I have a friend who has asked me to make a cake for her daughter's wedding in October. Some other family members are making cupcakes (which is actually more my specialty), but she has asked me to make a small 2-tiered cake for the couple to cut for pictures. The bride really wants red velvet with cream cheese icing. I'm really concerned about this because the reception is going to be in a barn in the midwest in October. October can be cold or warm or rainy ... it's difficult to know what the weather will be like. I told her that cream cheese icing really needs to be refrigerated, but she really wants it. Now she thinks that maybe it can just be the filling. I'm still uneasy about this.

I was thinking about playing around with some cheesecake instant pudding in buttercream to give it a cream cheese taste. Does anybody have any advice? I am really concerned about food poisoning.

This might help...
http://www.earlenescakes.com/icings.htm

Sugar is a preservative. You really don't have to worry about it. I mean, how often have you eaten a refrigerated piece of cake from a restaurant because it had a cream cheese frosting? Ever see a carrot cake in an unrefrigerated display case at a bakery...or even at the grocery store?

I've had cake out for days that I and my family have eaten and no one's gotten sick. You're talking about a few hours at a wedding. If you're that worried about it, deliver a cold cake and let it come to room temp slowly. I do. A cold cake is easier to deliver too. .

I use an icing that has cream cheese in it, but it's not as 'loose' as a standard cream cheese frosting. It crusts great too.
I use 2 sticks of real butter (salted) (8 ounces)
1 8 ounce box of cream cheese
2 lbs powdered sugar. Cream the softened butter and cream cheese together well, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix well. That's it. It tastes great and is my go-to buttercream on all my cakes.

This is my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe and it doesn't require refrigeration.

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Thanks for the recipes. I was doing some reading and there are all different kinds of opinions on this subject. I read not to leave out more than an hour and I read leave out for days. Some of the material was a couple of years old but some of it was recent. The more I read, the more unsure I became.

You can make a decision at the last minute based on the weather report.

The Jell-o powdered instant cheesecake mix doesn't taste much like cheesecake. You have to mix it with yogurt as well as milk to make it taste real.

Icing made with this won't go bad under the warmest conditions that you mention. You can swear on whatever holy book you like that it's cheesecake filling (read the label), and it won't make anybody sick.

I think somebody posted such a recipe somewhere in the CC recipes.

For the record...I don't buy cheesecake or cream cheese frosted cake unless it's ICE COLD. I worked the overnight shift in a grocery store and I have seen cases of cheese and eggs sitting out on the floor after the truck dropped them in the daytime, until the night crew got to stacking them into the fridge. So I know that there is no reason to assume that perishable ingredients have been stored properly...

Again, sugar is a preservative. My niece who has worked in the food service industry overseeing kitchens and opening restaurants all over the country for over 15 years tells me that the chances of getting food poisoning from dessert products like cake with frosting --including cream cheese frosting -- is slim to none. If it is not cross contaminated with something that could trigger bacteria growth...like say raw chicken or eggs, then there is no problem with it. Sugar (like salt) is a preservative. I'm not saying leave your cake or frosting out for weeks or months, but for the duration of a wedding...or just even overnight...there is no reason to worry about it.

And to srkmilklady; yes you can use unsalted butter, but it does need a little salt to counterbalance the sweetness. This is the only frosting recipe I use so yes...it crusts very nicely. You can check out my photos. I don't cover with fondant...just the decor. And the recipe doesn't call for vanilla. Surprising I know, but it really doesn't need it. However you can add whatever extracts and fruit zests you want to it. It's delicious. Try it with flaked coconut...OMG...too good.

Thanks carmijok...I am making a cake for my Mom's birthday this weekend and I am definitely going to give your recipe a try!

carmijok ... I used this cream cheese recipe ... http://cakecentral.com/recipe/crusting-cream-cheese-icing ... to cover the red block on this cake ... http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2120232/lego-cake . It always looked like it was wet and melting. I had to keep putting the cake back in the fridge because I was afraid that the icing would slide right off. Since then I have stayed away from cream cheese. I took a look at your pictures and your cakes look great. After sitting out, does your cream cheese frosting still look dry and smooth?

So just to follow up on this thread, I did try Carmijok's cream cheese icing recipe yesterday on a cake for my Mom's birthday. I have to say it came out GREAT!

My Mom isn't a big fan of fondant so I decided to make a "Hummingbird Cake" (bananas and pineapple and pecans, filled with dulce de leche) frosted with the cream cheese icing recipe that Carmijok posted. We had a party at my daughter's house for my Mom and the cake sat out for about 3 hours in total before it was served. There was still some cake left and my daughter said they had more today and it tasted just as good and looked as good as it did yesterday.

It was so easy to make and it was great to work with and most of all it tasted delish! My youngest daughter is being married in October this year and she now wants this cake with the cream cheese icing as one of her tiers.

Thanks carmijok!!


My plumerias didn't come out the greatest but it didn't matter because the cake tasted soooo good!

srkmilklady, your cake is beautiful. carmijok, i only use butter in my cream cheese icing. The one using some shortening is ok, but not as good as the butter and cream cheese only. You are correct, it is ok to sit out for as long as a few hrs. and then the next day. I make carrot cakes all the time. I don,t keep in fridge after cutting it. Then it is gone by next day. Too good to stay around. lol!!!

http://cakecentral.com/recipe/wedding-crusting-cream-cheese-frosting

This is the one I use with very good results.