cream cheese frosting

Has anyone had any luck making this here? I find the UK cream cheese much softer so when I make it, it's too runny. Is my only option to refrigerate? Adding more sugar didn't help at all. My poor carrot cake cupcakes are naked and lonely!

Are you using the Philadelphia cream cheese that comes in a plastic container?  Are there any bricks of cream cheese like in the US?

That's the problem, no bricks here!

I've had great success with the basic Betty Crocker cookbook recipe:

8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2tsp vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

I use Philly cream cheese in the rectangular tub, unsalted Sainsbury's own brand creamy English butter, vanilla extract and whatever icing sugar is the cheapest.  Works a treat, and we haven't had to refrigerate either before or after icing the cake - but then again I've never made it in the middle of summer here in the UK, and we've always refrigerated cream cheese-iced cakes in the US!

Thanks, Meg. Maybe butter would do the trick. I always use lemon instead of vanilla but that won't make a difference to the consistency.

I posted about this once before!!! Its the one thing I can never get right. But I find if I pop it into the fridge for a while, and keep it refridgerated, its pretty good. Also, I add a dash of lemonjuice to it to make it a bit tarter. Yum.

I always use Philly Cream Cheese and always, always the regular - never any of the lighter options. To me it is just the same as philly in the states as far as consistency goes and i've never had any problems. I did try a cheaper version once and I recall that was too soft... 

You've got to have Philly up there in your supermarket? !!!!!!!!!!

I made some for my 4th of July cupcakes. My recipe was pretty similar to Meg's, I think, and it was fine, albeit slightly lumpy as I didn't beat the butter and cheese first. And I second the regular Philly! I once tried making frosting with the reduced fat Neufchatel stuff (in the US) and it was a horrible, runny disaster.

I should probably add the disclaimer that I'm hardly a frosting connoisseur, as I don't like it very much! Cream cheese is about the only kind I'll eat, and I make it once every two years or so...

You've got to have Philly up there in your supermarket? !!!!!!!!!!

Of course! That's what I used and not the light stuff. I ended up having to refrigerate it.

Hmmm, I don't get that then. I know sometime you can open Philly and there's a bit of a "slick" on the top.... but it always seems the same consistency as the stuff from the US. I'd up the butter if the added sugar isnt working.