I have a few recipes but they all seem to be a little bit different. I usually buy premade buttercream but I want to start making my own. Was hoping that some experts wouldn't mind sharing their no-fail cream cheese buttercream recipes??? TIA

Just "created" one last week that is the best I have ever used. It is pictured on my "birder's cake". It was easy to work with and smooth. It is actually a variation on the Extra Special Buttercream Recipe on here

1 stick butter
1 cup shortening
4 oz. cream cheese

Cream these together for about 5 minutes until very creamy.

Add 2 lbs. Powdered sugar
1 T meringue powder
1/4 t salt
4 T heavy cream

beat until smooth

Add flavorings (1 teaspoon total of any combo of flavorings. I used butter and vanilla) and additional heavy cream if needed for texture. Whip until fluffy and usable for the task, whether frosting or actually piping and decorating.

hi, people are adding shortening to make cream cheese more stable. earlene moore has a recipe on her site. edna(c/cer) has recipe on her site. designmeacake.com. And there are several on this site. So try them. and see which one you like. It is not a true cream cheese icing when you add the shortening, but it is still good. True cream cheese has the twang in it that we like. But again, the other version is also good.

I also need a reliable cream cheese recipe!

What does the meringue powder do? Stabilize?

It stabilizes and, I think, helps it to crust a bit. It's perfect for decorating that way. If you want it for straight frosting, you can leave it out .