You might think that you could just swap a safe vegan imitation cream cheese for the dairy kind in a frosting recipe. Unfortunately that does not seem to work. At all.
Fortunately I am unwilling to give up. So after several watery, slimy, rubbery, and crusty versions…some of which needed to go directly into the trash, this one worked.
I made a version a few years ago using a soy based cheese. That one is good, but now we know that soy is also on our list of not approved foods…and now Daiya has a cream cheese substitute so we decided to try it out.
Generally I am not crazy about the Daiya “cream cheese” flavor because its a bit sweet, however in a frosting like this one the sweetness is not a problem.
This recipe makes enough frosting to comfortably cover a two layer carrot cake. It is a bit stiff. If you like a softer frosting add one tablespoon of milk substitute (I use flax milk) at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Remember that it will be stiffer when chilled.
Ingredients
About 2 lbs confectioners sugar, ideally sifted
2 oz (1/4 cup) Daiya brand imitation cream cheese (contains coconut and pea protein but is soy free and vegan)
1/4 cup organic whipped Earth Balance buttery spread not packed
2 tsp GF vanilla
½ tsp salt
4 tsp flax milk
Equipment
One electric mixer
Measuring cups & spoons
1 spatula
Containers for chilling
Instructions
Put Daiya spread and EB spread into bowl of mixer and mix on low just until mixed (about 20 seconds).
Add vanilla and salt and incorporate
Sift sugar by either by sifting or by pushing through a colander. You really just want to get rid of lumps.
Incorporate the sugar into the mixer one cup at time. Gradually add the remaining sugar running the mixer as little as possible. When it gets too stiff add the milk one teaspoon at a time.
You can chill the frosting before spreading, but it is ready to use right away
