Amazing Not-Too-Sweet Cream Cheese Icing

Computer Board Brownie Birthday Cake...

...Carrot Cake Cupcake...

...Red Velvet Cupcakes... 

...a little Red Velvet Birthday Cake...

...Big Red Velvet Birthday Cake...

...and a slice of that big ol' Red Velvet Birthday Cake...

What do all these cakes have in common? (Aside from the fact most of them are Red Velvet...)

You know it! Cream Cheese Icing... which is, basically, the bestest, most yummiest kind of frosting in the world... along with all the other kinds of frosting, off course!

Now, the problem a lot of people have with frosting is that it is really, really sweet... a direct result of all the icing sugar needed to make it stiff and fluffy... and not just butter or cream cheese with a bit of vanilla stirred in.

You'll often see question in the comments section "But *insert type of frosting here* is really sweet and it hurts my teeth... is there any way to make it less sweet?" and the answer is often "No - it's sweet because of the icing/confectioner's/powdered sugar... and you need all that sugar to get the right texture for the frosting"...

But... there is something else in your pantry with a very similar texture to icing sugar... and it isn't sweet... what I'm thinking of is... CORNFLOUR!!! (also know as cornstarch, I believe?)

Now, I'm not saying I'm the first to come up with this theory... but as far as I came up with it all by myself. :) And it really works for me! I just take out one 1/4 of the icing sugar the frosting recipe calls for and sub in that same quantity of cornflour... et voila! Frosting with the same texture you need but not as sweet as you dread...

I wouldn't sub any more than a quarter of the sugar for flour because then you start to taste it a little bit, which is kinda average. But a 1/4 or less and you have the same taste, only less sweet. Excellent!

Read on for my converted recipe for cream cheese icing...

EDIT: I have successful used this method for buttercream frosting too!
The quantities here make (and I believe this is the technical term...) a shit-tonne of icing... but don't get freaked out... just halve the quantities... or try my 1/4 subbing theory on your own, favourite frosting recipe.

The following makes enough to frost 36 cup cakes, a 2 layer 6" cake and a one layer 9" cake:

500g cream cheese
125g butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 cup cornflour
5 tsp vanilla (or 2 pods worth of vanilla bean seeds)

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

First beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Sift together the sugar and cornflour.

Once the butter/creamcheese are combined beat in a little of the sugar mixture... then the vanilla... and slowly the  rest of the sugar/flour and beat until you reach your desired consistency...

Aaand frost to your little heart's content!

Enjoy!
:)