Cream Cheese Cake with Luscious Frosting

This cake uses not one, but two full blocks of cream cheese—one baked right into the batter, and another whipped into the frosting. The result is a dense yet fluffy crumb that melts in your mouth, with just enough tang to keep things interesting.

It bakes beautifully in a simple 9×13-inch dish, making it easy to slice, serve, and share. And while it’s delicious fresh from the oven, it’s even better chilled—so don’t skip the step of popping it in the fridge before serving.

Ingredients

For the Cake

Component	Ingredient	Amount
Dairy	Cream cheese	1 (8 oz) block, softened
Oil	Vegetable oil	¾ cup
Sweetener	Granulated sugar	2 cups
Eggs	Large eggs	3
Flavoring	Vanilla extract	1½ tsp
Dry base	All-purpose flour	3 cups
Leavening	Baking powder	1 tbsp
Seasoning	Salt	1½ tsp
Liquid	Buttermilk	1¼ cups

For the Frosting

Component	Ingredient	Amount
Fat	Unsalted butter	1 cup (2 sticks), softened
Dairy	Cream cheese	1 (8 oz) block, softened
Flavoring	Vanilla extract	2 tsp
Seasoning	Salt	½ tsp
Sweetener	Powdered sugar	4–5 cups (adjust for consistency)

Step 1 – Preheat Oven

• Heat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Step 2 – Mix Wet Ingredients

• Beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
• Add oil and sugar; mix well.
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Stir in vanilla.

Step 3 – Add Dry Ingredients

• In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Add to wet mixture, stirring just until combined.

Step 4 – Finish Batter

• Pour in buttermilk and gently mix until smooth. Do not overmix.

Step 5 – Bake

• Pour batter into prepared dish.
• Bake 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely before frosting.

Step 6 – Frost

• Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
• Add vanilla and salt.
• Gradually mix in powdered sugar until fluffy and spreadable.
• Frost cooled cake. Chill before serving for best texture.

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