Add the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. The butter and the cream cheese should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has been out of the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.) You want to fully cream the ingredients together so their flavors meld together. Use a spatula to scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.

In a separate bowl, use a food scale to measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar. If you don’t have a food scale, measure 4 cups instead.

Add the Powdered Sugar into the mixing bowl.

Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the cream cheese/butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.

This is the fun part of the frosting-making process where you get to taste your icing. You are tasting to determine taste (does it need more vanilla?) and consistency (is it too thin or too thick?) (Two Sisters note about cream cheese frosting. It is a thin frosting. It will never be a frosting that is pipeable or will crust up like buttercream. That being said, as you can see in our pictures, you can do a swirl.) The first thing you should do before using the frosting is put it in the refrigerator for an hour or so, that will help the butter and cream cheese firm up. Another thing to try if the frosting is too thin is to add EITHER ½ cup of powdered sugar or 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.