About The Milk & Cream
The milk I have chosen to use here is a local milk, but it is also one of the milks that has been pasteurized at higher than normal temperatures .
I have selected this to use here because this is a milk that is becoming more and more common on store shelves.
As you will see in the following photos this does form a very wonderful cream cheese with super flavor and texture.
The cream is ultra-pasteurized, as you can see by the label here. This is not a problem, though, because the cream portion is just for the butterfat.
The milk portion will provide the proteins for curd formation and should not be ultra-pasteurized.
Some of our customers have tried using just half and half for their cream cheese but this often tends to be ultra-pasteurized and will not form a good solid curd since all of the proteins have been damaged in the process. If you do find half and half that is not ultra-pasteurized, that will work for a very rich cheese since it has a higher fat content than the recipe I provide. This may also be more difficult to drain since the butterfat holds the moisture.
If you do have access to raw milk, you will find that you may need to use less culture and that your ripening times are less. Your curd may also be firmer and you may find that the cheese drains faster. If you pay attention to the ripening and draining cues in the following process, you should be well on track to making a great cheese from your raw milk.
Is Laughing Cow Cream Cheese
Its not easy to freeze cream cheese, but it can be done. First make sure the cream cheese has been opened and is completely unopened. Then place the cream cheese in an airtight container or plastic bag. Place the container in a cold, dark place and allow it to freeze. Once frozen, remove the cream cheese from the freezer and enjoy!
How To Use This Cream Cheese And Can You Bake With It
This cream cheese can be used just like any other, its not just for topping and eating plain, it can be baked and cooked with as well. I love to use this cream cheese in my Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting and of course in the glaze I use to finish off my No-Knead No-Machine Cinnamon Rolls! This cream cheese also acts as a great substitute for yogurt in lots of recipes, the versatility really is endless.
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Using Heat To Soften Cream Cheese
Who Invented Cream Cheese
You may be surprised to learn cream cheese was not invented by a Jew. Ill allow some time for you to process this. Cream cheese is a derivation of the French cheese Neufchatel. A farmer in the 1870s in upstate New York named William Lawrence partnered with a grocer to make a richer version of the French cheese. Eventually a cheese broker named Alvah Reynolds reached out to Lawrence to package the cheese under the name Philadelphia Cream Cheese because Philly was know as THE city for cheese. Smart marketing.
As cream cheese becomes more popular, Breakstones enters the schmear game in the 1920s and soon they were paired with the bagels and lox we know and love today.
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Why Make Your Own Cream Cheese
I know thats probably a question that some of you are asking, and I actually have the perfect answer. Because homemade cream cheese is SO much better and Im not just saying that.
Im not just talking about taste and texture either. Now, obviously I havent tried EVERY cream cheese out there but last time I was at the store I decided to have a look at the ingredients list of some of the biggest brands of cream cheese here in the UK.
What I found was E ingredients, gums and thickeners including the controversial carrageenan! Homemade cream cheese simply uses lemon juice, milk and salt and is still wonderfully smooth and creamy.
Swaps And Suggestions For Cream Cheese Frosting
This is the basic recipe. You can reduce the amount of butter if you want a bit more tang, and increase or decrease the sugar according to your taste. Dress up with ginger, vanilla bean, or coconut flakes.
Here are some fun variations!
- Add 1/2 a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and a pinch of salt for a chocolate cream cheese frosting
- Mix freshly grated or dried, flaked coconut to the frosting to make a coconut frosting
- Intensify a vanilla frosting by adding some scrapings from a fresh vanilla bean to the frosting
- Add some blueberry syrup for blueberry cream cheese frosting
- Add a tablespoon of Amaretto or a quarter teaspoon of almond extract for an almond-flavored cream cheese frosting
Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
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Back Away From The Store
After the time and care it takes you to bake up a homemade cake or a batch of soft sugar cookies, you may be tempted to pull out the tub of store-bought frosting lurking in the back of your cabinet. The problem with that high-fructose corn syrup-laden frosting is that its artificial flavor and coloring will ruin the deliciously decadent flavor of your freshly made cake.
A simple solution? This oh-so-easy cream cheese frosting thats ready in 10 minutes or less! We love cream cheese frosting because its a bit tangier and less syrupy sweet than plain frosting. Because the frosting is made with simple, on-hand ingredients like cream cheese, butter, vanilla and confectioners sugar, youll be able to pronounce everything in the recipe. Plus, this quick and effortless cream cheese frosting can be stored in the fridge for later, so youll never be tempted to go store-bought again.
Farmhouse Cream Cheese From ‘mastering Fermentation’
If you have never made your own cream cheese, this week is the week to start. And you should do so with ‘s recipe inMastering Fermentation. Made with a one-to-one ratio of cream to whole milk, this creamy spread is unabashedly rich and totally worth every bite.
Cream cheese is super easy to make, too. There’s no need to worry about cooking curds or setting up an aging chamber all you need to do is heat the dairy up, add culture, rennet, and calcium chloride , and let it incubate overnight. Then you only have half a day of draining between you and cream cheese bliss. Eat it on a bagel if you can wait for your toaster to heat up, or else lick it just straight off a spoon. I won’t tell.
Why I picked this recipe: There was no way homemade cream cheese wasn’t going to be awesome.
What worked: In terms of cheese making projects, this is a simple one, and it worked pretty much as written. The final product was wonderful, as expected. Rich, creamy, tangy, this cheese is basically crème fraîche you can slather on bagels, or else ice cream you can eat for breakfast.
Reprinted with permission from Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods by Mary Karlin. Copyright 2013. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.
Recipe Facts
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Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 This is a classic buttercream version, except that the cream cheese takes on a supporting role with the butter.
- tip 2 Frost any spiced cake or cookies with this luscious spread. Its rich flavor brings a party to a spice or carrot cake, banana bread or zucchini muffins.
- tip 3 Store any unused frosting in an airtight container refrigerate and use within 5 days. Please bring it to room temp and give it a good stir before using.
- tip 4 Add a dash of cinnamon to the frosting for a spiced flavor, or use the seeds of a vanilla bean instead of the vanilla for extra vanilla flavor.
Super Easy Homemade Cream Cheese
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How to make delicious, soft homemade Cream Cheese using a super-simple method and 3 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen
If Id know how simple it was to make DIY cream cheese, I would have been making it months ago. Somehow Ive managed to go through DIYs for DIY Homemade Ricotta Cheese and DIY: Homemade Herb Butter without trying this simple cream cheese method, which is actually a bit of in-between method of both of them.
In fact, Im still being surprised at just how many ingredients you can make/get from a single dairy product. Cream cheese, cheese, butter, buttermilk, whey and more.
Smooth and creamy soft cheese only requires three ingredients, that you probably already have Whole Milk, Lemon Juice and Salt. It can also be customised in any way youd like with herbs, pepper, sweet chilli, etc or used for a variety of sweet or savoury purposes.
You are able to experiment with the milk used as well: Combining milk and cream in equal parts instead of just using milk, or even using heavy cream alone. Obviously the more cream you use, the richer and creamier your final product. However, it would also up the fat levels.
I thought Id keep things super simple for the first time trying homemade cream cheese and I loved it so much that I didnt feel the need to complicate or change the recipe in any way.
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Softening Cream Cheese At Room Temperature
How To Store Cream Cheese
This recipe yields 1 cup of Homemade Cream Cheese, so check your cheesecake recipe and see how much Cream Cheese you need and then multiply. You can really easily double or triple this recipe. Just like any other dairy product, its important to store the cream cheese in an airtight container in the fridge. Since this is made with fresh milk, and has nothing added to preserve it, I suggest you use it within 10 days of making it.
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One Cheese Many Names
This sort of soft cheese is known by loads of different names. It is similar to Indian paneer, or German Hüttenkäse . The difference is that instead of being pressed or left as curds , it is creamed in the food processor.
Creaming the cheese in the food processor breaks up and smooths out all the curds into a rich spreadable paste. Draining for a shorter amount of time, or adding back some of the whey while blending will result in a softer cheese.
Transfer Curd Into A Colander
Once the final ripening of the milk has been reached, the curd mass should now be firm enough to be transferred with a slotted spoon to the draining cloth.
Prepare a sanitized colander. You need either 1 large or 2 medium sized since this will be a lot of curd to be drained. Line this with a double layer of the butter muslin. Make sure you have a container to collect the whey in. This can be used for cooking, drinking, etc. but not for making ricotta due to high acid.
Transfer the curd to the cloth for draining
Allow this to drain for 1-2 hours to release much of the whey.
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Why Make Homemade Cream Cheese Recipe
Whether it’s curiosity that brings you here or a desire to hone some culinary skills, there’s no denying that making it homemade makes all the difference. It’s an easy, fun way to take your other recipes up a notch.
Is your cheesecake the desert everyone looks forward to? Imagine it with homemade cream cheese. Trying to wow everyone at the office with your cheeseball? Kick it into high gear with our homemade cream cheese recipe.
Cream cheese is fantastic spread on crackers and bread, or as a base for dips, cheesecake, or frosting. If you’re just getting started making cheese at home, cream cheese is a great option for beginners. Making homemade cream cheese also gives you control over the ingredients in the foods your family eats.
, which will show you how to make your homemade cream cheese in just a few simple steps.
How To Make Flavored Cream Cheese Frosting
While a straightforward cream cheese frosting is just the thing you need for carrot cake, you might want to amp up the flavors to add more personality to your bakes. Here are some of our favorite icing flavors and how to create them:
- Almond: Add a few drops of almond extract in place of the vanilla.
- Coconut: Use that bottle of coconut extract in the pantry! Add a teaspoon to the recipe. You can even fold in toasted coconut.
- Lemon: Add a few drops of lemon extract in place of the vanilla. You can even add in a touch of lemon zest.
- Peppermint: Add a few drops of peppermint extract in place of the vanilla. Go easy with peppermint extractits super strong.
- Rum: Add a tablespoonful along with the vanilla. If you prefer rum extract, a teaspoon works.
- Strawberry: Make strawberry cream cheese frosting by pureeing three ounces of fresh berries and adding to the basic frosting recipe
Extracts, especially almond and peppermint, are fairly strong, so start slow and add more to taste.
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Tips For The Best Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use a powerful blender! The only way the frosting will end up silky and creamy is with a high powered blender like a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Ninja. If you dont have a good blender, feel free to use ½ cup of cashew butter to make it less grainy.
- Chill the frosting! The frosting is loose and liquid-y right after you blend it, so you need to chill it for a few hours or overnight to stiffen the frosting before you use it. Also, make sure the cakes and cinnamon rolls are cooled before you spread on the frosting so it doesnt melt!
- Use light colored honey or allulose to keep the frosting light colored! Although maple syrup will make a delicious vegan cream cheese frosting, it will turn the frosting a darker beige color. To keep the frosting light colored, stick with a light colored honey or liquid allulose.
What To Do With Leftover Whey
On the subject of whey, dont throw it out! Its both useful and nutritious.
- Use it as a replacement for water in bread making it makes the bread last much longer, keeping the crumb soft and tender.
- It makes a fabulous tenderiser in marinades for meat.
- Whey is full of protein, so fantastic for smoothies and shakes
- You can even use it as a toner for your skin and hair
Whey will keep several days in a covered container in the fridge so you dont have to use it right away.
Now that youve leant how to make cream cheese, why not try out my recipe for Sesame Bagels! Or whip up some frosting for my Spiced Carrot Cake Loaf? There are so many great cream cheese recipes out there!
As soon as you add the citric acid, the milk will begin to separate into cheese curds and whey.
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