Brown butter cream cheese frosting has a fragrant and nutty flavor that is also sweet and creamy
Brown butter frosting made with cream cheese has a nutty and rich flavor with a touch of tanginess. The perfect frosting for fall!
I love pairing this frosting with my applesauce spice cake or my carrot cake! So good!
I've been on a huge brown butter kick lately! I make it in huge batches so that I can use it in everything! I just love the depth of flavor that brown butter adds to recipes. From frosting to cakes, brown butter is the bomb!
After I brown my butter, I let it sit at room temperature overnight so that it solidifies again. This is because my recipes typically call for softened butter. Brown butter never gets REALLY firm so it works out well for recipes.
Make sure you stir the brown butter up so that you get all those little brown bits worked into the recipe. That is where all the flavor is!
Tips for making brown butter frosting
- Brown your butter ahead of time and let it solidify overnight at room temperature or put it in a shallow dish and into the fridge for about 15 minutes or until it starts to firm up.
- Use a hand mixer or whisk to cream the brown butter and the regular butter together first, then add in the softened cream cheese to prevent your frosting from breaking.
- Add in your powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and then stop mixing as soon as it's all incorporated. Add more sugar for a stiffer buttercream.
Can you use brown butter in place of butter for all frosting recipes?
It just depends. I have replaced some or all of the butter in a recipe with brown butter and had success. I have found that brown butter is a tad softer than regular softened butter. Play around with the ratios and see what works for you.
I loved putting brown butter in my easy buttercream frosting
Try pairing this frosting with
Applesauce Spice Cake
Carrot Cake
Pumpkin Spice Cake
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- Handheld or stand mixer
- Whisk Attachment
Ingredients
Brown Butter Buttercream
- 8 oz browned butter room temperature
- 8 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 20 oz powdered sugar add more for a stiffer buttercream
Instructions
Brown Butter Buttercream Instructions
- Place softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix until smooth.
- Add in your cream cheese and mix until smooth
- Add in your browned butter and mix until smooth and creamy
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on low until all the powdered sugar is added. Do not over-mix.
- Add in your salt and vanilla until combined.
Kerrie says
So glad you shared the mixer info! I’ve wanted one like this forever! Good to know what brand it is. Thank you!
Maca says
Looks delish. I need to find a recipe that makes the brown butter step first though before I make this frosting. I’m wondering what the brand and size is the stand mixer you are using. Maybe it isn’t as super heavy as the KitchenAid stand mixer I have now. Anyway, once I make the frosting, I will rate. Thanks so much.
Elizabeth Marek says
I have the brown butter recipe linked in the blog but you can also go here https://sugargeekshow.com/brown-butter/
This mixer is the bosch universal plus mixer, you can get my affiliate link here http://shrsl.com/239du The mixer is much lighter than a kitchenaid and holds a lot of batter or buttercream which is why I love it
Tamone says
I was introduced to brown butter when looking for a different recipe for baking chocolate chip cookies, which by the way taste so much better than regular butter. So moving forward to yesterday, my youngest daughter's 22nd birthday, I wanted to bake her a cake. I came across your recipe for the frosting and decided to incorporate the brown butter in the cake batter as well. My daughter was so happy. She said everthing was absolutely delicious. The recipe for the frosting is so simple and easy to make. I just to had to make sure that I used enough confectioners sugar to acheive the desired constistency I needed to frost the cake.
Thank you and congradulations on you new bundle of love!!!
cHiLl says
Hello Liz,
Will this recipe yield enough frosting for 24 cupcakes?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes it will
Koko says
I made the frosting and it was awesome! Thanks for sharing
Madison Andrews says
How long can this stay at room temp?
The Sugar Geek Show says
because of the cream cheese, this frosting should not be in a warm environment for more than 4 hours.
Maida Czworka says
Hi Liz, I’m absolutely addicted to your website! I’ll have to say thank you for saving all my worries! Question, Can you make this Icing ahead of time and refrigerate it?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Absolutely but it will need to be at room temperature and creamed again before using to get a smooth consistency
Laura Gray says
Hi Liz, I am making the banana cake, do you think this buttercream will pair nicely with it. Thanks
The Sugar Geek Show says
Absolutely! It would be delicious!
Laura Gray says
Hi Liz, would this buttercream pair well with the banana cake? Thanks
Nayla Ulmann says
Hi Liz! First congratulations and hope u will be able to keep on doing more videos with 2 kids ?!!!
I love brown butter, but I was wondering if I can use this recipe under fondant??? Love from Switzerland!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Cream cheese frosting does not do well under fondant, it makes it melt
Leonor Alvarado says
Hi, could you clarify the information on the nutritional value label? It indicates the values for 1 gr of buttercream, is this correct? Or does it refer to the 6 portions the recipe is intended for? Thank you!
Candice Gilkison says
I love brown butter! When I was pregnant I'd make it all the time and as soon as it was cool enough to eat I'd dip dinner rolls in and scrape as much of those browned particles as I could! I'm making your recipes now and my kitchen smells heavenly. ? i can't wait to try it
The Sugar Geek Show says
mmmmm that sounds so good!
Barbara says
Hello! I haven’t baked the cake yet but wanted to congratulate you and your family on the birth of your son! Hope you’re not too sleep deprived.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Thank you so much Barbara. Yes I am super tired haha but thankfully can answer most questions and comments one handed <3
Riffat says
Hi, just love watching your channel and trying out the recipes. Just made the applesauce cake and it was heavenly. I’d like to make the burnt butter Buttercream but without the cream cheese, can I do that? Should I just omit the cream cheese? Plus how much of this buttercream should I make for a 14” three layer cake, to fill and cover, plus would this be ok under fondant?
Look forward to your reply
Riffat
The Sugar Geek Show says
use my easy buttercream recipe and replace half the butter with brown butter
Kelsey says
Browned butter is one of my favorite flavors ever, I was blown away with how delicious this buttercream is!