cream cheese in bowl with other ingredients

Cold cream cheese can result in a lumpy batter or frosting. Letting the cream cheese rest at room temperature for about 60 minutes is ideal, but in case you forget to pull it out of the fridge on time, here are a few ways to speed things up.

  • Cut cream cheese into small cubes and spread out on the packaging or a plate. Let sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
  • Remove cream cheese from any paper packaging but keep it in the foil packaging. Place in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
  • Remove cream cheese completely from all packaging. Microwave in 10 second bursts, flipping it after each burst, for about 30-40 seconds total.