4-Ingredient Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

March 31, 2024

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This vegan cream cheese frosting calls for less than 4 substances, and it makes one small batch. It’s the proper quantity for a dozen cupcakes or a single-layer sq. snack cake! The frosting is tangy, candy, and a perfect accompaniment to vegan carrot cake.

An overhead image of a squiggle of vegan cream cheese frosting, piped onto a flat white surface.

It’s springtime, the season of blossoming foliage, longer days, and gentler temperatures.

Inexperienced issues are beginning to pop up on the farmer’s market: snap peas, asparagus spears, fava beans, and shelling peas.

There are holy days to look at and have fun inside many various faiths and religious traditions.

Maybe least importantly—but very fortunately—it’s additionally carrot cake season.

I’ve mentioned it many instances earlier than, however I’m at all times completely satisfied to declare: vegan cake is my all-time favourite dessert, and carrot cake is my all-time favourite cake!

No vegan carrot cake is full with out swirls of vegan cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting can also be the proper go-to frosting for any one who likes a frosted cake, but finds conventional buttercream to be a bit of sickly candy.

In that spirit, I’m sharing my favourite recipe for vegan cream cheese frosting. It has an ideal consistency for piping or spreading, it’s tremendous straightforward to make, and it’s sufficient for one small batch.

If you happen to want sufficient frosting for a layer cake or a big sheet-pan cake, don’t fear: the frosting recipe will be doubled and even tripled.

What’s cream cheese frosting?

Most frosting that’s used for piping requires a basis of butter.

To the butter—or vegan butter, for a plant-based frosting recipe—one provides powdered sugar and any vital add-ins, corresponding to synthetic shade or taste extracts.

Cream cheese frosting, then again, makes use of a mixture of butter and cream cheese because the creamy base.

The results of this change-up is frosting that’s rather less candy than conventional buttercream. As a result of cream cheese is tangy, it provides some brightness and acidity to a doubtlessly cloying icing.

I additionally discover that cream cheese frosting, regardless of its wealthy consistency, has a lighter high quality general than buttercream.

For each of those causes, and particularly as a result of I like acidic flavors, vegan cream cheese frosting is my primary alternative for all of my frosted muffins and cupcakes.

A dairy-free spin on a dessert basic

To make cream cheese frosting vegan, it’s vital to make use of two non-traditional, dairy-free alternate options: vegan butter and vegan cream cheese.

The very best vegan butter for frosting

Plenty of completely different vegan butters will work properly for the frosting. I’ve examined the recipe with the entire following:

My feeling is that the butters with decrease melting factors are optimum. I’ve had essentially the most secure and constant outcomes with Earth Stability and For:A.

Nonetheless, I’ve but to strive a stable, industrial vegan butter that merely doesn’t work within the recipe.

If you happen to use a vegan butter that appears to melt shortly in a warm-ish room, pay attention to the truth that it is going to be greatest to organize the frosting shortly and in cool circumstances. That method, you’ll be able to keep away from a batch of overly delicate or melting frosting.

In any other case, you need to use your favourite vegan butter model right here.

What kind of cream cheese ought to I take advantage of?

As soon as once more, I’ve tried to check and pattern a variety of choices. I’ve made batches of this vegan cream cheese frosting with:

Amongst these, I’ve two clear favorites: Tofutti and Kite Hill.

The previous has a pleasant, agency texture, and it’s choice for these with nut allergy symptoms.

The latter, Kite Hill, is my favourite for taste. Its tanginess is unmatched, which results in a balanced frosting.

Nonetheless, as with the selection of butter, I haven’t but examined a vegan cream cheese that was a catastrophe or just didn’t work within the recipe.

Remember that each the butter and the cream cheese that you simply select needs to be at room temperature earlier than you make the frosting.

This doesn’t imply scorching or virtually melting! Intention for butter and cream cheese which might be every stable, but not chilly.

The benefit of a small batch

Hear, I like frosting, however there are only a few situations by which I must have a ton of it readily available.

Particularly, I want a bigger quantity of frosting once I’m making a layer cake or a bigger sheet pan cake.

The remainder of the time, I are inclined to make easy snack muffins and batches of cupcakes. For these functions, a modest quantity of frosting actually does the trick.

The vegan cream cheese frosting that I’m sharing in the present day offers you sufficient for a dozen cupcakes or for icing an 8-inch / 20cm or 9-inch / 23cm sq. snack cake.

A vegan cupcake has been swirled with a rich, pale colored cream cheese frosting.

You’ll be able to simply double the recipe for frosting a layer cake, corresponding to my beloved vegan carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Find out how to make vegan cream cheese frosting

The steps for making this frosting are fairly easy.

Earlier than I describe them, I ought to notice that I normally make this recipe in my stand mixer, however the recipe works properly with a handheld mixer, too.

Right here’s what you’ll do.

Step 1: Beat the butter and cream cheese

First, you’ll beat the butter and cream cheese collectively for 3 minutes, or till they’re very easy and simply turning into fluffy.

An overhead image of a white bowl, filled with butter and cream cheese. It rests on a white surface. — Vegan butter and cream cheese are the wealthy base of this plant-based frosting.

You must do that on medium low pace, no matter the kind of mixer that you simply’re utilizing. If you happen to use a stand mixer, be sure you use the paddle attachment for this job.

Step 2: Add confectioner’s sugar

Subsequent, you’ll add two cups of confectioner’s sugar (aka powdered sugar) to the bowl. Combine the sugar along with the butter and cream cheese on low pace for 2 minutes.

An overhead image of a white bowl, filled with powdered sugar and a creamy base of butter. — Confectioners sugar needs to be added to the frosting solely after you cream collectively the butter and cream cheese.

Then, elevate the pace to medium low and proceed mixing for 2-3 minutes, or till the frosting may be very easy and light-weight. Add your vanilla extract, then combine for 30 seconds extra: simply sufficient to include the vanilla totally.

Step 3: Use or retailer

At this level, you need to use the frosting instantly or retailer it for future use.

If you happen to plan to frost a cake or cupcakes quickly (inside 2 hours), you’ll be able to cowl the frosting and depart it in on a countertop till you’re prepared to make use of it. Nonetheless, it’s best to ensure that your room is comparatively cool, in order that the frosting doesn’t get overly delicate.

If you happen to’d like to make use of the frosting inside a couple of days, you’ll be able to switch it to an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 1 week. Be sure you carry the frosting to room temperature earlier than you’re employed with it.

Lastly, you’ll be able to freeze the frosting for as much as 8 weeks. Defrost it within the fridge in a single day, then enable it to return to room temperature earlier than you employ it for adornment.

An image of a white bowl, which is filled with freshly beaten vegan cream cheese frosting. — Vegan cream cheese will be saved within the fridge for a couple of days or frozen for 2 months, in the event you’d prefer to get a head begin on any dessert.

Find out how to work with cream cheese frosting

This frosting works fantastically for swirls and spreading—I like to make use of a small, invert spatula for this—or for piping.

This weblog put up captures a few of my favourite suggestions and methods for getting snug with piping and cake adorning!

Which recipes would work properly with the frosting?

To be sincere, I like this cream cheese frosting with so many various muffins and cupcakes. However listed below are a couple of of those that I believe it’s greatest fitted to:

I’m positive that you simply’ll consider numerous nice treats to adorn with this creamy, tasty frosting. Right here’s the recipe.