.

Cream Cheese vs. Soft Cheese vs. Spreadable Cream Cheese: What’s the Difference?

It’s easy to find full-fat cream cheese in pretty much any American supermarket. If you’re based in the US, you know the kind I’m talking about: it’s sold in blocks or bricks, and comes wrapped in silver foil. Standard American cream cheese frosting recipes rely on this type of cheese, and usually require softening it to room temperature—thanks to its high fat content, brick-style cream cheese feels very firm straight from the fridge.

In UK supermarkets, you’ll only find “soft cheese,” or spreadable cream cheese. Smooth, creamy, and sold in a plastic tub, it’s soft enough for dipping or spreading, straight from the package. But while spreadable cheese offers an advantage in recipes where you want the finished product to be smooth and dippable (think pumpkin dip, or hot cocoa dip) it doesn’t work for frostings that need to be thick, creamy, and spreadable with a knife.

Making Frosting with Spreadable Cream Cheese

I learned the hard way that brick-style and soft cream cheese are not interchangeable. The first time I tried to make cream cheese frosting in the UK, I used Sainsbury’s-brand soft cheese and my trusty American recipe. My frosting came out watery, runny, and thin, rather than thick, spreadable, and creamy, because spreadable cream cheese contains more water (and less fat) than the kind sold in bricks. And you can’t just add more sugar. Extra sugar throws the balance of fat and sugar further out of whack, making the frosting sweeter and runnier, but not any thicker.

American vs. British vs. European cream cheese is a topic of frequent discussion on baking forums, and everyone has their own way of dealing with this ingredient swap. Some bakers recommend using cheesecloth to strain the excess moisture from soft cheese. Some suggest adding other ingredients such as milk powder, or even making your own cream cheese from scratch. But all of those options are…a lot of work.

With a few simple adjustments to technique and ratio (while American recipes generally use more cream cheese than butter, mine keeps these ingredients in proportion to account for the lower fat content of spreadable cheese), it’s totally possible to make a smooth, spreadable frosting from a tub of soft cheese.

Incorporating the Cream Cheese

American cream cheese frosting recipes start by combining the butter and cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer and beating the two until smooth and creamy; then lowering the speed and gradually mixing in the confectioner’s sugar. However, this technique does not work with spreadable cream cheese.

When using spreadable cheese, it’s important to combine the butter and sugar before adding the cheese. This step coats the sugar with fat, creating a “protective barrier” that prevents watery frosting. And rather than the high-speed approach used for American frosting, it’s crucial to mix in the soft cream cheese very briefly, and on low speed, stopping when it’s just barely combined. Overmixing can make the frosting thin or unstable.

Ingredients for Making Cream Cheese Icing with Spreadable Cream Cheese

To make this cream cheese frosting recipe, you’ll need the following:

• Unsalted Butter – Start with unsalted butter. Before getting started, allow the butter to soften to the same consistency and temperature as the soft cream cheese; this will make it easiest to blend the ingredients together.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – Combined with softened butter, confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar in the UK) forms the base for this cream cheese frosting.

• Vanilla Bean Paste – For good-tasting frosting (that tastes of vanilla rather than purely tasting sweet) I recommend adding vanilla bean paste. My go-to brands are Nielsen-Massey or Taylor & Colledge. A quality vanilla extract will also work. Avoid cheap imitation vanilla or artificial flavorings.
• Fine Sea Salt – A small amount of fine sea salt cuts the sweetness of the confectioner’s sugar.
• Soft Cheese – You’ll need125 grams (4 1/2 ounces) of UK-style soft cheese, or spreadable cream cheese.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

This cream cheese frosting recipe comes together in about 15 minutes. For best results, I suggest waiting until you’re ready to pipe or frost to whip up the frosting.

Store leftover frosting in a covered bowl or piping bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Other frosting and filling recipes you might enjoy:

Rainbow Buttercream
Lemon Curd
Earl Grey Ganache
Pastry Cream
Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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