Have I ever told you that I am obsessed with cake? Cake, cupcakes, and frosting = happy thoughts in my world! When I was a small child I would peruse the pages of my mother's old Betty Crocker Cookbook and study the detail of every cake photo, dreaming and hoping that one day I would taste them all. When I grew up, my adoration for cakes never faded. I took cake decorating classes and started making my cake dreams a reality. I really feel that a great cake must have homemade frosting to be completely delicious. Often I make my cakes from mixes, but my frosting is nearly always from scratch. The cupcake in the photo (above) shows my Gluten Free Coconut-Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting on top of a chocolate cupcake made using a Pamela's Gluten Free Chocolate Cake mix. This frosting would taste great on just about ANY cake or cupcake you choose, whether from scratch or from a mix!
My Gluten Free Coconut-Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting was one of the recipes included in the feature article I wrote for Delight Gluten Free Magazine's Fall 2009 issue, entitled The Cupcake Craze. I hope it makes you happy too!
Gluten Free Coconut-Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup flake coconut
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup additional flake coconut, toasted (for topping)
Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners’ sugar, a bit at a time, blending with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, one minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and blend the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute more. Fold in the ½ cup coconut and the pecans. If a thicker frosting is desired, refrigerate covered, for 30 minutes or use at once to frost cupcakes (or cake). After frosting, sprinkle cupcakes with ½ cup toasted coconut. Yield: 3 1/2 cups
*Recipe adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup flake coconut
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup additional flake coconut, toasted (for topping)
Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners’ sugar, a bit at a time, blending with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, one minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and blend the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute more. Fold in the ½ cup coconut and the pecans. If a thicker frosting is desired, refrigerate covered, for 30 minutes or use at once to frost cupcakes (or cake). After frosting, sprinkle cupcakes with ½ cup toasted coconut. Yield: 3 1/2 cups
*Recipe adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook
Enjoy!
Gluten free is probably a great idea for everyone to be on. How is the taste difference?
ReplyDeleteHi Sheila,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! There are some really great tasting gluten free baking mixes on the market these days. The new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes are wonderful and are available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
Give them a try and see what you think!
Cheers!
Cinde :)