Vanilla Agave Buttercream

Photo by Chelsea Kyle
This is my favorite frosting. It’s a real buttercream, rich and creamy, but not too sweet. It’s great on any cake or cupcake.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 cups (frosts one 9-inch layer cake)
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons light agave nectar
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons whole milk
Pinch of sea salt
Preparation
Cream the butter with an electric mixer until light in color. Slowly add the agave nectar and beat until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the dry milk and beat again. Add the vanilla extract and the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until completely blended. Add the salt, turn the mixer to high speed, and beat about 2 minutes, or until very fluffy. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.