by This is my absolute favorite frosting. I made this frosting for a Vegan Red Velvet cake & cupcakes that I have made a couple of time in the past couple of weeks, and now I’m hooked. This frosting is so light and refreshing.
I’ve seen a lot of recipes on the internet that use lemon extract to flavor their frostings; however, I really like to use natural lemon in my baking, so I decided to try adding zest (& juice) from a lemon instead of extract… and it was a great choice.
It also is perfect as a snack on graham crackers. On graham crackers, it reminds me of a lemon cream pie dessert…without the work of making a pie. Yum!
This frosting recipe makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes, or frost three 6-inch layer cakes.
Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Vegan Butter (i.e. Earth Balance)
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 3-4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 4- 4½ Cups Confectioner's Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
Instructions
- Zest a large lemon. Then juice the lemon; set the juice aside.
- Add the vegan butter and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined.
- Add 4 cups of confectioner's sugar to the bowl, and start the mixer on low to combine the sugar & butter.
- With the mixer still running, add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency. (I increase the speed of the mixer to medium or medium-high once the powdered sugar is mixed enough that it won't fly out of the bowl).
- Taste the frosting- if it's too tart (or if the frosting is too soft of a texture), then add in the last remaining ½ cup of confectioner's sugar, and beat at medium-high speed until smooth.
- Optional: At this point, I change from the paddle attachment to the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. I turn the mixer on to high & beat the frosting for 2-3 minutes to help whip air into the frosting. IMO, it makes for a lighter & less sweet frosting.
Notes
Makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes
