What flavor icing/frosting have you used for Red Velvet or Carrot cake?  I know the traditional for both is cream cheese, but I don't believe that will work with my situation.  Will regular vanilla buttercream taste fine on both of these flavors?  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I have made regular and Swiss BC flavored with cream cheese flavoring. Not as good as the real thing but still pretty good. My customers liked it more than I did.

I've never seen cream cheese flavoring anywhere around where I am.

This type of thing comes down to personal preference on flavor combinations.  I made a carrot cake one time and used a crusting buttercream because it was at Easter and I wanted my cake to look like a basket with decorations.

I didn't care for the cake with the crusting buttercream.  I am just used to a cream cheese frosting with carrot cake, and to me, that is what makes the cake as good as it is.

Hopefully you find something that will work.  I have never tried the cream cheese flavoring, but read many different opinions on it.

Google Lorann's flavorings

You can certainly use a butter cream on red velvet and carrot cake. I occasionally have customers who say that's what they want. As for the cream cheese flavoring, you can get "Cheesecake" from Lorann Oils. I use this a lot because my home based bakery has restrictions on the use of cream cheese.

I haven't tried the cheesecake....but they also have cream cheese. I have also used their princess flavoring on red velvet  nd it was really good. That is my go to flavor

This is a cake that I'm doing for my friends 40th birthday.  Her favorite flavors are carrot, lemon, raspberry and red velvet.  Since it is now September, I thought I'd go with the carrot & red velvet.  It's going to be covered in fondant and have fondant details so I'm not really wanting to put it in the fridge.  (I know there's a big debate over this) But my main concern is it's going to take 45 mins to get to the venue which is a vineyard.  We will be doing wine tasting/touring that starts at 3:30 then dinner is at 6.  I've asked the friend who arranged this to make sure I can put the cake into their kitchen (even though that makes me extremely nervous) so it's not outside or in the car for all that time.  It's supposed to be 80 where I am on Saturday!

AI've used IMBC and French buttercream with red velvet and everyone who has tried it has loved it.

Regular old vanilla buttercream will be just fine, red velvet is only chocolate cake anyway at the end of the day (well almost!). 

Here is my recipe for the buttercream I use as my go-to for all my cakes and it's perfect on red velvet and carrot cakes because it has cream cheese in it...it's a crusting frosting that holds up well to fondant decor...and it's delicious.  I got the recipe from a bakery I worked for that used it all the time.

2 sticks (8 ounces) of real butter (I use salted Land 'o Lakes)

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese

2 pound package of powdered sugar.

Cream softened cream cheese and butter in mixer until well blended (about 5 minutes.  The more you beat it, the whiter it gets, btw.  Helpful if you need a whiter icing)

Slowly add powdered sugar until well blended.  That's it! 

No need for extra vanilla or other flavorings unless you want to.  I use this as a base for my chocolate BC and all other flavors like lemon and coconut.  It's very versatile.  But it's perfect with red velvet and carrot cake as written. 

HTH! 

carmijok's c/c recipe is awesome. I make it all the time since she first posted it on this site.

carmijok's c/c recipe is awesome. I make it all the time since she first posted it on this site.