36 cream cheese frosting recipes

Dense, moist German apple cake loaded with four cups of sliced Pippin apples, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. A fall baking favorite.

Chocolate zucchini tube cake using a cake mix hack with shredded zucchini folded in for extra moisture. Topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts.

White sheet cake topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting and glossy cherry pie filling. A simple, crowd-feeding dessert that starts with a box cake mix.

Carrot snack cake made with cake mix, grated carrots, orange juice, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting. Easy one-pan baking.

Orange poppy seed layer cake soaked in fresh orange syrup and frosted with vanilla cream cheese frosting. A stunning two-layer celebration cake with citrus flavor in every bite.

Rich chocolate bundt cake studded with nuts and crowned with a velvety mocha cream cheese frosting. Inspired by the legendary Waldorf Astoria, this showstopper is pure old-school elegance.

A moist, cinnamon-spiced carrot cake loaded with 3 cups of shredded carrots and topped with a classic cream cheese frosting. Bake as round layers or a 9x13 sheet.

Hawaiian pineapple cake with coconut and walnuts topped with cream cheese frosting. A dense, fruity sheet cake baked low and slow with no oil or butter in the batter.

Gingerbread house cake: a warmly spiced two-layer gingerbread cake filled with cream cheese frosting and candy, then decorated like a gingerbread house. All the festive fun without the structural engineering.

Red plum spice cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves folded into a moist batter studded with chopped plums and nuts. Finished with a cream cheese frosting spiked with reserved plum juice.

Four-layer sour cream orange cake with citrus zest, a Grand Marnier glaze, cream cheese coconut frosting, and toasted coconut on the sides. A make-ahead showstopper for celebrations.

Starlight double-delight cake, the retro Pillsbury bake-off winner where a chocolate-peppermint cream cheese frosting doubles as part of the batter. Two moist mint-chocolate layers, frosted in the same blend.

Soft drop cookies loaded with apricot preserves, cream cheese, and pecans, topped with an apricot-spiked frosting for double fruit flavor.

Star-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies cut from a chewy cocoa-and-chip sheet bake, then filled with sweet cream cheese frosting. A festive holiday cookie that looks fancy but skips the rolled-dough fuss.

Red velvet cake with buttermilk and vinegar baked in three layers, topped with cream cheese pecan frosting. An oil-based cake with a tender crumb and classic tangy finish.

Reduced-fat carrot cake swaps most of the oil for prune purée, then layers three moist spiced cakes with light cream cheese frosting. Toasted walnuts, grated carrots, and crushed pineapple build full carrot cake flavor with less fat.