Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 12 ounces milk, any percentage will do (about 1 1/2 cups; 340g)
• 8 ounces sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons; 225g)
• 1 1/2 ounces cornstarch (about 1/3 cup)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (15g)
• 16 ounces full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (8 tbsp, 1/2 cup)
• ¾ lb powdered sugar (more or less, depends how stiff you need the frosting to be)
• Pinch of salt (about ¼ tsp)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (15g)
• Juice of half a lemon

For the custard: 1. whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl, followed by the eggs. 2. Heat milk to a simmer. Pour the warmed milk, ½ cup at a time, over the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour the lumpy mixture into a pot and heat for 5 mins till it bubbles sluggishly. The mixture cannot go over 180 F. Stir constantly, it should be smooth by the end of 5 mins. 3. Stir in vanilla extract. Put custard into a holding bowl and place in the fridge, it should be good for up to one week. You can sieve it through a fine mesh to make it smoother.

For the frosting 1. Place cream cheese and butter in bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, at least 5 mins. Add vanilla and lemon juice to taste and scrape the sides of the bowl. 2. Gradually add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture on low speed till well blended and smooth. Add room temperature custard one large spoonful at a time to get the consistency you desire, I usually use 75% to 100% of the batch, depending on what decorations I'm going to pipe. Frosting should be thick enough to hang upside down from a spoon. Drizzle in juice of a lemon, up to half a lemon, and/or add lemon zest to make the icing more tangy.

bon appetit