Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

1. Set vegan butter out in advance to soften. Soak cashews in water for 2 hours (or boil for 10 minutes) before blending, if not using a high-speed blender. Combine cashews and water and blend until creamy, about 2-4 minutes. Remove cashew cream from blender and measure out 1/4 cup to use in the frosting.
2. With an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer), mix vegan butter and 1/4 cup of cashew cream from previous step until well combined. Add lemon juice, vanilla, nutritional yeast, and salt and mix well.
3. Sift powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Slowly mix in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. If your frosting becomes too dry, you can add a dash of the remaining cashew cream or some non-dairy milk. Turn your mixer up to medium-high speed to whip the frosting for a minute or two.
4. Use an icing spatula or piping bag to spread or pipe frosting onto your cake or cupcakes. Garnish with cinnamon or walnuts. Enjoy!

You will likely have some cashew cream left over, you can keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for use in other recipes.

I've put a range for the powdered sugar measurement; start with less sugar and add more if needed. If you're planning to pipe a lot of frosting onto cupcakes, you'll probably need to add the additional powdered sugar to stiffen it up a bit.

Storage: Keep unused frosting in an airtight container with plastic wrap over the frosting for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Return to room temperature before piping or spreading.