Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

I feel like frosting is a debate in every household.  Some like creamy, whipped frosting, others like thick, rich frosting, others want no frosting at all.

Growing up, we ate frosting.  Not the homemade kind, either.  I’m talking about the stuff that comes in the little tubs in the baking aisle (I know you know exactly what I’m talking about).  I’m pretty sure my mom, to this very day, still eats animal crackers dipped in this very stuff as her guilty pleasure.  My husband, on the other hand, detests frosting.  Maybe detest is a strong word, but he doesn’t like it.  He just wants plain ol’ cake.

Judging by the fact that you are reading this post, I’m going to take a guess that you or someone you love is a frosting kinda person.  This frosting is simple and delicious, sweet (but not overly sweet), and dairy-free!  And, although this recipe uses coconut cream, it is by no means coconutty.  Tara happens to not like coconut and she approved.  Even my frosting-detesting husband was into it!  We tested out this frosting on our Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes and it was the perfect pairing.

Here are just a few tips for making this frosting:

-If you’re unfamiliar with coconut cream, you can often find it in the Asian food or cocktail drink mixer sections of your grocery store.  Make sure there is no added sugar and that it is just coconut cream.  If you can’t find coconut cream, just open up a can of full-fat coconut milk and scoop out the cream.  It will usually be on the bottom of the can.  If your kitchen is a bit on the hot side, you might want to place it in the fridge for several hours before starting this recipe.  There will be the liquid coconut milk left in the can.  Save this for another use such as in a smoothie or in overnight oats!

-After you have melted your chocolate, be sure to let it cool before adding the coconut cream.  We’re not making chocolate coconut soup!

-SIFT YOUR POWDERED SUGAR!  Sorry for yelling, but this is really important.  We don’t want lumpy frosting–unless you’re into that sorta thing.  Simply place your measured powdered sugar into a mesh strainer (or a hand-crank sifter) over your bowl and tap the side with a spoon so that it will sprinkle down onto your chocolate mixture.

-I recommend using some sort of electric mixer for making frosting.  Click here for a great hand mixer or click here for the quintessential stand mixer.  You can’t go wrong with either one.

-If after adding the first 6 Tbsp of coconut cream your frosting is still a bit dry and rough, just add more coconut cream a little at a time to get the perfect, smooth texture.  If you go a little overboard, don’t panic!  Just add a little more powdered sugar–sifted, of course.

We hope you enjoy it as much as our families!