Vegan Vanilla Cashew Cream Frosting

Imagine a homemade vegan frosting that tastes like “kaju katli & marzipan in a creamy form” 🙂 That’s exactly what this Vegan Vanilla Cashew Cream tastes like, according to a Facebook friend. Thanks for putting it so nicely—I couldn’t have said it better!

Smooth, decadent, delicately flavored and mildly sweetened, this vegan vanilla frosting is something you can whip up in a matter of minutes provided you have soaked cashews in hand. While a few varieties of dairy-free frosting are readily available in the market, they’re often loaded with preservatives, emulsifiers, and palm oil. I’d rather make my own frosting as it’s so easy to make and hardly takes a couple of minutes. Plus, it’s so creamy & tasty 🙂 This is the frosting I slather on my Vegan Vanilla Cake that’s pretty much a hit with both vegans and non-vegans.

Preparation time: 10 minutes, approx.

Yields around 1 heaped cup

1 cup = 150 ml

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 4-5 hours & drained
• 1/3 cup bura/khand/white sugar*
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (substitute with a tablespoon of water if you don’t want to use oil)
• 1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract (quantity needed varies from brand to brand)
• A pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine the bura/khand/ white sugar, salt, water, and coconut oil. Heat gently (do not boil), stirring constantly until the bura/khand/powdered white sugar is fully dissolved and the liquid looks glossy. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Blend the soaked cashews with the liquid mixture prepared in step 1 until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla extract and blend to combine. Chill until it’s time to use.

This Vegan Vanilla Cashew Cream can be used to frost cakes and cupcakes. However, I don’t think it is suitable to be piped over cakes in decorative patterns.

*Bura/khand are forms of raw sugar.