Frosting is one of my favorite foods; in fact, I consider it an actual food group. After all, what is a cupcake without frosting? It’s nothing!
Lately I have been stymied when it comes to the frosting creation process. Yes, I have my delicious Vegan Chocolate Frosting recipe, however, I have been lacking in the white frosting department. For me this has presented hardship because chocolate frosting just doesn’t work with Carrot Cake and lemon cake. Besides, who wants to use just one frosting recipe on top of all of their baked delicacies?!
Yes, I do admit, making frosting without butter and sugar is quite a challenge. Though for me challenge is the name of the game. So lately, I have been on a conquest for white frosting.
Sixteen batches later, I have a delicious coconut frosting that my many taste testers approve of. Unfortunately, my most important taster is traveling this week, so I confess, I don’t have the ultimate seal of approval. However, I think it is still good enough to share with all of you.
Coconut Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup agave nectar or honey
- pinch celtic sea salt
- 5 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1¼ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk, agave and salt, simmer for 10 minutes
- In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and water to form a smooth paste
- Pour arrowroot mixture into saucepan
- Whisk vigorously to combine, then bring to a boil, briefly, until shiny
- Remove pot from heat and very gradually blend in coconut oil with a hand blender
- Allow pot to cool for 10 minutes
- Place pot in refrigerator for 45-120 minutes, until frosting solidifies and turns white
- Remove from refrigerator and blend again with a hand blender, until fluffy
- Spread over cake or cupcakes
Equipment
This frosting will be great on the carrot cake which I am in the process of creating for ~M, one of my favorite readers. She finished school this month and I will post the recipe in honor of her graduation.
On another note, you may have noticed that I recently added a feature to the side bar of this site. It is a survey which polls readers as to which recipe they would like me to whip up next. Check it out and post your vote –for Chocolate Cupcakes, Mango Chicken or Candy Bars.
ItalianCypress says
Per previous comments I made sure I boiled the arrowroot well. It became very sticky so I figured it was done. I got a thick syrup as a result. I stuck it in the freezer for a while and it lightened and thickened. I ran it through a blender and it did thicken more but not enough. I have it back in the freezer again. What was left on the whisk has dried in place so I am crossing my fingers that it is going to turn into frosting. ^_^
Jenn says
Could I use maple syrup in place of the agave nectar? I’m using this for a carrot cake recipe also.
Katrina says
I made this frosting for my Son’s first birthday cake.. It was a hit. I changed the recipe a little though. I used Xylitol instead of agave nectar. As Xylitol is a natural 5 carbon sugar, so there is no insulin spike, so diabetics can have it. I live in Australia, and it is summer here right now. I had to be really quick with this frosting so it didn’t melt.. but it was perfect. I will keep this recipe. thank you
Jamie says
How many cupcakes does this size batch cover?
Kerstyn says
Hmmm didn’t work out for me didn’t turn white and just looked like a bowl of runny toffee
Daphne Medina says
HI Elana,
I wanted to ask about this recipe…I made it tonight and I didnt have arrowroot so I used tapioca starch. Otherwise I followed the directions. It separated into two layers while in the fridge–the coconut oil white layer and my caramel colored agave/starch layer.
I never really turned white….my agave is raw and a little dark; could this be why? I was able to get a great whipped buttercream texture, and the flavor is good–just not the lovely white color. Can you advise?
Thank you and I love the site!
Daphne
siobhan says
Looking forward to making this for my little boy’s birthday cake this week, am going to pair it with the chocolate cake and decorate with pirates! – I wonder how long the icing would keep for in advance or does it need to be made on or before the day of use? Would anybody know? Thanks!
audra says
I made this recipe with amber agave nectar not realizing it would make my icing brown….and sort of carmelized in taste. very good. next time i will use the clear agave nectar.
Lauren B says
I love your “new” (?) comment button, Elana! It’s straight to the point (and a bit cheeky!). ;)
I tried this frosting with some cashews blended it and loved it! Goes lovely as a filling for yellow cake. Linked to it in the my latest post. I’m always impressed by your recipes, Elana.
Kari Breed says
THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING FROSTING I HAVE EVER TASTED!!!! We substituted 1/4 honey simply bc we ran out of agave. I also dyed it with raspberry juice on the last step to make it pink when I put it into a food processor to whip it. We used arrowroot “flour” rather than powder but from a little research I think it is is the same thing, please correct me if I am wrong.
Word to the wise:
FYI ours did clump up and look terrible in the process of making it. We thought we had failed BUT it worked fine after we let this sit in the refrigerator overnight. It helped the frosting harden and whiten up nicely. Another FYI – this is a very difficult first recipe if you have not used arrowroot before. Definitely make a test run of icing before your big day so you are not in a bind if it doesn’t work out…. Hahaha- like we thought we were!
Thank you Elana! We got a million compliments at my daughter’s princess party. I made a two tiered round banana cake (the one featured on your site) and iced it with pink coconut icing. We refrigerated the cake until leaving time and the icing held up nicely indoors through the entire party. SUCESS!