Vegan Flour Frosting

Okay, I know this sounds weird and probably gross, but this is seriously the best frosting I have ever made. I always have the problem with buttercream frosting or any other frosting that is made from confectioners/icing sugar because it always turns out way too sweet, especially if I’m piping the frosting on, it’s just way too much.

And then I discovered this type of frosting. It is amazing. It’s lighter tasting than buttercream frosting, and a lot less sweet, which makes it perfect for piping onto cupcakes or cakes. The consistency is a lot lighter, almost like whipped cream, but slightly heavier than whipped cream. So its kind of like a cross between whipped cream and buttercream frosting, which I absolutely love. So far I have only tried this on cupcakes, though I am planning to try making a black forest cake using this instead of heavy whipped cream.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup soymilk (I like to use Vanilla Silk)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
*Note: Don't try to use all margarine, it doesn't seem to work. I haven't tried all shortening though so I can't say anything about that.

Directions:
1. In a bowl, sieve flour into soymilk. Whisk together until smooth.
2. Pour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add vanilla and salt. Blend well.
5. With an electric beater, beat in cooled flour mixture on medium speed, approximately a teaspoonful at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
*Note: Make sure there aren’t any small lumps of flour in the frosting, especially if you are piping it, lumps will look unattractive and get stuck in the tips. It can be really frustrating!