Seeking Frosting That Is Heat Resistant And Free Of Refined Sugars

Baking By Babes17 Updated 27 Jul 2017 , 1:33am by Babes17

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Babes17 Posted 22 Jul 2017 , 7:56pm
post #1 of 29

Hi!

Does anyone know of a heat resistant frosting recipe that does not use refined sugar or eggs? 

I've done a lot of reading and experimenting with this but still have yet to come up with something I'm happy with. 

Looking for something that is preferably vegan, but that is not mandatory as the job I am working on does not call for it. However natural sweetner is a must.

I have done a little experimenting with making a buttercream that uses arrowroot and powdered soy milk as stabilizers, it is getting me in the right direction but still needs some work!

If anybody has any advice on this it would be greatly appreciated!!

28 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 22 Jul 2017 , 9:37pm
post #2 of 29

google aquafaba -- i haven't made it yet -- but it's what you're after -- amazing --

it's canned chick pea water and it whips and makes icing 

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-K8memphis Posted 22 Jul 2017 , 9:38pm
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although i'm not sure about the heat resistant part...

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-K8memphis Posted 22 Jul 2017 , 9:38pm
post #4 of 29

maybe add starch for that -- i don't know

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Babes17 Posted 22 Jul 2017 , 9:57pm
post #5 of 29

Thanks, I will have to look into that. I've seen that listed in some recipes but haven't researched much about. 

I'm a little afraid that it might taste like peas, but I am willing to try anything at this point!!

Arrowroot has been working well as a starch, it also mimics the texture of powdered sugar a bit. The problem is with the amount it requires to stabilize, it starts to taste and feel too starchy. 

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 12:09am
post #6 of 29

https://geekycakes.com/2015/05/08/egg-free-dairy-free-vegan-italian-meringue-buttercream/

this says it is a blank canvas as far as flavor goes -- but this icing has fat in it and fat of course will melt -- i'd try some starch in it if necessary and keep it protected from heat --

i mean its 110 degrees here right now considering the humidity and i would even melt in the heat --  

best to you

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Babes17 Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 12:40am
post #7 of 29

I read that too. A lot of what I just read on it says it colapses quickly. I'm going to try it with some starch and see what happens...

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice!

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 2:54am
post #8 of 29

cream of tartar is an idea -- it holds up egg whites 

would love to hear more about your tests and what you discover

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Babes17 Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 4:23am
post #9 of 29

I actually just picked up some cream of tartar when I went to get the chick peas. I plan on trying that and the arrowroot tomorrow.

I will post updates... Hopefully good ones!

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 1:43pm
post #10 of 29

cool -- can't wait

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Babes17 Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 6:18pm
post #11 of 29

Update: Testing not going well...

First attempt: I tried using a combination of cream of tartar and arrowroot with the aquafaba. It had a very carbonated texture and no hold at all.

Thought that maybe the cream of tartar might be causing the carbonation so I found a recipe that called for arrowroot only so I tried that as a second attempt. Even after 20 minutes on high it wouldn't thicken at all. I added the cream of tartar again and it started to thicken almost instantly. However that now mean I'm back where I started with my first attempt. 

I will say though, I am amazed at the change in volume as it changes from a liquid to a fluff.

Also I was surprised that the scent of the chick pea water went away, because it smells awful fresh out of the can!

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jul 2017 , 9:13pm
post #12 of 29

put some lemon juice in a bit of it that has the arrowroot and see what happens

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Babes17 Posted 24 Jul 2017 , 12:33am
post #13 of 29

What does lemon juice do to it?

I actually already trashed those tests, but I do have enough chick pea water for one more test.

I'm trying a cooked vegan buttercream at the moment. It has more sugar in than I would like but it calls for granulated sugar instead of powdered so I'm trying it with coconut sugar. 

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-K8memphis Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 12:59am
post #14 of 29

it like activates the arrowroot --

coconut sugar is refined

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AAtKT Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 10:11am
post #15 of 29


K8... I was going to say that...  but I didn't want to go there...  I mean... how do we get the sugar out of the coconut fiber without refining it... just like cane sugar... or beet sugar...

I guess honey could be the closest to unrefined... depending on where or who you get it from...


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Coffeelover77 Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 1:09pm
post #16 of 29

what are the reasons for the sugar stipulations? I assume this isn't for a diabetic as then you couldn't use coconut sugar.

I wonder if you could make something using a fruit juice concentrate if you are ok with sugar, just don't want to use "refined" sugars. REally though, to the body a gram of sugar is a gram of sugar generally .. so if it's for heatlh reasons it doesn't make much sense as in order to taste as you would want, it will need to contain the X grams of sugar that generally make it taste the way you want


now if you want to reduce calories I suppose you could use splenda or soemthing in some way .. not sure how it would turn out


If you didn't need to worry about the heat, I'd just suggest a whipped cream frosting. You really don't need a lot of sugar to make whipped cream taste good. Growing up, we always had unsweetened whipped cream with our apple pies and such. Now when I whip cream I do add some sugar but not much.


A stabilised whipped cream frosting should do "ok" for a moderate time in moderate heat I would imagine.

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Babes17 Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 1:15pm
post #17 of 29

Oo ok.

I know it is, I bought it awhile back because I liked that it had a lower GI. It has to potent of a flavor though for baking. 

Finding a sweetner that I am happy with has been an ongoing struggle. Honey is my favorite, but I just rebuilt all my recipes calling for a granulated sweetner not a liquid. (Not really sure why I thought that was a good idea!)

I have a pure cane sugar that claims to be unrefined, but it still has high a GI. Feeling like I just can't win the battle of sweetners! Lol

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Babes17 Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 1:30pm
post #18 of 29

Coffeelover:

Part of the reason for the sweetner is because I'm trying to create a product that is as pure and natural as I can get it. I also have a personal preference for low sugar things, so regardless of what sweetner I use I always reduce it. 

I've kind of been on a mission impossible lately. In addition to trying to make my products all natural, I am also trying to make them vegan, and as close to diabetic friendly as I can. 

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Babes17 Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 1:54pm
post #19 of 29

The whole all natural alternative sweetners things is all a fairly new venture for me. I've done a lot of searching online about it but it seems that every article I read says something different, so I'm not really sure what my best options are.

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-K8memphis Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 12:35am
post #20 of 29

i acclimated myself to stevia -- and i wrote about it -- here: http://k8memphis.blogspot.com/2013/10/stevia-and-me-via.html

i don't how pertinent the article will be but worth the read to get the brand of stevia i use -- and if you use stevia with another sweetener it masks the stevia -- like for example halo top :)

so there's that plus on the blog itself are a few recipes

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JoandPenelope Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 3:26am
post #21 of 29

I think the biggest problem is that with most (all?) icings and frostings, the sugar contributes to a large part of the structural integrity. When you omit such an important part, you lose the structure of the icing and you're essentially frosting with pure butter (I'd still eat it ;-)).

Good luck, Babes17!

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AAtKT Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 9:34am
post #22 of 29


K8... I did read your article... I am actually glad for you being able to do the switch over... My father did it with splenda for most things several years ago...

I can still taste the stevia in the halo top... My grocery store gave me a coupon for a free pint... used it... figured free ice cream is a good thing... didn't even realize it was supposed to be low sugar or had the stevia in it... took one bite and sent the rest of the pint to my neighbors house as their teenage boys will eat anything... 

Had the same problem with a bottle of fancy cream soda I picked up somewhere, but it was with splenda... 

I have that lovely little problem with just about all of the artificial sweeteners... They taste horrible to me... I can barely tolerate the xylitol in most gums (the mint flavoring needs to be really strong)...

I just try and limit my sugar intake... but this darn sweet tooth keeps talking me into things... 


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TruCake Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 1:38pm
post #23 of 29

Indydebi's is great.  However (I am in Orlando...Terrible Heat/Humidity) I was getting grit from hers this is what I did..Take the Dream Whip and mix with your Milk only about 3 TBS of the milk and dissolve the DW with you milk then add to PC.  Worked perfect.  

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TruCake Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 1:45pm
post #24 of 29

However you will still have an issue with the refined sugar.... but try the Dream Whip in your other mixtures it may be the ticket and you can always use Almond milk etc.  I do for my vegan clients

Maybe that will help some.

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littlejewel Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 3:26pm
post #25 of 29

You really need to educate yourself a lot more about food and nutrition first, or you will waste a lot of time and money.  There are books out there and people who are very knowledgable about just what you are looking for. Coconut palm sugar is not diabetic friendly, and yes it is refined just as mentioned earlier. A a RD can be a good source of accurate information about food. I just finished watching a educational film on netflix called what the health. In the film the Doctors  that were intervied all told the interviewer that not sugar but fat causes diabeties. a There was an insulin depended man who went on a vegan diet for a short peroid of time, and his insulin amounts was cut in half. I hope you can find some useful information to help you with you quest

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littlejewel Posted 26 Jul 2017 , 3:28pm
post #26 of 29

Oh check out gretchensveganbakery.com a good source for vegan recipes that work. 

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-K8memphis Posted 27 Jul 2017 , 1:04am
post #27 of 29

aatkt -- of course you can taste it -- the object of the game is to learn to appreciate that unique taste -- not an easy thing -- not duplicate sugar --

nothing else will compare to sugar -- nothing else will compare to stevia or splenda either -- it's just learning to acclimate yourself -- and if i didn't have a distinct medical reason for ditching sugar i would not bother with any of the others --but i do so there it is --

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Babes17 Posted 27 Jul 2017 , 1:11am
post #28 of 29

Thanks for all the feedback!

I actually solved my "melting frosting" dilemma last night. It was the type of vegan butter I was using. I left one in a sealed container in the garage all day to heat test it and when I got home from work it was still holding pretty well. However the sugar is still a problem. 

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Babes17 Posted 27 Jul 2017 , 1:33am
post #29 of 29

Littlejewl: I will have to look in to both of those. I've done quite a bit of research online, but it's hard to tell what is actual fact. A lot of the articles I read said that coconut sugar was an ok alternative because it has a lower gi. Some of the articles even said it was unrefined. Like I said in an earlier post though, every article I read says something different. I think I may need to find some better sources than google...

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