25 Decadent Desserts with Cream Cheese Frosting

Desserts with cream cheese frosting are always a favorite. Go beyond basic carrot cake and check out even more ways to enjoy this sweet topping.

Desserts with cream cheese frosting are some of the most decadent out there. From carrot cake to pumpkin bars to red velvet cake, these treats are absolute classics.

So grab a few bricks of cream cheese, plenty of confectioners’ sugar and get ready to bake!

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Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A pleasingly moist cake, this treat is the one I requested that my mom make each year for my birthday. It's dotted with sweet carrots and a hint of cinnamon. The fluffy buttery frosting is scrumptious with chopped walnuts stirred in. One piece of this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is never enough—it's better than all the other carrot cakes I've tried! —Kim Orr, West Grove, Pennsylvania
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Red Velvet Pound Cake

No list of desserts with cream cheese frosting is complete without red velvet cake! This delicious red velvet pound cake is the perfect combination of flavors. Make sure the cake has cooled before icing it; for extra crunch sprinkle some roasted pecans on top. —Robin Smith, Old Fort, North Carolina
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Lemon Sheet Cake

Lemon pie filling lends a splash of citrus flavor to a convenient cake mix, and a rich cream cheese frosting gives it sweetness. My family likes this lemon sheet cake cold, so I cut it into squares and freeze it before serving. —Alyce Dubisar, North Bend, Oregon
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Coconut Cupcakes

I took these coconut cupcakes to a picnic one year, and they went like hotcakes! I should have made a double batch. With their creamy frosting and sprinkling of coconut, they appeal to just about anybody. —Judy Wilson, Sun City West, Arizona
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Chocolate Guinness Cake

One bite and everyone will propose a toast to this silky-smooth chocolate Guinness cake. The cream cheese frosting reminds me of the foamy head on a perfectly poured pint. —Marjorie Hennig, Seymour, Indiana
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Cinnamon Roll Macarons

These macarons are a fall and winter staple for me. Inspired by the classic cinnamon roll, they are a delicious treat for a cold or snowy day. These pair well with a mug of tea, and can be eaten as a dessert or just a snack. Other fillings would work well with this—including custard, mousse, ganache or other buttercream.
—Elizabeth Ding, El Cerrito, California
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Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are the ultimate fall treat. But my family likes them so much, they ask me to make them all year long! —Brenda Keller, Andalusia, Alabama
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Key Lime Pound Cake

This Key lime pound cake was inspired from a basic pound cake recipe that I like to play around with. It’s now the only cake requested at every gathering. The unfrosted cake freezes well. —Pat Stewart, Canton, Georgia
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Million Dollar Cake

Pineapple and mandarin oranges give this easy cake a refreshing, tropical twist. With cake mix and pudding mix as ingredients, it is a breeze to put together when you’re short on prep time. Plus, it needs to chill before serving, so it’s a perfect make-ahead dessert for potlucks and parties! —Rashanda Cobbins, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

These easy pumpkin cookies are pleasantly spiced. Everyone enjoys the soft, cake-like texture, too. —Lisa Chernetsky, Luzerne, Pennsylvania
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Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I make these banana bars with cream cheese frosting whenever I have ripe bananas on hand, then store them in the freezer to share later. With creamy frosting and big banana flavor, this treat is a real crowd-pleaser. —Debbie Knight, Marion, Iowa
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Cranberry Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

When I place a pan of these bars in the teachers' lounge and come back after the last bell, the pan is always empty. I'd say that's a good thing. White chocolate chips and cranberries make them extra special. —Mirella Hackett, Chandler, Arizona
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Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies

These whoopie pies are soft, cakey cookies studded with tart, juicy blueberries and filled with tangy cream cheese frosting. I take them to family and school events and they are always the first thing gone! Be sure to continually scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula while making the batter and frosting. —Kathy Martino, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Zucchini Walnut Cake

What gardener doesn’t have extra zucchini? When it is abundant, I shred and freeze plenty so I have it on hand to bake this moist zucchini cake with walnuts all year long. The cream cheese frosting is yummy, and the big panful always goes fast at a picnic or potluck. —Marie Hoyer, Hodgenville, Kentucky
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Italian Cream Cheese Cake

Buttermilk makes every bite of this awesome Italian cream cheese cake recipe moist and flavorful. I rely on this recipe year-round. —Joyce Lutz, Centerview, Missouri
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Rhubarb Custard Bars

Once I tried these rich, gooey bars, I just had to have the recipe so I could make them for my family and friends. The shortbread-like crust and the rhubarb and custard layers inspire people to find rhubarb that they can use to fix a batch for themselves. —Shari Roach, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Everyone gets a kick out of this fun take on the popular red velvet cake. Take a shortcut and use packaged cream cheese frosting for the filling. —Judi Dexheimer, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
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Orange Juice Cake

This orange juice cake recipe is a perfect showcase for our Florida oranges, with juice in the cake and marmalade in the frosting. Everyone comments on how moist the cake is. —Terry Bray, Auburndale, Florida
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Carrot Cupcakes

To try to get my family to eat more vegetables, I often hide nutritional foods inside sweet treats. Now we can have our cake and eat our vegetables too! —Doreen Kelly, Roslyn, Pennsylvania
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Nutty Pie-Crust Cookies

I like Italian cream cake, so I used it as inspiration for this cookie recipe. The splash of orange liqueur in the filling is my special touch. —Sonji McCarty-Onezine, Beaumont, Texas
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Carrot Sheet Cake

We sold pieces of this to-die-for carrot cake at an art show. Before long, we sold all 10 cakes we had made! —Dottie Cosgrove South El Monte, California
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Chocolate Bavarian Torte

Whenever I take this eye-catching torte to a potluck, I get so many requests for the recipe. —Edith Holmstrom, Madison, Wisconsin
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Hummingbird Cupcakes

Turn the traditional hummingbird cake—flavored with pineapple, bananas and walnuts—into a bite-sized treat with these moist cupcakes. —Jessie Oleson, Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

As a mother of three sons, sweets are a staple in my kitchen! I buy ripe fruit on sale and freeze it to make this cake. My banana cake with cream cheese frosting is a favorite among loved ones at my family picnics and dinners. —Bonnie Krause, Irvona, Pennsylvania

Lisa Kaminski
Lisa is a former Taste of Home editor and passionate baker. During her tenure, she poured her love of all things sweet (and sometimes savory) into Bakeable, Taste of Home's baking club. Lisa also dedicated her career here to finding and testing the best ingredients, kitchen gear and home products for our Test Kitchen-Preferred program. At home, you'll find her working on embroidery and other crafts.