Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
I’ve been making macarons for almost 2 years now and every batch is still a learning experience. Recently, I tried to make vegan spice macarons with vegan cream cheese frosting for the first time. While the macarons didn’t go to plan, the vegan cream cheese frosting is wonderful!
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Full Disclosure
I’m about to tell you about a recipe that did not work. If you’re new here, let me just give you a little heads up. This is Bakes & Blunders. I share delicious recipes, tips, and tutorials, but more importantly, I share what went wrong. Then I’ll tell you why, so that you can avoid these mistakes.
That doesn’t mean I’m sharing a bad recipe with you. While my recipe for vegan macarons was not worth publishing, my vegan cream cheese frosting is. So, at the bottom of this post you’ll find that recipe. But we’re going to mostly discuss the failed vegan macarons. Heads up.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Before we dive into my less than perfect macarons, let’s take a moment to chat about vegan cream cheese frosting. This stuff is gold! A few weeks ago, I wrote all about why faux cream cheese frosting is a great alternative to the traditional stuff.
One of those benefits being that you can make it into vegan cream cheese frosting! I’m not vegan, so I don’t know if there is a great vegan option out there. But this buttercream is easy to make and tastes super yummy. Even if the vegan macaron shells need some work, the frosting is gold.
Macaron History
It’s my goal to master macarons with 100% confidence. While I am able to make a decent batch, there is always room for improvement. As a part of my macaron journey, I have made macarons with Italian, French, and Swiss meringues.
Since I have found the Italian method to be the most stable and reliable recipe, I decided this would be a good starting point for my vegan macarons. I used the recipe from Cooking on Caffeine as my starting point. Meggan makes amazing vegan macarons and I fully trust her recipes.
Related Reading: Vegan Lemon & Vanilla Macarons
Vegan Five Spice Macarons
The week I made these guys, I was baking my weight in Christmas cookies. And since I absolutely love my Five Spice Molasses Cookies, I decided to use Chinese five spice to flavor my vegan macaron shells.
To make the vegan Italian meringue, I used aquafaba, aka the juice from canned chickpeas. The basic gist of the recipe is to whip half of the aquafaba then add boiling sugar syrup and whip to firm, glossy peaks. Fold that into a mixture of ground nuts, powdered sugar, spices, and aquafaba and pipe!
Blunders
Y’all. This did not work. I made 3 different batches of the meringue and never once got it to soft peaks, let alone stiff peaks! But I went with it to see what would happen. I couldn’t use all of the meringue because it was so soft.
When I piped my overly thin batter, it was like using a hose to pipe! Haha! Not a good sign, but I wanted to see what would happen. They started to bake just beautifully, but the feet spread out at the end. When I cracked one open… I had never seen a macaron so hollow! There was nothing even there.
Notes for My Next Vegan Macarons
Now, this batch wasn’t great, but I will absolutely try vegan macarons again in the future. I’ve done some research and here are my notes for the next batch:
- Try reducing the aquafaba by half on the stove top before using. Some say this helps, others say it makes no difference.
- I think there was too much sugar syrup. I will reduce this by 25% next time.
- French or Swiss meringue method. I want to try both of these to find out which method works best for vegan macarons.
UPDATE: I have managed to make successful vegan macarons since this first attempt! If you’re looking for more tips and tricks, check out my recipe for Vegan Lemon & Vanilla Macarons.
How to Use Your Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Now, back to the main show. This vegan cream cheese frosting is super easy to make and tastes great! And that basically means you’re going to want to out it on everything. It’s perfect as a filling for dairy free macarons, on a vegan & gluten free chocolate cupcake, or to make a mini vegan cake.
I feel like you could also add in a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to make a vegan chocolate cream cheese frosting. Gosh, that sounds good! This recipe is going to be a new favorite, I can tell.
Enjoy!
This vegan cream cheese frosting is legit stuff. What will you use it on? Maybe some vegan chocolate cupcakes? Or maybe you’ve got a vegan macaron recipe you already enjoy? Leave me a comment and let me know.
And if you love drool worthy food photos, check out @bakesandblunders on Instagram! I love sharing my food porn with everyone.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 6 oz plant butter room temperature
- 10 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4- 1/2 tsp cream cheese flavor oil
Instructions
- Beat the butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
- Add a third of the powdered sugar to the bowl. Beat on low until combined, then on medium until creamy, about 1- 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add another third of the sugar and the cream cheese flavor oil to the bowl. Beat on low until combined, then on medium until creamy, about 1- 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add the remaining sugar to the bowl. Beat on low until combined, then on medium until creamy, about 1- 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down.
- If the frosting is too thick, add dairy free milk a teaspoon at a time, beating on low between additions, until the frosting reaches the right consistency. If adding gel color, add it now.
Notes
- This frosting should make enough for 12 cupcakes. Scale up as needed.
- I used Country Crock plant butter (avocado).
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Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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