Mango Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is a baker’s favourite choice. Though Butter cream frosting has its own place in the cake world, cream cheese frosting is equally vital. If you are a sweet tooth, buttercream is your cup of tea. But, I’m not a person of sweet tooth, I like subtle sweetness in my desserts and beverages too. Obviously, my preference would be cream cheese frosting over buttercream frosting. It has a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess in its flavour. I highly vouch you to try this frosting which has a faint sweet and tangy in its flavours.

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It’s like any frosting, spreadable and pipe-able. It has an exquisite texture, smooth, silky and creamy. Advantages of this frosting are

1. Simple and less ingredients
2. Easy to prepare
3. Versatility, goes well with breads, cupcakes, cakes

It’s easily spreadable. As it’s super smooth and silky, for piping, it’s better to keep the frosting in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Texture will be perfect for piping after its resting time in refrigerator. Alternatively, you can add a tbsp of corn-starch or increase the sugar tbsp by tbsp to improve the thickness.

Cream cheese frosting: you can make cream cheese frosting by whipping softened cream cheese, butter with powdered sugar and vanilla essence.

Key ingredients:

Butter– you can use salted or unsalted butter. Both has its unique flavour. If you are using unsalted, then add little salt to your frosting to balance the sweetness. If you are using salted, there’s no requirement to add salt separately.

Cream cheese– always use block or brick cream cheese, avoid using spreadable cream cheese as they’ll turn the frosting runny. Also prefer full fat over low fat for better results.

Powdered sugar– add icing or powdered sugar. Granulated sugar will result in gritty, sandy frosting.

Vanilla essence– flavouring agent amplifies the taste and flavour of the frosting.

Corn-starch- more sugar, more thickness. I feel 2 cups of sugar for 8 oz cream cheese is perfect. If you can handle sweetness, few may add up to 4 cups of sugar for 8 oz of cream cheese. If you do not want to add more than 2 cups of sugar, then add corn-starch as a thickening agent. It’ll help to increase thickness of the frosting. Also, be mindful not to add more than a tbsp.

Twist ingredient– 🥭,  yeah, mango in frosting is ambrosial. As I promised you that this is a Mango Mania, I tried to incorporate mango in all possible ways, one is, this Mango cream cheese frosting. Can you handle the Mango Mania fever…😉😍?

To infuse mango into cream cheese frosting, I prepared mango coulis from fresh mango chunks. Cream cheese frosting may turn runny if you include any liquid ingredient, so I used concentrated mango coulis instead of diluted mango puree. This helped the frosting to stay in its consistency but infused and indulged with mango 🥭 beauty.

I made this frosting for my Fusion Latin American delicacy Mango Tres leches cake,  intoxicating experience, do not miss the opportunity to indulge in this…😍😋😋. Also, used the leftover in my kitchen secret recipe, No-Bake Mango pudding.

Tips and Tricks–

1. Softening the butter and cream cheese is essential to get a creamy result. Do not melt the butter, keep the butter at room temperature and use softened ones for best outcome.
2. Similarly buy full fat brick or block cream cheese. Using low fat or spreadable cream cheese will end up in runny frosting.
3. Add sifted powdered sugar to the frosting, to avoid any lumps while piping especially when you are using smaller tip.
4. Over whipping the frosting will lead to runny outcome. After adding powdered sugar in portions, whip just to incorporate the sugar into frosting, do not over beat it.
5. Adding corn-starch is optional. If you need more thickness, add not more than 1 tbsp. Or increase sugar if you do not want corn-starch in your frosting.

Storage:

Store the frosting in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. It has a shelf life of minimum 10 days. Or store it in the freezer in a zip lock bag for longer life. Defrost it few hours before you plan the frosting of your cake. If you are slathering the frosting as a layer on the cake, take the frosting from the refrigerator and leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you are piping, then leave for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Let’s get into the recipe…👇

Heat a thick bottomed pan and add butter, sugar and chopped mango chunks.

Sauté well, mango chunks start to soften. 

With the back of the spatula, keep mashing the softened chunks.

After continuous stirring, for roughly 5 minutes in medium flame, it must have turned to sauce consistency.

Now switch off the flame, let it cool and then add a tsp of lemon juice, mix well.

Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for longer life. Mango Coulis is a key ingredient in the mango cream cheese frosting.  But it’s versatile, I used it in the kitchen secret recipe, No-Bake Mango pudding, also in the upcoming posts of Mango Mania.

For Mango Cream Cheese Frosting:

Add the softened butter and softened cream cheese,

then add vanilla essence and cream with a hand mixer or kitchen aid in high speed.

Then add powdered sugar in 3-4 portions and whip it in low speed.

Scrape the sides frequently with a spatula to avoid sugar being left un-whipped.

Finally add the prepared mango coulis, then whip in high speed for 2-3 minutes or till a thick, creamy frosting is formed.

Add corn-starch if you want your frosting to be thicker. But do not add too much as it’ll spoil the texture and taste.

More the sugar, more the thickness, increase the sugar more than 2 cups, if you want the frosting to be thicker. On the other, hand if you don’t want your frosting to be too sweeter, then settle down with 2 cups, and alternatively, add 1 tbsp of corn-starch to thicken. Store the frosting in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. If you are slathering the frosting as a layer on the cake, take the frosting from the refrigerator and leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature.

If you are piping, then leave for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Recipe card

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Cuisine: International

Category: Desserts, Frosting

Serves: 9×13-inch cake

Author: Manimala

Ingredients:

For Mango Coulis:

Chopped fresh Mangoes – 1 cup

Butter – 1 tbsp

Sugar – 1 tbsp

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

For Mango cream cheese frosting:

Cream cheese – 113 gm/4 oz

Salted Butter – ¼ cup

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Mango coulis – 1 tbsp

Powdered sugar – 1 cup

Corn-starch – 1 tbsp (optional)

Instructions:

For Mango Coulis:

1. Heat a thick bottomed pan and add butter, sugar and chopped mango chunks.
2. Sauté well, mango chunks start to soften.  With the back of the spatula, keep mashing the softened chunks.
3. After continuous stirring, for roughly 5 minutes in medium flame, it must have turned to sauce consistency.
4. Now switch off the flame, let it cool and then add a tsp of lemon juice, mix well.
5. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for longer life.
6. Mango Coulis is a key ingredient in the mango cream cheese frosting.  But it’s versatile, I used it in the kitchen secret recipe, No-Bake Mango pudding, also in the upcoming posts of Mango Mania.

For Mango Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Cream the softened butter and softened cream cheese, vanilla essence with a hand mixer or kitchen aid in high speed.
2. Then add powdered sugar in 3-4 portions and whip it in low speed. Scrape the sides frequently with a spatula to avoid sugar being left un-whipped.
3. Finally add the prepared mango coulis, then whip in high speed for 2-3 minutes or till a thick, creamy frosting is formed.
4. Add corn-starch if you want your frosting to be thicker. But do not add too much as it’ll spoil the texture and taste.
5. More the sugar, more the thickness, increase the sugar more than 2 cups, if you want the frosting to be thicker. On the other, hand if you don’t want your frosting to be too sweeter, then settle down with 2 cups, and alternatively, add 1 tbsp of corn-starch to thicken.
6. Store the frosting in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. If you are slathering the frosting as a layer on the cake, take the frosting from the refrigerator and leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you are piping, then leave for 15 minutes at room temperature.