Ricki Heller’s Gluten Free Soy Free Sugar Free Grain Free Vegan Chocolate “Buttercream” Frosting
51Piggies! It is DAY 10 of Gluten Free Baking With KitchenAid, and we are celebrating our 7-QT Stand Mixer Giveaway with a little frosting on the top! I thought I had died and gone to piggy sugar free allergy free vegan heaven when I dipped my finger into this scrumptious concoction by the fabulous Ricki Heller from Diet, Dessert and Dogs. If you don't know Ricki and her PHENOMENAL blog and cookbooks, then you are missing out on one of the great treasures in life! I say this because I can eat every single last morsel of perfection on this jewel of a website!
Diet, Dessert and Dogs incorporates Ricki's three passions: "Diet" chronicles her life-long struggle with weight issues, her journey with candida, and her love of whole foods and vegan cooking; "Dessert" celebrates her family history and penchant for decadent healthy sweet treats; and "Dogs" is a homage to her "Human Honey" and her two beloved dogs, who she calls "the girls." Diet, Dessert and Dogs was recently nominated as one of SHAPE Magazine’s “Best Healthy Eating Blogs” for 2011. Ricki’s writing and recipes have been featured in Clean Eating Magazine, Canadian Living Magazine, OneGreenPlanet.com, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, CrazySexyLife.com and many other publications.
Having followed Ricki in awestruck wonder for years, I was utterly THRILLED when we became co-contributors to The Balanced Platter. It somehow validated my blogging existence that I was officially linked on a website with the great Ricki Heller! I simply cannot express my adoration for this woman in a single blog post, it would take YEARS! As a cookbook author, natural nutritionist and teacher, Ricki is a wealth of knowledge about health and nutrition, whole foods cooking and anti-candida practices. She is also a fantastic, innovative recipe developer. I think her superpower is developing sugar-free candida-friendly recipes that feel like naughty indulgences! Yes! THAT got your attention didn't it?!
This gluten free, vegan chocolate "buttercream" frosting is a perfect example of the aforementioned superpower. It is TO DIE FOR! I contemplated "Death by Ricki's Buttercream Frosting" the other night as I struggled not to lick out the entire mixer bowl in one sitting before I had even had a chance to make the cupcakes! You can find tons more delectable recipes like this on Ricki's website, or grab a copy of Ricki's wonderful books: Sweet Freedom (one of only three cookbooks recommended on Ellen DeGeneres’ website), and her three ebooks: Good Morning, Desserts Without Compromise, and Anti-Candida Feast.
Aside from Ricki's extraordinary talents in the culinary world, she is one of the loveliest, most generous people I know. I am overjoyed that she is a part of this event. Thanks Ricki - you are an inspiration to me. Watch out! When I come bounding up to give you a hug at Nourished and GFAF Expo this week I may never let you go!
Check out Ricki's Weekly Roundup Linky every Thursday-Monday and submit YOUR recipe. I am submitting this recipe to Amy's Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Adrienne's Allergy Free Wednesdays. YUM!
Check out Ricki's original post for more information about this recipe.
Find our more about Ricki Heller at Diet, Dessert and Dogs.
Follow Ricki on Facebook and Twitter.
Ricki Heller’s Gluten Free Soy Free Sugar Free Grain Free Vegan Chocolate “Buttercream” Frosting
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp (150 ml) sweet potato purée (I always use homemade for this, so can’t vouch for the canned variety. I bake rather than boil my potatoes to bring out the natural sweetness as much as possible, then cool, peel and purée).
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) smooth natural cashew butter or sesame tahini (for nut-free)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) carob powder
- 2.5 ounces (65 g) good quality unsweetened chocolate (I use Cocoa Camino)
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin cold pressed organic coconut oil
- 2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 15-25 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid, to your taste (I use NuNaturals)
- pinch fine Celtic sea salt
- Place sweet potato, coconut sugar, stevia, vanilla and salt into your stand mixer and mix until well combined.
- Add the carob powder and process until combined. Set aside.
- In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, place the chocolate, cashew butter and coconut oil over low heat.
- Stir constantly until chocolate melts; remove from heat.
- Pour this chocolate into the mixer and blend everything until smooth and creamy.
- Note: if the coconut oil begins to separate (the mixture will appear oily and a bit curdled), OR if you find that the mixture is too thick, add one tablespoon more of the sweet potato purée at a time and mix again. It should come together in a silky, spreadable frosting.
- This may be used immediately as a fudgy frosting; or else refrigerate until firm, then beat in your mixer until fluffy and lighter in colour for a “buttercream” frosting.
- This makes about one cup (240 ml), enough for one layer or 12 mini cupcakes.
- **Avoid the urge to eat most of it straight from the spoon.
- This can also be frozen; defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature and beat in your mixer before using.
- **I use carob powder because it adds a bit of sweetness that allows me to use less stevia. However, if you can use sweeteners, feel free to substitute cocoa instead of carob and add a bit more coconut sugar or some agave nectar to taste.
- This frosting is fantastic on cakes, cupcakes, muffins, or vegan whoopie pies.
Check out Ricki's original post for more information about this recipe.
Find our more about Ricki Heller at Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Follow Ricki on Facebook and Twitter.
Piggy Cooking Tips
Easily Remove Cakes from tins
If you leave a cake too long in a greased tin, it can be difficult to remove. A really easy way to ensure a cake slides right out of a greased tin is to run the bottom of the tin over a very low flame on the stove top. This will melt the fat that was used to initially grease the tin and the cake will slide right out.
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Piggy Grunts!
Add Your GruntI don’t know….I’m not sure if I have the resources for step #9 ;)
LOL! Oh Christine you make me laugh…
I almost couldn’t complete step 9 either!
This is SOOOO good. RIGHT up your alley.
Can’t wait to hear what you think xx
This is such a creative recipe! Gotta love Ricki’s kitchen expertise. :)
Oh my goodness! Do you have any idea how many times we get requests for sugar-free, grain free frosting? I can’t WAIT to try this frosting - it looks simply MARVELOUS!
Squealing over to store now… for ingredients. I’ll try to follow “Step 9” directions, but it looks tough! :-)
Cheers!
LOL! It IS tough once you taste this!
YES! Jen! This is RIGHT up your alley!
RICKI ROCKS!!!!!!
Thanks so much! Just curious about those requests—do you mean customers? :)
Hi Ricki!
Yes, sometimes we get special order requests for cakes and cupcakes without sugar. Up until now, I have always said no and didn’t know where to send them if they wanted to make their own. Now I know I can send them to your site - YAY!!! I can’t wait to try this frosting! It looks so yummy! Thank you!
Jennifer
I saw the word CHOCOLATE and was hooked. Can’t wait to make this!! I agree with Christine - #9 is silly!! :) Ain’t gonna happen! I am currently on a candida cleanse and her website will be perfect for me to visit and indulge in. Ricki sounds like a wonderful, beautiful person (she covers all her bases in her 3 D’s) - those are important aspects in my life too. Thanks, Tess and Ricki. You girls ROCK!!! XOXO
LOl! I love it! Yes! #9 is SILLY for piggies!
Yes! Kibby - DEFINITELY check out Ricki’s website. She will be a LIFELINE for you while you are on your candida cleanse.
She is SO amazing and generous.
Just email her with any questions.
Thank you so much, Kibby. I’d say that the three D’s are probably 3 of the most important things in my life! :D And yes, you’ll find all kinds of candida-friendly recipes on my site (I’m on the anti-candida diet, too).
What an ingenious recipe created by an extremely brilliant lady! And it accommodates everyone’s needs, particularly the sugar factor. Sounds like a real show stopper - must try asap!!!
Lisa
Thanks, Lisa! Hope you like it. And I’m so glad to be able to accommodate so many different dietary needs with this! :)
That frosting sounds unbelievable! I unfortunately cannot use cashew or sesame due my child’s food allergies. What do you think about using sunflower seed butter as a substitute? Thank you!!!
I’ve never tried it with sunbutter, but it should work—the texture is very similar. If you do give it a try, please let us all know how it turns out! I’d love to be able to add that option to the original recipe, too. :)
It’s crazy how challenging it can be!! Fingers crossed that the sunflower seed works. I LOVE cashews!!!!! :(
Tess I can say this frosting is amazing! I have made it a few times, and it wows me every time. This is a reminder that I need to make it again! Your description of Ricki is bang-on. She’s definitely one of a kind! We’re so lucky to have you two on board at The Balanced Platter. Sadly, I won’t be able to make it to Nourished. Can you have someone videotape that hug you’re going to give Ricki? xo
Maggie, we will miss you at Nourished!! And as I said on FB, so glad that you love this frosting as much as I do! And yes, you need to make it again. ;)
Thankyou Maggie!
I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of TBP with all of you lovely and talented ladies.
I am so sorry we will miss you in Chicago this week. I will definitely take a photo when Ricki and I first meet!
I have been looking for a dairy free ‘buttercream’ for a long time. I’ve been dairy free since my twins were born and I have to continue because if I let the diary in eczema flares up! I’m going to have to try this! Thanks!
Hope this suits your needs, Allissabeth! I think the texture is incredibly close to “real” buttercream (in the whipped version). Enjoy! :)
What a gorgeous picture! My mouth is totally watering over this one. And what a great website! Everything looks delish.
Thanks, Cheryl! I love Tess’s site, too—as she might say, she ROCKS! :D
Totally mouth watering. I’ll try really hard to follow your step 9. There is a white and yellow sweet potato. Just wondering if both will taste the same?
Vegetarian,
Thanks so much! I always use the yellow (orange) sweet potatoes—the ones that are more moist. Over here, we call the white ones “yams” as far as I know. When I do encounter a dryer potato, though, I simply add a tablespoon or two of water to the food processor to ensure it’s creamy and a bit moist. Hope that helps! :)
This frosting looks divine! Thank you so much for sharing your great recipe on Allergy-Free Wednesdays! In order to be featured, please provide a link back to an AFW Hostess. Be sure to check back next week for recipe highlights (including the top 3 reader choice submissions and hostess favorites).
Be Well!
Thanks Laura,
Ricki’s frosting rocks and she was kind enough to share it here and on your linky.
We will check back next week to see what you have!
This looks AMAZING! Any idea if powdered stevia can be used in place of liquid?
Hi Raechel,
Yes, you can use powdered stevia, no problem! I prefer the liquid because I find that the powdered sometimes has an aftertaste, but if you’re okay with powdered, go ahead. Use the same volume (ie, about 1/4 teaspoon). Thanks so much! :)
Ricki I NEVER would have thought of making icing this way… this is GENIUS!!! I cannot wait to try this the next time I need chocolate icing! thank you so much for making a lower sugar icing that is beautiful!
Aw, thanks, Carrie! Glad you like it. I try not to make it too often. . . too easy to just eat it off the spoon ;-) Loved your muffin recipe, too!! :D
Ricki, what an amazing recipe! I’m allergic to coconut, but looking forward to giving this a try with pure palm oil. Won’t have the coconut flavor, but…
I’m a big fan of your work. Keep it up, you gluten free star!
Carla, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see your comment here! Thank you so much for your kind words. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out with palm oil! :)
Yes! I want to hear about that too :)
Just another excuse to make it AGAIN!
Oinkedy Oink!
Tess—I’m speechless (and believe me, that’s a tough trick to pull off)! Thank you SO much for this amazing write up and for making me sound so good. ;-) Can’t wait to meet you, too—very much looking forward to hugging and lots of gabbing! :D
It was EASY PEASY to convey how amazing you are, because you had already done all of the work! Your fabulousness translates without ANY work from me! Yes! SOO much gabbing and hugging to do this week.
3 more sleeps! I cannot wait xxx