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30 Frosting Recipes – Cream Cheese, Buttercream, Royal Icing

Although I have a buttercream frosting recipe that I use for literally everything, I wanted to create different types and flavors of icings, especially for cupcakes. So I went online and found several interesting frosting recipes to try and created a round-up to share with you. I learned so much gathering all these frosting recipes together and I bet you will as well.

The Difference Between Frosting and Icing

Frosting and icing are often used interchangeably but there is a difference. Frosting is thick and fluffy and is used to cover the outside of a cake. Icing is thinner and glossier and used for more intricate designs, like royal icing we use on cookies, or for flooding.

A collage of five different desserts covered with large swirls of homemade icing and frosting. There is peanut butter icing, chocolate buttercream frosting. maple fudge frosting.

The most popular kinds of frosting are buttercream, cream cheese frosting, and Swiss meringue frosting and I am happy to say this post includes recipes for each.

Then there is Swiss meringue frosting made with egg whites and many more. Let’s start with the frosting recipes.

Frosting Recipes

Buttercream Chocolate Frosting

A delicious chocolate cupcake covered with thick swirls of chocolate frosting and chocolate chips.
Recipe and Image from Delicious Table

This recipe for buttercream chocolate frosting is ideal for cake decorating and of course, lovely cupcakes which are always all about the icing.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

A caramel cream cheese frosting that is thick and smooth hanging from a large mixer beater.
Recipe and Image from The Kitchen is my Playground

This Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is ingenious using caramel ice cream topping to add the caramel flavor. Delicious and easy to make. A great recipe idea.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Six cupcakes pictured from the side with large swirling mounds of soft fluffy swiss meringue buttercream.
Recipe and Image from Quiet Baking Day

This Swiss Meringue Frosting is buttery, silky and so tasty. It isn’t too sweet! It’s made with a cooked meringue base that’s loaded with lots of butter which makes it a showstopper on baked desserts.

Gluten Free Oreo Icing

A pretty blue and white polka dotted bowl filled with a high volume of gluten free oreo frosting.
Recipe and Image from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

This recipe for Oreo frosting is gluten free. Nabisco has created a gluten free version of the iconic Oreo cookie. Of course, you can use regular Oreos if you don’t have dietary restrictions, but this recipe is a game-changer for those who do. Yum!

Biscoff Frosting

The beater from a stand mixer is standing upright on a kitchen counter with a very large dollop of Biscoff buttercream frosting covering it. There is a jar of biscoff spread and a couple biscoff cookies beside the paddle of icing.
Biscoff Frosting by Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream

If you love Biscoff spread or their cooking your going to want to try this Biscoff Frosting recipe. Grab a spoon, but remember you can only have one spoonful.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting

Three cupcakes covered with large swirls of chocolate chip cookie dough frosting on top.
Recipe and image from Bake it with Love

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buttercream Icing the name alone sounds delicious. Such a unique frosting flavor, and an easy way to switch up a chocolate cupcake.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

A beautiful soft yellow lemon cupcake covered with a large swirl of soft lemon cream cheese frosting.
Recipe and Image from The Toasty Kitchen

The soft color of this icing and cupcake really appeals to me. It’s so soft luscious and light. This Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is coming to my table soon. I suspect you will want to try it as well.

Pistachio Buttercream

A piece of chocolate cake covered with a thick layer of soft green pistachio buttercream. The cake is sitting on a white counter that's been dusted with sugar and pistachio nuts.
Recipe and Image from The Littlest Crumb

This is a unique flavor I had not thought of Pistachio Buttercream Frosting. It will be delicious with a variety of cakes, cupcakes and brownies.

Russian Buttercream

A white pedestal tray with several coffee cupcakes on top. Three of the cupcakes are frosted with large soft swirls of Russian Buttercream.
Russian Buttercream by Bonni Bakery

This Russian Buttercream recipe starts with condensed milk. Such a creamy and decadent frosting recipe. It’s so fun to try new recipes and this one is a must-try.

Raspberry Buttercream

A vanilla cake served with a thick layer of soft pink raspberry buttercream frosting. There is a whole cake surrounded by slices of cake on white plates.
Recipe and Image from Make with Mara

A pretty pink Raspberry Buttercream recipe that’s perfect for summer. This icing is sweet and full of raspberry flavor.

Best Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream

Mint chocolate chip icing scooped on top of plain vanilla cupcakes. The frosting looks like scoops of ice cream.
Recipe and Image from Bake it with Love

A simple to make buttercream recipe with lots of mint and chocolate chips. This best Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting is pictured with cupcakes, it would also be amazing with homemade brownies.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

A small clear bowl filled with a large swirl of cinnamon cream cheese icing. The bowl of icing is sitting on a white counter with cinnamon sticks and a pink napkin.
Recipe and Image by Little Sunny Kitchen

A touch of cinnamon adds a flavourful kick to everyday delicious cream cheese frosting. This Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is great for all kinds of cakes, spice cakes, and pumpkin comes to mind. And it would be delicious with Snickerdoodle cookies as well.

Maple Fudge Icing Recipe

A single cupcake sitting on a cooling tray covering in a thick layer of maple fudge frosting. The frosting is decorated with cake crumbs.
Recipe and Image by Life as a Strawberry

Being Canadian I have made and eaten several different maple fudge icing recipes. This one look fabulous and it skips the heavy cream and the cooking of other recipes. Its looks so delicious and much easier to make. I cannot wait to try this Maple Fudge Frosting in the Fall.

Maple fudge frosting is a rich, creamy frosting made with maple syrup, butter, and powdered sugar. It is perfect for topping cakes, cupcakes, or even cookies!

Chocolate Beer Frosting

A baking tray filled with chocolate sauerkraut cupcakes topped with chocolate beer frosting.
Recipe and Image from Ann’s Entitled Life

This recipe for Chocolate Beer Frosting is so fun. I have an amazing recipe for chocolate Sauerkraut cake that needs me to add this frosting to it.

It uses beer instead of cream for a really tasty twist!

Coconut Pecan Frosting

A German chocolate cake covered with coconut pecan frosting. There is a slice of cake being served so you can see the layers of cake and icing.
Recipe and Image from Love from the Oven

If you love German chocolate cake, then you need to make this Coconut Pecan Frosting! I remember a recipe similar to this from my childhood and it’s so very good. The sticky and sweet icing isn’t too sweet because it’s loaded with delicious nutty flavors.

Vanilla Bean American Buttercream

A white pedestal plate with four vanilla cupcakes covered in large swirls of American buttercream and sprinkles. There is a single cupcake being served and a milk glass with a straw in the background.
Recipe and Image from Kelly Neil

Although there are several types of vanilla frostings, American Buttercream is one of the easiest to make and one of the most popular. It’s known for being quite sweet, creamy, and easy to work with. It looks so appealing on a cupcake with the milk beside it.

Large Batch Simple Buttercream

A row of cupcakes on small paper plates and linen tablecloth. Each cupcake is decorated with a large swirl of cherry frosting.
Recipe and Image by Wholesome Farmhouse Recipes

This is a Large Batch Simple Buttercream recipe you can use to decorate a large cake or several dozen cupcakes. The post shows the base vanilla buttercream frosting with different flavor suggestions like the cherry cupcakes.

Cookie Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Biscoff Cream Cheese Icing on top of a carrot cupcake with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a biscoff cookie placed inside the cupcake
Recipe and Image from A Baking Journey

This Cookie Butter Cream Cheese Frosting has plenty of cookie butter flavor to make it an easy 4 ingredient way to frost cupcakes or whatever you like!

Caramel Frosting Buttercream

An picture from above a tray of caramel frosting covered cupcakes on a red and white plate. You can see two large cupcakes with swirls of caramel frosting on top.
Recipe and Image by Grand Baby Cakes

This Caramel Frosting Buttercream is made with caramel sauce, butter, and powdered sugar. It is perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, and other desserts.

Coconut Frosting

A large white bowl filled with coconut frosting. The paddle is still in the bowl and its also covered with thick luscious icing.
Recipe and Image from What the Fork

Coconut Frosting is a delicious and versatile frosting that can be used on cakes, cupcakes, and other desserts. I know you will love the sweet, tropical flavor.

Icing Recipes

Peanut Butter Icing

Peanut butter cookies being iced with peanut butter icing. The cookies are laying on parchment paper thats been decorated with a piping bag of icing, cookies with floated icing on top, peanuts and a small bowl of peanut butter.
Recipe and Image from Everyday Family Cooking

A smooth, sweet, and creamy Peanut Butter Icing. It’s a great way to dress up cookies or finish cakes and brownies. Make it in 5 minutes.

Caramel Cake & Caramel Icing

A caramel cake covered with a smooth shiny layer of caramel icing.
Image and Recipe by Intelligent Domestications

This is a recipe for Classic Caramel Icing, it’s smooth and shiny and sweet and so good for Fall. One of those recipes families remember and ask for every year.

Royal Icing

A cookie tray covered in sugar cookies that have been decorated with classic royal icing in a variety of colours.

This is a go to recipe for Royal Icing. Royal icing is the most used icing for making all sorts of cookies. Sally’s Baking Addition shares her recipe along with several different ways she has used her icing recipe.

Four different frosting recipe images, one is italian buttercream on a chocolate cupcake, then a blue bowl full of oreo frosting, a pretty soft yellow lemon cupcake with lemon buttercream frosting and a cinnamon frosting recipe for Fall

Other Recipe Collections to Check Out

It’s always a great time to check out new recipes, and I especially like collections with a common theme. Here are some various recipe collections I have written. Enjoy.

A collage of four different iced coffees including Frappuccino. Mocha, Macchiato, and a Dalgona.

20 Coffee Recipes

Making fancy coffees at home is something I just started this summer and we are addicted. I have already made several of the delicious recipes in this collection and there are so many great coffee recipes to try.

One Comment

  1. I’m no baker, I prefer to do the tasting after all the hard work is done. My daughter, on the other hand, loves experimenting, so I’ve shared all this yumminess with her and offered to be her willing guinea pig 😉

    Reply

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