´óÏó´«Ã½

by William Leigh

Sweet and tangy, this easy cream cheese frosting is fantastic on carrot cakes and cupcakes. Vary this basic recipe by adding colours or flavours.

Cakes and baking

Buyer's guide

There are many varieties of cream cheese available. Look for young cheeses with a far-off use-by date.

Storage

Cream cheeses are designed to be eaten as fresh as possible. Eat 3-4 days after opening. Cream cheese doesn’t freeze well.

Preparation

Cream cheese’s creamy character makes it popular for use in cooking: it’s used both in savoury dishes and sweet cheesecakes and icings.

Other considerations

Soya-based cream cheeses can be used as a dairy-free alternative to milk-based cream cheeses in most recipes.