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Home › Recipe

Updated: Jun 18, 2020 · Published: Aug 13, 2019 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 28 Comments

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

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Brown butter frosting made with cream cheese has a nutty and rich flavor with a touch of tanginess. The perfect frosting for fall!
Brown butter cream cheese frosting tastes amazing with brown butter which adds a toasty, nutty flavor to the frosting

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!

brown butter frosting on a cupcake

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!

brown butter in clear jar

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. 

solid brown butter

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. 

brown butter frosting in a clear bowl

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

brown butter frosting on a cupcake

Brown Butter Frosting

Brown butter frosting made with cream cheese has a nutty and rich flavor with a touch of tanginess. The perfect frosting for fall!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 772kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

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
US Customary - Metric

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.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 772kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 61mg | Sugar: 94g | Vitamin A: 1452IU | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelsey says

    August 29, 2019 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    Browned butter is one of my favorite flavors ever, I was blown away with how delicious this buttercream is!

    Reply
  2. Riffat says

    September 27, 2019 at 12:32 pm

    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

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      September 27, 2019 at 1:27 pm

      use my easy buttercream recipe and replace half the butter with brown butter

      Reply
  3. Barbara says

    October 01, 2019 at 5:30 am

    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.

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      October 01, 2019 at 10:19 am

      Thank you so much Barbara. Yes I am super tired haha but thankfully can answer most questions and comments one handed <3

      Reply
  4. Candice Gilkison says

    October 02, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      October 03, 2019 at 11:29 am

      mmmmm that sounds so good!

      Reply
  5. Leonor Alvarado says

    October 15, 2019 at 10:17 am

    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!

    Reply
  6. Nayla Ulmann says

    November 05, 2019 at 10:07 am

    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!

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 05, 2019 at 1:12 pm

      Cream cheese frosting does not do well under fondant, it makes it melt

      Reply
  7. Laura Gray says

    November 07, 2019 at 8:54 pm

    Hi Liz, would this buttercream pair well with the banana cake? Thanks

    Reply
  8. Laura Gray says

    November 08, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Liz, I am making the banana cake, do you think this buttercream will pair nicely with it. Thanks

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 09, 2019 at 11:21 am

      Absolutely! It would be delicious!

      Reply
  9. Maida Czworka says

    November 25, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 26, 2019 at 9:20 am

      Absolutely but it will need to be at room temperature and creamed again before using to get a smooth consistency

      Reply
  10. Madison Andrews says

    March 28, 2020 at 11:43 am

    5 stars
    How long can this stay at room temp?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      March 29, 2020 at 11:06 am

      because of the cream cheese, this frosting should not be in a warm environment for more than 4 hours.

      Reply
  11. Koko says

    July 20, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    I made the frosting and it was awesome! Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  12. cHiLl says

    August 19, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Hello Liz,

    Will this recipe yield enough frosting for 24 cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      August 20, 2020 at 9:23 am

      Yes it will

      Reply
  13. Tamone says

    September 11, 2020 at 10:57 am

    5 stars
    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!!!

    Reply
  14. Maca says

    September 17, 2020 at 7:45 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      September 18, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      I have the brown butter recipe linked in the blog but you can also go here https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/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

      Reply
  15. Kerrie says

    September 27, 2020 at 10:04 am

    So glad you shared the mixer info! I’ve wanted one like this forever! Good to know what brand it is. Thank you!

    Reply
  16. Amy Thickstun says

    October 02, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    Use this on my carrot cakes and my cinnamon rolls. Delicious!

    Reply
  17. Doreen says

    October 03, 2020 at 6:54 am

    5 stars
    Finally tried browned butter icing. It adds such a lovely caramel taste to the icing. Perfect for my spice apple cake

    Reply
  18. Allie says

    March 19, 2021 at 8:37 am

    5 stars
    Haven't tried this yet, but it looks great! I love brown butter. Do you think it would work to substitute the cream cheese for vegetable shortening? I like making my frosting with a combo of butter and a little shortening for stability, so I was wondering if you think this would work!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      March 19, 2021 at 9:29 am

      sure you can if you don't want the cream cheese flavor 🙂

      Reply
5 from 27 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

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