We bought a cupcake frosting toy for my daughter for her birthday. It’s one of those toys which makes toy land start to cross over and become real. And since I won’t allow her to eat those instant cupcake and frosting mixes that came with the toy, she’s been asking me to make cupcakes and frosting. She’s not a cupcake die hard, but  she is a die hard fan of that frosting toy. Well with summer in and the sun out, some  chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting looked like just the thing to make everyone happy. My daughter put her toy to good use,  I got some extra frosting in the fridge and everyone loved the cupcakes. My review of the toy : It squirted, it spun and was loads of fun for the kids to use but it was really a messy affair. The frosting didn’t always gets squirted directly on top of the cake but nothing a little soap and water can’t get rid off.:) Hmmm, I think I’ll have to take a look at that toy manual again just to be sure that the fault was not ours. But what’s summer without a little mess in the kitchen? We had frosting on our clothes, on the floor, on the counter, but that’s summer. Time to get messy, get playful and enjoy being young (even better - being young at heart) and let out a whoop in the air. Wheee hoooo…! Hope you have just as much fun with this frosting recipe!

Ingredients:

8oz package Philly Cream Cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 cups confectioner’s sugar (depending on consistency and sweetness) - sifted

Method:

1. Let the cream cheese and butter come to almost room temperature. It should be soft enough to leave your finger marks easily but not too soft that it’s squishy.



2. Cut the butter and cheese into cubes



3. Then, with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter to combine.



4. Add the vanilla and beat for a few minutes until well combined.



5. Add half the sugar and beat to mix well.



6. Then add the other half until well combined.



7. Spread on cakes or cupcakes.

Tips:

• Don’t over beat the cream cheese or it will separate.
• Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the consistency you need as well as how sweet you want it to be.
• If the cream cheese is too soft, add a bit more sugar.
• Or you can leave it in the fridge to firm up a little if you want to pipe it.
• If the cream cheese is too stiff, add a little milk.
• To store, keep it in a air tight container in the fridge for about a week. Or in the freezer for about a month.