Recipe Talk

Does anyone have a good natural vegan frosting recipe? Vanilla or Chocolate

Easy Vegan Buttercream Frosting Recipe

1 cup (215 grams) Regular Vegan Butter or margarine, refrigerator temperature

2 cups (260 grams) confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (24 mL) non-dairy milk

¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

? teaspoon salt

? teaspoon almond extract

1) Prepare your chilled Vegan Butter

Prepare your Vegan Butter if using. Transfer the Vegan Butter or stick margarine to a medium mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes so everything chills. This will allow the Vegan Butter to melt slowly and whip properly.

2) Whip the Vegan Butter

Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and whip on low while working your way up to high until the Vegan Butter is smooth. This should take about 30 seconds.

3) Beat in the confectioners sugar

Add the confectioners sugar and beat on high until the sugar has been moistened by the Vegan Butter, about another 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl down towards the center with a spatula.

4) Beat in the rest of the ingredients

Add the non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, salt, almond extract and beat on high until the frosting is smooth and slightly fluffy, about 4 minutes. Due to coconut oil having a melting temperature of 77F (25C), beating beyond 4 minutes can result in the frosting melting if you’re using a Vegan Butter that contains this oil. If this happens or if you’re working in an especially hot kitchen, don’t hesitate to place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator briefly to give the frosting a chance to firm back up slightly. Keep in mind that your cake will need to be kept below 77F (25C) in order for the frosting to maintain its shape on the cake. If you’d prefer a frosting that stays put in higher temperatures, look to Vegan Butter made with cocoa butter which has a melting temperature of 93-100F (34 to 38C) which is closer to the melting temperature of milkfat found in most traditional frosting recipes.

Find out more about the melting temperatures of fats.
5) Chill the vegan frosting breifly for optimal texture

After whipping, place the frosting in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to firm it up enough to apply to a cake. Store the frosting in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Remove it from the refrigerator about 2 hours before using so it can soften accordingly. This recipe makes about 1 ¾ cups of Easy Vegan Buttercream Frosting which is enough to frost one layer of an 8 inch round cake

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Fluffy Creamy Vegan Frosting

This recipe comes from the writers of my all-time favorite cookbook, Veganomicon. It's everything you want in a frosting: fluffy, creamy, sweet (just rightly), and substantial enough that it stays put. Delicious on it's own and a great base to transform into other flavors as it suits you. I whipped it up in a food processor, as suggested in a review on the Post Punk Kitchen website, but I'll include here both sets of instructions, in case you've got a handy dandy electric mixer at your disposal. This version is slightly adapted from the original.

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Ingredients Nutrition

Yield
1 1/2 cups
Units
US 1?2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance is nice if you can find it. I've also used Fleischmann's Unsalted, Blue Bonnet Light, )
3 cups powdered sugar (ideally, it would be sifted)
1?3 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Food Processor Instructions:.
Pulse the margarine in a food processor, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the soymilk and vanilla extract and pulse a few more times. Do not worry if it's not totally blended yet.
Add the powdered sugar in three or so portions. Add one third and blend. Add another third and blend. Add the last bit and whirl it until fully incorporated and the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract and whirl it around another few seconds.
Spread on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, ritz crackers, whatever suits your fancy!
Mixer Instructions, more or less as posted on the Post Punk Kitchen website:.
Melt the margarine. I put it in a small bowl and microwave it, then use a plastic spatula to get it all out into the metal bowl.
Add powdered sugar and soymilk, then beat on medium for about a minute, or until it's a good consistency for spreading.
Stir in extracts and frost away!
ALSO suggested:
The original recipe is for chocolate frosting - add 2/3 cup cocoa powder before adding sugar in either form of preparation, and add 1 1/2 tsp almond extract with the vanilla.
This would also be lovely with a little citrus zest - add orange or lemon zest with the extracts.