Search for the Perfect Frosting: Part 5

So, I know I promised pictures but that was before I realized that the camera was AWOL. Anyway, I finally came up with a solution for my frosting and it was a tasty one at that!

Of course, afterwards I found this product, which I will be ordering in the near future.

So, my corn-free vegan white frosting recipe:

1 cup vegan cream cheese (with the ingredients closely checked for allergens)
1 cup Jungle Vegan Shortening (be careful keeping this at room temp if you don't have AC, it melts quickly)
2 cups arrowroot or tapioca starch, sifted
6 tbsp Agave Nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp Stevia liquid extract (this can be found in the vitamin area at whole foods)
1 tsp other flavoring to taste (mint, coffee, lemon, orange, almond, you name it
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

I made this with a kitchen aide mixer, however a hand mixer will work too. You can mix by hand but it will be less fluffy and more dense.

In the bowl, blend cream cheese and shortening until mixed, soft and pliable (basically until they are spreading themselves around the side of the bowl).

Add 3 tbsp of agave nectar, mix.

Add 1 cup starch by sifting, mix until combined as well as possible

Add Vanilla and other flavoring and Stevia. Mix

Add remaining cup of starch by sifting and combine as well as possible (it will be dry at this point)

Add remaining 3 tbsp of agave nectar and combine.

If frosting is still dry at this point, add 1 tbsp of water and mix. If still dry add a second tbsp. Taste for sweetness. If you desire it to be sweeter, add more stevia to taste a tsp at a time. If you desire any flavor to be stronger, at a 1/2 tsp at a time, mixing together each time you add something. Make sure to continually scrape down the sides of the bowl as well.

Mix on high for five minutes. Add cream of tartar (gives it a little bit of body) and mix on high for another three minutes

Now go decorate your baked good!

Search for the Perfect Frosting: Part 4

Bwahah! I have stumbled upon something quite successful.

So my miniature test run of making frosting with the starch first and sweetener second has been successful. However, I added really really dark cocoa and I can't seem to get rid of that little bit of dark chocolate sour. So I think when I make my "real" batch I am going to sweeten it first, and then add in cocoa. Or maybe I'll just make almond frosting. Who knows.

More later updates to come later as the project progresses.

Search for the Perfect Frosting: Part 3

Well, making my own powdered sugar was a failure. I just do not have the grinding power to make the sugar into small enough granules as to have it actually combine properly into the frosting. What I succeeded in making was very gritty, albeit tasty, chocolate frosting.

So my initial failure has had me thinking about how I could fix this texture problem without compromising taste.

Since the frosting has to be egg free and corn free, Italian Butter Creme and most Glazes are out of the question. I am not really a fan of glazes anyway for anything other than a pound cake.

However, it occurred to me that the essential component that the powdered sugar provides to the frosting is less the sweetness and more the fluffy texture when binding with the oil (butter, shortening, etc) in question. And that it can be sweetened post mixing, if i can aquire the proper texture. Much like one adds flavoring such as vanilla or almond.

So right now I am letting my shortening soften (it had to go in the fridge as our pantry gets too hot to get it from melting) so I can attempt this alternate route to frosting creation. I am making a very small sample batch. If it comes out well, I plan on trying a larger batch and ditching my grainy mess.

I look forward to taking these cupcakes to knitting night if they come out well. And, if you're lucky I'll post pictures!

Muffins Galore

So, if you haven't noticed yet, I like muffins. I think I'm attracted to them as a single-serving source of deliciousness. I like that I can put a bunch in the freezer for later (my freezer has the butternut squash-date muffins waiting for me right now) and I like that if I take a single serving nothing dries out or goes stale. And of course, it makes it that much easier to share with anyone who might want some.

Banana-Raisin Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

2 tbsp Flax Meal
1 1/2 banana, mashed into pulp
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup sugar (your choice of what kind, but solid only - not liquid)
1/4 cup coconut oil (this is more soild than liquid, so shortening or butter could be substituted)
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp hot (not quite boiling) water
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

Take 2 tbsp of flax meal and put in a small bowl with 6 tbsp room temperature water. Let sit for approx two minutes, until thick and goey.

In large bowl, add banana mash, sugar and coconut oil and mash together until evenly mixed. When thickened, add flax meal mixture and stir until evenly combined with banana mixture.

Add xanthan gum, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until combined for a approx 3 minutes. Add flours and mix until evenly combined.

Stir in raisins

After mixture is evenly combined add the 2 tbsp hot water and stir for a about a minute until it is evenly mixed.

Evenly distribute the batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, and then on wire rack until completely cool. Enjoy!

Note: You might want to consider refrigerating these as gluten-free products tend to have a shorter shelf life than regular baked goods.

Search for the Perfect Frosting: Part 2

So I've been doing some research and I came across this lovely recipe for homemade powdered sugar. Which, essentially is perfect for my cause.

So, instead of using the corn starch the recipe calls for I plan on substituting arrowroot starch.

I am still searching for what kind of frosting I want to make. I'm debating between a tradition "buttercream" or a chocolate "cream cheese" frosting. Maybe I'll make both - who knows.

I will keep you posted as to how the frosting turns out taste and texture wise. Wish me luck on my powdered sugar endeavor!

Search For the Perfect Frosting

So, I've run into a bit of a problem here. I made cupcakes, but how do I go about frosting them? The issue at hand is this:

Not only does the frosting have to be Vegan (for the dietary needs of other people eating the cupcakes) but it has to be corn-free (for me). And all powdered sugar has corn starch in it. A LOT of corn starch. And much of the "good" vegan shortening or butter has corn in it (in some form on the ingredient label). So I'm in search of a corn-free vegan frosting solution.

I am going to have to think long and hard about this one. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate it.

Zuchinni-Banana Muffins: An Experiment

So I find in the world of gluten-free baking that I end up not liking a whole lot of the available recipes. Which usually means I end up making my own, or using a base recipe as something to build off of. Sometimes it turns out on the first try, but that's a rarity. As with any recipe you create yourself, baking or otherwise, there are usually many revisions before you figure out exactly what's going to work.

And of course there are some recipes you just scrap and never attempt again.

Today I decided I needed a non pumpkin/squash based muffin. So I attempted to adapt my current (very successful) gluten-free muffin recipe to fit new ingredients. My first batch just got out of the oven and I can say without a doubt that they were too moist. They sunk in the middle. However, we'll have to see how the flavor turns out when they cool. I have a good idea of how I want to deal with the excess moisture.

Stay tuned for baking progress!