Creamy Dreaminess!!
This is one of my fav creations!
It’s one I can give regular folks and they have absolutely no idea it actually has zero cream cheese in it (at least the cow kind)!
It’s creamy, tangy, sweet and smooth! Everything your heart could desires on top of your favourite carrot cake, orange cupcake, or heck straight up from the bowl! It’s that good!
The secret lies in having very soft cashew. You either need to soak them for 12 hours or boil them for 10-15 minutes. Boiling’s not as healthy but great for someone like me who doesn’t always think ahead. 🙂
The other key to making this recipe great is using a powerful blender so you can make that cream cheese really smooth. When I started healthify-ing my life, one of the best investments I made was buying a Vitamix blender! It’s my baby and I use it EVERY single day! This recipe doesn’t require using a Vitamix but a strong blender. If your blender isn’t as powerful, you could add more liquid to make for easier blending and then squeeze out the excess liquid afterward with a cheesecloth.
Though this recipe may take a few extra steps than your regular cream cheese icing, the taste and health benefits make it well worth it!
Give it a try and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
And if you do try it, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. 🙂
Happy Icing!
Dreamy Vegan Orange “Cream Cheese” Icing
No ReviewsThis tangy sweet perfection is the perfect addition to my Mama’s Magical Carrot Cake recipe or to almost any of your fav cake or cupcakes. It’s so good and like the real thing, no one we’ll ever know it’s actually vegan!
- Prep Time: 5m
- Total Time: 20m
Ingredients
Cashew Cream Cheese
- 2 c pre-soaked raw cashews (12 hours) (* You can also boil them for 15 minutes)
- 1/4 c nutritional yeast
- 1/4 c Raw Apple cider vinegar
- 7 tbsp. water (a bit more if needed)
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
Icing
- 5 c icing sugar (I use corn-free icing sugar)
- 3/4 c of the cashew cream cheese
- 1 c Vegan butter or Dairy-free Margarine
- 2 tsp. orange juice (only use if necessary)
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- Zest of one orange
Instructions
- Place cashew cream cheese ingredients in the blender and put it on low at first. Then blend on high until smooth without lumps. (Add 1 Tbsp of water if needed to blend better).
- Place the mixture in a nut bag, split pea bag or 3-4 layers of cheesecloth. Twist the top shut and squeeze to release as much excess water as possible.
- In a seperate mixing bowl, place icing sugar, sea salt, and vegan butter or dairy-free margarine then mix with a blender until smooth
- Then add ¾ cups of the cashew cream cheese and mix with blender until smooth. If the icing is thick, you can add the orange juice (this may vary depending on how much liquid you were able to extract from the cream cheese). I just squeeze a bit out of the orange I use for zesting and blend with a blender until fluffy. *The remaining cream cheese can be used as any regular cresm cheese would as a base for a dip or on a bagel. You can also freeze it to use later.
- Add zest, stir in and enjoy! :)
Good stuff!