Coconut Oil Frosting

This coconut oil frosting is delicious and a great alternative for vegans or people who are lactose intolerant. And it's so yummy I have to say I don't even miss the butter. :D

Coconut oil frosting tastes very much like a buttercream frosting - very sweet and creamy and loaded with powdered sugar! It will taste a little like coconut, too - but it's not overpowering.

It's perfect on my carrot cake, too - you should give it a go!

ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unrefined (virgin) coconut oil
• 16 oz powdered sugar
• 4-6 tablespoons coconut or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

This is much easier with a hand blender, but you can definitely do it with a whisk - and build some muscles! It's also best if you can measure out the powdered sugar with a scale. If you don't have one, feel free to just use two cups of powdered sugar and a little less soy milk. :)

steps:

1. "cream" the coconut oil until it breaks up and gets nice and smooth
2. add in 1/4 of the powdered sugar, the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of soy milk
3. mix together until nice and smooth
4. keep adding powdered sugar along with tablespoons of soy milk as needed until everything is combined - you don't want any clumps of powdered sugar or coconut oil.
5. frost everything in the vicinity

This frosting melts pretty easily, so make sure whatever you put it on is nice and cool. It should be enough to cover one 9x13 sheet cake. :D

Comments

[Jaylynn N]

if the oil is melted is it ok because our oil stays out and during summer is always melted

[Meg31986]

I used this recipe as the starting point for a coconut oil frosting for my nephew's birthday cake. He has food allergies and my recipe needed to be dairy free, egg free, soy free.

I changed the recipe to meet my needs but had tremendous success so I thought I'd share since so many had commented about the frosting being too much like a glaze.

20oz coconut oil
1 lb bag powdered sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
About 4 Tb rice milk
(Or any milk)

Combine oil, sugar, cocoa in stand mixer. Beat on low until about halfway mixed. Turn up mixer to medium/high, allow air to incorporate about 1 min. Add milk in tablespoon increments until frosting is fluffy and lighter.

Everyone at the party loved the taste of the coconut oil and chocolate together!
Consistency of frosting held up perfectly on my sculpted cake.
If you desire a softer frosting, I would add more milk.

[Venüs3]

Can I substitute the sugar with brown sugar?

[loveurbelly]

This looks and sounds amazing! will try it out soon.

[That Redhead]

This looks wonderful! Can't wait to try it!

[solmstea]

I took a vegan cupcake baking class and asked the chef (proprietor of Sticky Fingers bakery in DC) about coconut oil frosting, which seems like an obviously delicious choice. She pointed out the main problem (as you note) is the temperature sensitivity. But the other thing she pointed out is that it doesn't hold structure very well, so if you transport the cake, even in chilly conditions, vibrations will destroy any structure to the frosting that you seek. If you are applying it in situ and it's a cold environment, then you can probably achieve structure and loft. But those are likely rare conditions. So good to keep in mind that it will probably look a bit drippy and runny (see JulianaS12's picture below), not firm and thick, like buttercream. But still delicious! Might be good as a filling too (like for stuffed cupcakes or homemade twinkies).

[foehn]

I have had coconut frostings on vegan cakes at fairs I have had the pleasure to judge. Coconut oil will hold shape, but use as little additional "milk" as possible. Plus, if you are working with it cold, it will probably need more milk to make it workable. Do not add this milk--just let the frosting get a couple of degrees warmer for better workability.

The problem I have seen with coconut oil frostings is that they can "weep" liquid coconut oil if it gets too warm. Keep that thick frosting cool and make it thick for best results and if you need more workability, do not add more liquid, let it warm up.

[admaree]

Delicious! Thank you!

[Jenniferbarroso]

Perfect frosting!!! After reading the comments here, I omitted the milk completely so it wouldn't become a glaze, and the thickness and texture was perfect. It is a bit on the sweet side, but the coconut taste makes up for it ;) I wanted to share the picture before adding the shredded coconut - a little addiction here :) - but forgot, you can still see the beautiful texture.

[benji_and_wilbur]

This was a very very tasty frosting that melts in your mouth. But! It's wayy to sweet for my liking and is more of a glaze then a frosting. I don't think I will make this again.

[MichaelA53]

Very tasty and easy frosting recipe. My daughter gives it her bug eyed I can't believe it taste so good look of approval! I substituted honey granules (powdered in mixer) and homemade soy milk and it turned out great. My coconut oil was a bit runny at room temp and would not completely mix in so I need to find a different one for next time. I had the opposite experience as the previous comment where mine turned out a little thick, probably due to my oil not fully incorporating.

[shari.kolke]

This frosting tasted nice but was way too thin - I would call it a glaze rather than a frosting or icing. Also, I found the coconut oil made it look almost gritty (though it tasted smooth) so I didn't end up using it, as I needed them for a friend's birthday at work and was looking for more of a "neat" look. I would make this again if I needed a glaze for a cake though, the coconut oil gave it a nice light coconut taste.

[thedavynator]

This recipe uses a technique similar to most buttercreams, so this will apply with many frostings: always make sure to add the powdered sugar and milk in doses! You're in control of the consistency that way, and you can decide what looks good! Different climates and humidity make determining precise measurements for a buttercream really tricky, so consider the amounts as guidelines (with the exception of your fats, always use the recommended amount for those!) Good luck!

[GannaP]

Thank you! This recipe is a real treasure! All simple ingredients you always have in a fridge and as a result-delicious taste! I've never ever loved any kinds of frosting but this one is good, thick, smooth...!

[jessyratfink]

You're welcome!! It's definitely my go-to frosting - it tastes so much better than other frostings I can easily make :D

[JessicaP2]

Hi, I'm new to baking and was wondering what "cream" means I tried googling it but i'm not having much success with the term. Thanks!

[jessyratfink]

Creaming is basically combining sugar and a fat until the mix is no longer grainy and also a little fluffier because of all the air you'll incorporate in. It's pretty easy with powdered sugar because the grains are so much smaller :)

Here's a good video from Epicurious explaining it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBX-4KRRkI

[JessicaP2]

Thanks!

[mardhavi.sakuntala]

Absolutely SUPER!!! One suggestion I have for new folks. If you're making this in the summertime, put your coconut oil in the fridge beforehand to get it solid. Not ROCK hard, but NOT LIQUID. My first batch was a flop, then my chef friend explained why. You cannot use melted butter/margerine or any liquid oil. It must be a solid for the correct chemical reaction to happen, and then "cream" it, as step #1 says. 2nd time was a SUCCESS! Thank you! <3

[suzanne.simcox.31]

I made this an added cocoa powered for the icing to top off my gluten free chocolate cake...delish!