I experimented a bit more with my dairy and soy free frostings, as I found that Xanthan does not only get lumpy, but is also a bit hard on the stomach for some folks!
This coconut frosting is relatively easy and quick and tastes great! It also has a better texture than my previous frosting and uses arrowroot instead of Xanthan.
1/2 tin of coconut milk a bit of erythritol to taste pinch of salt teaspoon of arrowroot, dissolved in a teaspoon of water a drop of vanilla 100 g coconut oil 20 g Nuttelex or other dairy free spread (you can use butter if not strictly vegan or dairy intolerant)
Simmer coconut milk, sweetener and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the arrowroot paste and vanilla, bring back to the boil and swiftly whisk out any lumps. The mix becomes shiny and of goopy texture. Remove saucepan from the heat source and quickly stir in coconut oil. Let cool, transfer to container and chill for 2 hours. Once nice and cool, remove from fridge and beat with the spread until it looks like frosting. Voilà! Your vegan frosting is ready to use! Great on my carrot cake! Be careful: This frosting gets very firm in the fridge, but will melt very quickly when outside the fridge.
Carrot Cake with whipped cream fillingCarrot Cake with vegan frosting
Those who think that gluten free cooking is complicated and tasteless hasn’t tried these fantastic carrot cake muffins – they are ready in a jiffy, packed with fibre (they really are satisfying!) and beta-carotene, low carb and low GI, and of course completely gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and sugar free! Have I mentioned that they are extremely yummy, too?
For all frosting addicts out there who cannot or don’t want to have milk, yes, I created a dairy free frosting that tastes like a cream cheese frosting! And no, it does NOT contain Tofutti or any other GMO-laden soy crap. It is made with coconut milk – however, you won’t taste the coconut much in the final product so don’t fret if you are not the biggest coconut fan in the world – you will still like it, I promise. You can find the recipe here and below. Update: I created a new vegan and sugar-free frosting without any nuts. Recipe here.
Alternatively, these muffins are even better filled with my vegan whipped cream! Highly recommended! (see left-hand picture above)
Watch out, these delicious little cakes will be gobbled up before you know it – so better make a bigger batch if you need them for a party! You can easily double or triple this recipe. They last well in the fridge (in fact, they taste even better the next day) and you can freeze them without any worries.
Makes 12 muffins
For the muffin batter 2 eggs or egg replacer to make it vegan 100 g of honey (can be substituted with organic maple syrup or agave nectar) 40 ml olive oil 100 g plain gluten free flour 30 g flax seed 1 teaspoon gluten free baking soda 50 g nuts (almonds and/or walnuts are best, but you can use any nuts) – more nuts improve the flavour even further 1 1/2 cups of freshly grated carrots – the more carrots, the more moist and delicious your muffins will be 1/2 teaspoon xanthan (if your gf flour mix doesn’t contain it already) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or Celtic sea salt) 1 teaspoon vanilla 10 dates (optional, but adds taste and texture – could be replaced with raisins and/or sultanas)
For the frosting 1/2 can of coconut cream (full fat or light – both work fine) 1 teaspoon of honey pinch of salt 80 g coconut oil 80 g vegan margarine (Nuttelex) or butter 1/8 teaspoon xanthan to thicken
Muffins:
-Preheat oven to 180° C
-Beat honey, eggs, oil, vanilla in a large mixing bowl until smooth
-In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, flax, soda, xanthan, salt and cinnamon
-Add to wet ingredients and beat until smooth
-Mix in carrots, nuts and dates and transfer batter to muffin pan
-Bake for 30 min or until a toothpick comes out clean
Frosting:
-Heat coconut milk, honey and salt, bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 minutes
-add xanthan, stirring continuously, bring to the boil and remove from heat – the mix should have a shiny surface
-stir in coconut oil, whisking or using a blender
-set to cool for 15 minutes and transfer to fridge for another 2 hours (the longer, the better), until mix has firmed up
-when it is thoroughly chilled, transfer coconut mix to a mixing bowl (you might need to blend it again with a stick blender to make it really smooth), add the margarine or butter and mix with hand blender for 2 minutes until thick and fluffy
-decorate muffins with the frosting using a cake decorator or silicon spatula
Enjoy!
Tips
– use sugar free orange marmalade instead of honey, to get a more tangy and zesty taste
– add some ginger to the dough for some exotic spiciness
– mix some gingerbread or pumpkin pie spice in the frosting for a delish Halloween or Xmas treat
– replace the carrots with cooked pumpkin or sweet potato for an extra luscious treat
– you can of course make this a cake instead of muffins. This recipe is enough for one round 20 cm baking pan. Double this recipe for a bigger cake.
Nat's Ladle 