Don’t go running away at the title – this icing is anything but gross. It’s a sweet, rich, and workable icing that you can use for cakes, cookies, or anything else you might be decorating.
There are only three critical components for any kind of buttercream-like icing. You need a fat, a protein, and sugar.
Typically, butter is the fat. This is what makes the icing soooo rich and delicious. So for a vegan version, we will simply use a vegan butter. Typically this stuff is rather pricey (but so is real butter, damn), but I find that this icing whips up just fine using Becel’s vegan margarine. It’s widely accessible and a pretty good all-purpose vegan spread.
Why do we need a protein? I learned about this from another blog (long forgotten, sorry). The protein is going to provide structure for the whipped icing. If you only used butter + sugar, you’d end up with something smooth, not fluffy.
Typically dairy has enough protein to get the job done, so a splash of milk is added along with the butter. We can use a plant-based milk in it’s place! But, note, you specifically have to use soy milk. This is because it has a lot of protein in it, whereas other milks (like almond) do not. You can use a plain unsweetened soy milk, which is what I choose, or one with vanilla flavour if you want to modify the amount of vanilla extract you use.
I don’t actually think I need to give any explanation for sugar. You know what that does!
Vanilla Icing
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or margarine
- 1 tbsp soy milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup icing sugar (+ more as needed)
Instructions
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Soften the butter until it is room temperature and workable.
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In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and milk. Mix them lightly to combine, and start adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time.
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Use electric beaters to make the job easier. Continue adding sugar as it dissolves into the butter.
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If after 1 cup you haven't reached the desired consistency, continue adding more sugar a tablespoon at a time. It should get fluffy and strong enough to stand up to being piped into rosettes.
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Once fully whipped up, add the vanilla extract and blend in thoroughly. You could also add some food colouring at this stage, if you wanted.
An additional note: You can increase the amount of icing you make by increasing the butter and milk (keeping the ratio more or less the same). I find it much easier to add the sugar gradually and judge based on texture rather than prescribe a very specific measurement, but these ratios should work out for a small batch of icing.
