Vanilla Icing Without Sugar?

[Seeking]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a way to make a creamy, heavenly, rich, vanilla flavored icing for cakes and cupcakes, but here's the caveat: I hate cream cheese and will not use it. Looking for something I can use in place of powdered sugar to get the same creamy, rich, vanilla goodness of vanilla frosting without using aspartame, sucrose, Splenda, etc. I'll only be willing to use pure stevia and/or xylitol. But what to use as a powder? Can I use milk powder? If not, what should I use? Hopefully there is something healthy I can use in place of powdered sugar.

I want it to look like this:


Thanks as always guys!

[jigglenomore]

Well, I'm no expert, but we like this for a quick frosting. Plus, my friend just told me about a new Cool Whip frosting she found in the frozen section at Wal-Mart in 3 different flavors..don't know if they're low carb, though.

Here's what we use:

EASY PUDDING FROSTING

1 CUP COLD MILK
1 (SM.) PKG. INSTANT PUDDING MIX (ANY FLAVOR)
1 (8 oz.) TUB COOL WHIP (THAWED)

BEAT MILK & PUDDING FOR 2 MINUTES. BEAT IN COOL WHIP. LET CHILL FOR 1 HOUR. SPREAD ON COOLED CAKE.

(Also checked Pillsbury's SF Vanilla. It has 4 net carbs per 2 Tbsp.)

HTH,

Elaine

[Mistizoom]

Lauren on the Healthy Indulgences blog (she posts here sometimes) has a recipe called Sugar-Free Buttercream Frosting that uses xylitol and stevia as sweeteners. It's under the "Healthy Cake with a Secret, Part 2- Gluten-Free Low Carb Yellow Cake!" recipe. Don't think I'm allowed to link to it but you should be able to find it pretty easily on her site. She also links to a couple of similar recipes on other sites.

[Tweaker Geek]

Why not powder the xylitol? Use butter, powdered X, some stevia for additional sweetness if desired and vanilla extract.

[ravenrose]

why xylitol and not erythritol? I think E is better in almost every way for low carbing, unless you are specifically allergic or something.

[Ginaaaaaa]

I like xylitol for frostings. I have made Lauren's from healthy indulgences frosting before and it was delicious. I frosted The Chicken Ladies chocolate cake with this frosting and it was amazing!! I think I either doubled or tripled this recipe for the cake.

Makes enough to frost 3-6 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 large egg white
1/4 cup xylitol (honey might work as well)
6 tablespoons unsalted organic butter or nonhydrogenated shortening, cut into chunks
Pinch good tasting pure stevia extract (optional, for best flavor)
Big pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear imitation vanilla recommended)
Preparation:
Step by step photos for making a swiss meringue buttercream icing can be found here.
Whisk egg white together with xylitol in a stainless steel bowl set over a small saucepan full of water. You don’t want the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Set heat to medium-low to bring water to a simmer. Whisk egg white with xylitol 3-5 minutes, or until xylitol is completely dissolved. Dip clean fingers into egg white mixture, and pinch for any undissolved granules. Mixture will appear white and foamy. Remove steel bowl from water, and beat egg white mixture until it has about doubled in volume, and is room temperature (cool to the touch). Beat in vanilla and salt. Add chunks of softened butter or shortening, one at a time, beating for 3-5 minutes until mixture is smooth and no longer curdled. Beat in a tiny pinch of stevia and taste for sweetness, making adjustments if necessary. Don’t fret if your buttercream doesn’t look smooth for awhile–it will eventually come together!
If after incorporating the butter the icing is too “loose” and soupy, sit the mixing bowl in an ice bath to cool, or stick the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes, and try beating again. If the mixture is chunky like cottage cheese, heat the bowl over the simmering water again and try beating until it comes together into a smooth icing. Use a spatula to smooth out the consistency. Finally, if you think the frosting tastes too “greasy,” trying cutting back the butter by one or two tablespoons. Leave out the stevia. It will be considerably sweeter, though.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag, or just spread directly on cupcakes. To revive refrigerated frosting, microwave it for 5-8 seconds, and stir around bowl with a spatula until smooth and creamy again. Or whip until fluffy with beaters.
~0-26g net carbs per batch of frosting, depending on how you count xylitol

[buttoni]

How about Vanessa's Almond "Cream Cheese" Frosting? I haven't made it, but I plan to next time I want frosting: Valentine's Day | Not Sugar Cookies with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting

[rosethorns]

I've made Vanessa's. It's awesome!!!!! It has good heigth and you can use a pastry bag w/ tip. I love it.

Gina that sounds good. I get a lot of non-GMO Xylitol.

[buttoni]

An added note, I have also made the "cream cheese" Vanessa uses for her frosting using soaked cashew nuts instead of almonds. It made a wonderful cheesecake! Cashews are a little more expensive though.

[Soobee]

Candice has a recipe for Vanilla Buttercream. Her recipes are now featured on Cleo's blog, Your Lighter Side.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
4 oz. unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup granulated splenda
2 oz. heavy whipping cream (2 Tablespoons)
1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small glass measuring cup add heavy whipping cream 1/2 of Splenda & your scraped out vanilla bean. Microwave for about 25 seconds, just until the mixture starts to bubble. Set aside. In a metal bowl, something that will fit good over your pan (or double boiler). Beat egg yolk and remaining splenda with a hand whisk till mixture becomes thick. SLOWLY add cream mixture to yolks, tempering with just about a Tablespoon at first. Mixing CONSTANTLY with a hand whisk till all combined. Put bowl over your simmering water and mixing constantly for about 35 seconds till you start to see a few bubbles in the mixture. Take off heat and whisk by hand till mixture is doubled. Strain threw a fine mesh strainer. Set aside. In your mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter until shiny (about 3-4 min.). At this point the butter should hold a soft peak. With mixer running slowly add egg yolk/cream mixture down side of bowl. Mix on medium speed until well combined about 2 min. Add vanilla extract and if your using a few drops of liquid sweetener add now. Mix till combined. Wait till cupcakes are completely cool to frost. Buttercream best used the same day right before serving.

[Ginaaaaaa]

Here's another one

Frosting:

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup powdered erythritol OR powdered sugar

3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla

For the icing, beat together butter and powdered erythritol or sugar. Add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

[Seeking]

Originally Posted by Mistizoom

Lauren on the Healthy Indulgences blog (she posts here sometimes) has a recipe called Sugar-Free Buttercream Frosting that uses xylitol and stevia as sweeteners. It's under the "Healthy Cake with a Secret, Part 2- Gluten-Free Low Carb Yellow Cake!" recipe. Don't think I'm allowed to link to it but you should be able to find it pretty easily on her site. She also links to a couple of similar recipes on other sites.

I took a look at that recipe and it looks promising; I do not like the effect of egg whites in icing though so I won't be doing that part.

Originally Posted by Tweaker Geek

Why not powder the xylitol? Use butter, powdered X, some stevia for additional sweetness if desired and vanilla extract.

I have a question about this. I have been reading that powered erythritol will crystallize during baking/cooking, and this concerns me. I will not eat crystallized sugar. Does Xylitol do this too? How can I prevent the X or the E from crystallizing in an icing recipe?

Originally Posted by ravenrose

why xylitol and not erythritol? I think E is better in almost every way for low carbing, unless you are specifically allergic or something.

I have done some more reading about the E and I will consider it; I do not want to taste a minty flavor though.

Originally Posted by Ginaaaaaa

Here's another one

Frosting:

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup powdered erythritol OR powdered sugar

3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla

For the icing, beat together butter and powdered erythritol or sugar. Add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

This sounds delightful; do you know whether the E will crystallize though? This is a huge concern. I have read that it's very hard to prevent the E from crystallizing.
---------------------------------------------------

On another note, is there anything else besides a sugar or sugar substitute that I can use as a powder base? Would a milk powder with some added sweetener work? I don't want to be ingesting large amounts of the X or the E; I'm scared of them. Plus, they are very expensive.

Thanks guys for your help!

[Yaz]

I haven't tried this one yet, but it's on my list to get to soon! I imagine you could just leave out the orange zest.

Orange Coconut Oil Frosting

Be sure to melt your coconut oil in a glass bowl. I do this by putting the bowl over a small pan of simmering water.

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted in a glass bowl
9 drops of liquid stevia (alternatively, you could use a couple of teaspoons of raw honey
1 packed teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients into warm coconut oil. You are now going to place the bowl into the freezer in order to cool it down. It is very important to check on it every couple of minutes to catch it before it gets too cold. You want to take it out of the freezer right when it starts to get cloudy.

At this point the cold bowl (and your cool kitchen) will continue to turn the liquid oil into a solid. Continue to whisk the frosting as it gets cloudier and cloudier and eventually turns into a whipped butter consistency. The idea is to get a bit of air into it.

Once it is to a whipped (very soft) butter consistency plop it onto your cooled cake. Frost it very quickly before the coconut oil hardens. It will seem like a pretty thin frosting, but it is just enough.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Orange Cake with Coconut Oil Frosting
Posted At : October 31, 2009 7:32 AM


Gluten Free Coconut Flour Organic Cake
Photos by recipe author
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5-8

I give you a method for melting the coconut oil while greasing the pan, saving you a dish. You can certainly melt the coconut oil in one pan and grease the pan separately. Also, I add the coconut oil last just in case it is still pretty warm. The eggs already mixed with the other ingredients provides a bit of a buffer in case the oil is still too warm. Scrambled egg cake is not what we're after here.

1/4 cup coconut oil
6 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut milk*
6 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 medium orange

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure out coconut oil and place in an 8"x8" pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the coconut oil.

While the coconut oil is melting, whisk the eggs, coconut milk, honey, vanilla and orange zest together.

Once the coconut oil is melted (probably around five minutes or less), remove the pan from the oven and let it cool while you mix in the rest of your ingredients. Combine coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Once your pan is cooled enough to handle, carefully swirl your coconut oil around your pan in order to grease all sides. Then pour the coconut oil into the batter and mix until all lumps are gone.

Pour the batter into your greased pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Place the cake on a cooling rack.

After the cake has cooled a bit, but is still warm, poke holes all over the top with a fork. Juice the orange half right over the whole cake, making sure to evenly distribute the juice.

*Use 1 teaspoon of coconut cream concentrate for every 6-8 oz of water for coconut cream milk. Mix together and use as directed or make homemade coconut milk.

Recipe submitted by Shannon, Dexter, MI to the Free Coconut Recipes dot com website.

[Ginaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Seeking

I took a look at that recipe and it looks promising; I do not like the effect of egg whites in icing though so I won't be doing that part.



I have a question about this. I have been reading that powered erythritol will crystallize during baking/cooking, and this concerns me. I will not eat crystallized sugar. Does Xylitol do this too? How can I prevent the X or the E from crystallizing in an icing recipe?



I have done some more reading about the E and I will consider it; I do not want to taste a minty flavor though.



This sounds delightful; do you know whether the E will crystallize though? This is a huge concern. I have read that it's very hard to prevent the E from crystallizing.
---------------------------------------------------

On another note, is there anything else besides a sugar or sugar substitute that I can use as a powder base? Would a milk powder with some added sweetener work? I don't want to be ingesting large amounts of the X or the E; I'm scared of them. Plus, they are very expensive.

Thanks guys for your help!

You might like this frosting from Jennifer that uses powdered milk

Betty Crocker-like Frosting:
(The low-carb pancake syrup, such as Estee, Maple-Flavored Pancake Syrup, has thickeners in it and it makes this frosting a thicker mixture)

1/2 cup Splenda Granular (125 mL)
4 tbsp powdered erythritol (50 mL)
4 tbsp whole milk powder* (50 mL)
1 tsp cornstarch (optional) (5 mL)
2 tbsp low-carb syrup (25 mL)
3 tbsp butter, melted (45 mL)

In blender, combine Splenda Granular, powdered erythritol, whole milk powder and cornstarch (if using). Add sugar free syrup and butter; blend until well combined. If the frosting is not thick enough, then use a tiny amount of Xanthan gum.

I do know that erythritol does crystallize, I think using powdered E does help prevent it from doing that and keeping it out of the fridge will prevent it from crystallizing.

[Tweaker Geek]

[QUOTE=Seeking;16244454

I have a question about this. I have been reading that powered erythritol will crystallize during baking/cooking, and this concerns me. I will not eat crystallized sugar. Does Xylitol do this too? How can I prevent the X or the E from crystallizing in an icing recipe.[/QUOTE]

Seeking - I don't usually have a problem with either crystallizing when they are powdered only in the granular state.

[Seeking]

Originally Posted by Tweaker Geek

Seeking - I don't usually have a problem with either crystallizing when they are powdered only in the granular state.

Have you used the X and the E in their powdered form specifically in icing, or were you using them in other foods? Did you have to use any special ingredients to stop them from crystallizing or was it just stuff like butter, milk, vanilla extract, etc?

Thanks

[MSS726]

I found this on Pinterest. It came from the Chocolate Covered Katie Blog. You could also make this vanilla by not adding the cocoa and adding a little vanilla or vanilla bean. I made it and it is scrumptious! I sweetened with stevia and powdered erithritol, and I did use beaters to whip. Can't imagine it would be as fluffy with a fork as suggested.

Chocolate Mousse Frosting

(or just chocolate mousse)
■1 can full-fat coconut milk
■1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder
■1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
■sweetener to taste (Use stevia or powdered sugar for thickest results.)

Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight, unless it’s already thick like mousse. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen Organic, because I’ve had the most success with that brand.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

[Tweaker Geek]

Originally Posted by Seeking

Have you used the X and the E in their powdered form specifically in icing, or were you using them in other foods? Did you have to use any special ingredients to stop them from crystallizing or was it just stuff like butter, milk, vanilla extract, etc?

Thanks

Yes, I use them powdered in icing a lot. I powder them myself, just take the granular and put in a coffee grinder, grind to very fine powder. No special ingredients, butter, cream, vanilla or other flavor extract - sometimes add some cocoa powder.

[Seeking]

I think I know what to do now, gonna try this out soon. But first I'm gonna buy some already-made chocolate or food bar that was made with the X, and then some that was made with the E, and then some with stevia to see if I have any reaction before I go out and buy the X, the E or the S to make my own icing.

Thanks guys Excellent suggestions and recipes here. Will post here again once I've attempted to make my own icing.

[Seeking]

Hey guys, I still haven't bought the X or the E yet, or any products that contain them, so at this time I don't know if they effect me badly or not.

However, about an hour ago, I accidentally found a company online that makes lots of low carb foods and they are using ingredients like inulin, tapioca flour, stevia, etc. They have this vanilla icing mix for sale and the first ingredient is inulin. This is what I was hoping for; I prefer to stay away from the E, the X and sugar alcohols as the primary ingredient and instead use a non-digestible carbohydrate (like fiber) as the primary ingredient. This company I found has done this.

However, the downside to inulin is stated on a wiki page as follows: "Inulin is indigestible by the human enzymes ptyalin and amylase, which are adapted to digest starch. As a result, inulin passes through much of the digestive system intact. It is only in the colon that bacteria metabolise inulin, with the release of significant quantities of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and/or methane."

LOL!

I have not yet bought their product so I don't know if it's any good. And they appear to be a new company because their products don't have many reviews yet on amazon, and they don't have a wiki page either.

I'm going to buy some of their products including their vanilla icing mix. What really excites me about this company I found is that they offer low carb AND gluten-free low carb as well.

If I like their product, am I allowed to mention their company, or is that against the forum rules?

[Ginaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Seeking

Hey guys, I still haven't bought the X or the E yet, or any products that contain them, so at this time I don't know if they effect me badly or not.

However, about an hour ago, I accidentally found a company online that makes lots of low carb foods and they are using ingredients like inulin, tapioca flour, stevia, etc. They have this vanilla icing mix for sale and the first ingredient is inulin. This is what I was hoping for; I prefer to stay away from the E, the X and sugar alcohols as the primary ingredient and instead use a non-digestible carbohydrate (like fiber) as the primary ingredient. This company I found has done this.

However, the downside to inulin is stated on a wiki page as follows: "Inulin is indigestible by the human enzymes ptyalin and amylase, which are adapted to digest starch. As a result, inulin passes through much of the digestive system intact. It is only in the colon that bacteria metabolise inulin, with the release of significant quantities of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and/or methane."

LOL!

I have not yet bought their product so I don't know if it's any good. And they appear to be a new company because their products don't have many reviews yet on amazon, and they don't have a wiki page either.

I'm going to buy some of their products including their vanilla icing mix. What really excites me about this company I found is that they offer low carb AND gluten-free low carb as well.

If I like their product, am I allowed to mention their company, or is that against the forum rules?

I think you're talking about LC Foods, and you can mention names to other sites that sell things but you can't post links to them. Actually if the product is sold on netrition you can post the link too.

I think you will find that no matter what artificial sweetener you choose to use, they are all processed except pure stevia from the plant itself. I don't know of any other unprocessed artificial sweetener.

[Seeking]

Originally Posted by Ginaaaaaa

I think you're talking about LC Foods, and you can mention names to other sites that sell things but you can't post links to them. Actually if the product is sold on netrition you can post the link too.

I think you will find that no matter what artificial sweetener you choose to use, they are all processed except pure stevia from the plant itself. I don't know of any other unprocessed artificial sweetener.

Yes that is the company. And the reason I am concerned about the X and the E is that they seem to have no nutritional value and cause stomach upsets. I know that inulin would probably cause stomach upsets too, but at least it does have some nutritional value (fiber). Some sites say that it is also a pre-biotic. So I would not feel as bad about eating it.

[Mistizoom]

Originally Posted by Seeking

Yes that is the company. And the reason I am concerned about the X and the E is that they seem to have no nutritional value and cause stomach upsets. I know that inulin would probably cause stomach upsets too, but at least it does have some nutritional value (fiber). Some sites say that it is also a pre-biotic. So I would not feel as bad about eating it.

Well, xylitol is good for your teeth. Erythritol is usually very well tolerated by most people. Xylitol can cause more issues, but I've never had a problem with it, but I don't use it in large quantities. Looks like Netrition does sell the LC Foods frosting mixes, but they seem kind of expensive.

[lterry913]

Inulin is used in a lot of products including fiber one bars...inulin causes major abdominal distress for me...just as bad or worse than malitol...but itt doesn't affect everyone that way....why not try the frosting and report back to us...Ii am an E girl myself.

[tiva]

For chocolate buttercream, I make a very simple variation of Lauren's chocolate frosting. It takes about 1 minute to whip up. Here it is, with my modifications

1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup powdered erythritol (I use less, but most folks use more)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
1 t to 1 T vanilla, depending on how much you love it. I adore it
1 T cream, optional
liquid stevia, optional

Cream the butter until fluffy. Beat in erythritol and cocoa and beat until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and optional cream. If you used unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.

It seems that you should be able to leave out the cocoa and just increase the powdered erythritol, but I find that becomes far too sweet for my tastes. I've tried a number of modification, but my favorite white, non-cream cheese frosting is just plain old whipped cream, with a tiny touch of vanilla and a tiny bit of erythritol. You need to spread it just before serving, but everyone seems to love it.

[buttoni]

I also came across an interesting frosting recipe on Primal-palate (a paleo website) called Vanilla Frosting that is made with coconut milk, coconut oil and guar gum as thickener that uses chilling action to thicken up the coconut oil. You might check that one out and see if it appeals to you. I'm planning on trying it one of these days. It intrigued me.