Can I decorate with Cream Cheese Icing?

XCrissCrossX

I need to decorate a cake and I really want to have pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing. I was originally planning to ice the whole cake with cream cheese and then decorate with buttercream but I'm afraid that will taste weird.

So, can I pipe decorations with a cream cheese icing?

ChristyDM82

I've never tried, but if I was going to, I would get the icing really cold first so that it would be stiffer and hopefully hold up better. Maybe practice first (like decorating a napkin or paper towel, and see how it works?)

XCrissCrossX

Okay, thanks! I guess I could practice first and if it doesn't work I could just have an undecorated pumpkin cake and then make a new cake to decorate-- No one's going to complain about having two cakes!

TarHeels&Rebels

You can to some extent.  I did it with homemade cream cheese icing for BIL's wedding cake topper.  (This was a casual, DIY wedding - nothing for the NY Times lol.)  The problem I ran into is that it has to be at just the right temperature to do anything - too cold and you can't pipe it, too warm and it completely loses shape.  It took me forever to do the part I was working on because I had to keep putting the icing back in the fridge to cool down again.

Pecswife

You need to use a crusting cream cheese frosting..like this perhaps..

 

 http://www.food.com/recipe/crusting-cream-cheese-icing-frosting-297863