Today, I’ve got the ultimate chocolate cinnamon cream cheese frosting for you that’s rich and fudgy while still maintaining the perfect tang from the cream cheese. Adding in a little ground cinnamon takes this frosting to the next level and also adds a little holiday flare this time of year.
Cream cheese frosting will forever be my favourite kind of frosting as I love the tangy contrast to a sweet dessert. It pairs well with most flavours, like chocolate, gingerbread or any kind of fruit or spice while helping to balance a rich or sugary dessert. It’s much less sweeter then American buttercream which to me is also a bonus!
My chocolate cinnamon cream cheese frosting is super rich and chocolatey while also having a beautiful note of cinnamon in each bite. I love to use this frosting on cupcakes or cakes around the holidays but honestly use it any time of year.
As I love cream cheese frosting so much, I like to try different flavour combinations while still maintaining the tang from the cream cheese. This can be tricky to do as you do need to add a decent amount of sugar to make a beautifully smooth and pipeable frosting. I’ve added a little something to keep the tanginess in this recipe however. The secret? A smidge of lemon juice!
If you’re interested in a lighter frosting option, then give my stabilized whipped cream a try! Super simple and doesn’t require any gelatin or cream cheese.
What to Pair Chocolate Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting With?
My favourite thing to put this frosting on is my chocolate cupcakes. You could also use it on my pumpkin cake or gingersnap pumpkin cupcakes or even turn my chewy ginger molasses cookies into sandwich cookies with it! This frosting is very versatile and could be paired with most cake or cupcake recipes.
Do I Need to Add the Lemon Juice?
I highly recommend you do but no you don’t have too. If you don’t have it on hand, bottled or fresh, doesn’t really matter for this recipe, then you can omit it. However, even though it’s just a tiny amount, I do find it really helps to maintain the natural tangy flavour of the cream cheese which to me, is one of the main reasons I love any kind of cream cheese frosting.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
This recipe makes about 2.5 cups of frosting which is enough to generously frost 12-16 cupcakes, like I have in the pictures or lightly frost 24 cupcakes.
You should also be able to frost a 2 layer 6 inch cake or a 9×13 sheet cake with this amount. For other sizes or layer amounts, I highly recommend checking out Chelsweets buttercream calculator. It’s a great easy tool and she has everything you can think of in this post!
Why is My Frosting Grainy?
Grainy frosting is honestly the hardest part about making frosting to me. Over the years, I have learned a few tricks including sifting your powdered sugar. You can also let the frosting sit for a while in the fridge, allowing the more of the sugar to dissolve.
I would say the most important step is properly mixing your frosting though. You want to beat the butter and cream cheese for at least 3 minutes initially to make them light and fluffy. Then add your sugar in parts allowing it to fully incorporate each time. Then, the most important step, beating for an additional 5 minutes at the end helps to make a super light frosting while allowing the sugar to fully incorporate.
How to Get a Fluffy, Smooth Frosting
To ensure your frosting is light, fluffy and smooth, follow the above steps. Depending on the consistency you’re looking for, you may also need to add a couple tablespoons of milk depending on how stiff your buttercream is. If your frosting is too thick, it will be very hard to pipe or spread onto your baked goods.
To get a smooth frosting, once your done mixing, you’ll need to stir the frosting by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon for a couple minutes. This helps to get out big air bubbles ensuring a smooth piping experience.
Does This Cream Cheese Frosting Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes, I wouldn’t leave it out at room temperature for more then 2 hours as it does contain cream cheese. Whether you choose to store it first and then frost or you want to frost first, remove the frosting from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to pipe and/or serve so it can come back to room temperature.
Baking Tips
- Ensure you properly mix everything together and you beat the frosting for an additional 5 minutes at the end to ensure a smooth, fluffy frosting.
- Keep this cinnamon cream cheese frosting in the fridge if not eating right away as it does obviously contain cream cheese which can spoil if kept in warm temperatures for extended periods.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
Today’s song always makes me think of one of my all time favourite movies, Beverly Hills Cop. I absolutely love this song and find it such a feel good song. Here’s Stir It Up by Patti Labelle. Happy Baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Chocolate Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz/225g cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups (455g) icing sugar
- 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 0-2 tbsp milk (if needed for consistency)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in half the amount of icing sugar and mix at low speed until starting to incorporate. Then beat at high speed for additional minute. Add in the rest of the sugar and the cocoa powder. Again mix at low speed until incorporated and then at high speed for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add in the ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt and lemon juice. Beat on high speed for additional 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. If your frosting is a bit too thick to pipe, add in milk, 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- To get the air bubbles out, mix the frosting by hand with a spatula for 1-2 minutes. This helps give you a smooth frosting when piping. Then pipe however you desire. I used a Wilton 1M tip for the pictures. As this is a cream cheese frosting, I would eat right away once you frost your cake or cupcakes. Otherwise, store in the fridge and take out about 30 minutes before serving and enjoy!
