Whether for a carrot cake or spice cake, red velvet cake or cinnamon rolls, cream cheese frosting is a smooth, tasty topping for some of the yummiest cakes and sweet treats on the planet. On the other hand, some people are happy to simply eat it directly from the spoon!

Cream Cheese Frosting is a delectable spread that can turn a dry, ho-hum cake into a wonder of flavorful deliciousness. And National Cream Cheese Frosting Day is the ideal day to enjoy it.

History of National Cream Cheese Frosting Day

Cream Cheese was invented in America in the 1870s by a New York dairyman, William Lawrence. And the whole thing was actually created by accident. Lawrence was trying to make a French cheese, Neufchâtel, but it turned out slightly softer due to less fat and higher content of moisture. So he went with it!

Early on, cream cheese was a bit of a delicacy, a rather expensive one, that would often be served in special restaurants in New York City. Then Lawrence began to sell it in foil wrappers and came up with the name brand, Philadelphia, which eventually became popular throughout the entire world.

However, it wasn’t for almost a century that cream cheese frosting began to become popular in the United States as a variation on buttercream frosting. In the 1960s, when cream cheese became more readily available in supermarkets, people began adding it as part of the recipe.

A few years ago, Arla, a leader in clean label cream cheese, decided to start the celebration of their main ingredient in this beloved dessert topping. And so, National Cream Cheese Frosting Day was created to pay respects to this sweet, smooth topping that is absolutely delicious all throughout the year.

How to Celebrate National Cream Cheese Frosting Day

The obvious, and most delicious, choice for celebrating National Cream Cheese Frosting Day is to eat a variety of yummy treats that can be topped with cream cheese frosting.

Try these ideas for celebrating National Cream Cheese Frosting Day or come up with other creative ones:

Make Cream Cheese Frosting At Home

This is literally the icing on the cake! Or brownies. Or cinnamon rolls. Or cookies. Or a whole host of other delicious treats that can be frosted.

Make up a bowl of cream cheese frosting anytime with this simple recipe that can be ready in as little as ten minutes. For a large cake or large pan of brownies, double the ingredients:

• 12 ounces softened cream cheese
• 6 ounces softened butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

Add softened cream cheese and softened butter to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with a mixer, adding in the vanilla. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, and mix with a mixer until the frosting is blended to become smooth and fluffy.

Once the batch of cream cheese frosting is ready, it can be applied to a myriad of different types of cakes, cupcakes, pumpkin bars, banana muffins, cinnamon rolls, brownies and so much more. Be sure that the cake, brownie or muffin is cooled prior to applying the frosting or it will have a tendency to melt.

Cream cheese frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Get Creative with Cream Cheese Frosting Flavors

In addition to making plain vanilla cream cheese frosting, the topping can also be imbibed with a variety of flavors that make it extra delicious and even more unique. This can be fun even for people who buy their cream cheese frosting premade from a grocery store.

Consider these special favoring options for cream cheese frosting:

• Chocolate. Simply add ½ cup of cocoa powder to the recipe.
• Maple syrup. Add 4 Tablespoons pure maple syrup and 1 tsp lemon juice.
• Coconut creme. Add ½ tsp coconut flavoring and ½ cup toasted coconut.
• Orange cream. Add 1 tsp orange zest and 2 Tablespoons orange juice.
• Creme de menthe. Add 4 Tablespoons green creme de menthe
• Coffee or espresso. Add 1 Tablespoon coffee or espresso granules dissolved in 2 tsp vanilla extract.
• Cinnamon ginger. Add 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger and 1 tsp powdered cinnamon.

Enjoy the Best Cream Cheese Frosting Treats

Back in 2019, Arla, the founder of National Cream Cheese Frosting Day made a commitment to choosing the Best of the Best treats made with cream cheese frosting from every state in the US. They unveiled this list of treats from each of the states, which include (but, of course, are not limited to):

• Florida – The Guava Coconut Rum Cake at Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, Miami
• Idaho – The Blueberry Cheesecake Cake at Flour Child Creations, Boise
• Indiana – The Chocolate Snowball at The Flying Cupcake, Indianapolis
• Kentucky – The Kentucky Bourbon Ball Cupcake at Caramanda’s Bake Shoppe, Lexington
• New Jersey – The Sweet Potato Cupcake at Sweet Eats Cake Bakery, Voorhees
• Rhode Island – The Black Bottom Cupcake at Silver Spoon Bakery, East Greenwich
• West Virginia – The Pumpkin with Cream Cheese Cupcake at Lil Bit of Heaven Cupcakes, St. Albans https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arla-foods-announces-december-13-as-inaugural-national-cream-cheese-frosting-day-300763147.html

Try Lactose-Free Cream Cheese

For those people who struggle to eat dairy products, many cream cheese brands are now available in a lactose-free variety, which is great news! Even without the lactose, these dairy-free cream cheeses can be made into the delicious Cream Cheese Frosting recipes listed above.

Lactose-free cream cheese is produced by many companies, including Arla, Kitehill, Miyokos and Philadelphia,

Win a Year’s Worth of Cream Cheese

Since they were the initiators of National Cream Cheese Frosting Day, the cream cheese company, Arla, has a great interest in the celebrations. For past National Cream Cheese Frosting Days, Arla has held a social media contest to give away a year’s worth of cream cheese. This allows fans of the frosting to make this treat all year round!

Although not guaranteed to be held every year, it’s worth taking a peek at the company’s social media pages to see what they are doing to celebrate this important day this year.