Frosting

Do not make this recipe until you are ready to assemble the chocolate chip cake. Once it is cold, coffee frosting is hell to bring back up to room temp. It will separate on you, and you will spend the same amount of time trying to force the coffee milk back into the butter mixture.

This vegan chocolate crème is a luxurious filling or topping for any cake. It produces a great custardlike quality thanks to the silken tofu. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to flavor this versatile filling. Try Amaretto, Frangelico, or Grand Marnier, for a special treat.

I try to cut fat and calories wherever I can, so I generally use a combination of cream cheese and Neufchâtel when I prepare this frosting. It’s great on virtually any cake and a perfect match for Sunrise Carrot Muffins (page 7).

This new-fashioned whipped cream makes any dessert just a little bit better. This is a great topping for ice cream treats or for use as a cake frosting or filling. To frost a large cake, increase this recipe by half; to frost and fill a cake, double the recipe.

Like traditional cream cheese frosting, this vegan version is a wonderful compliment to any spiced cake or cupcake. Spread this frosting on the vegan Gingerbread Cake (page 56)—scrumptious!

After a couple of days in the fridge, it may be necessary to whip this frosting with a little soy milk if the consistency is too thick. This will restore a creamy texture.

If you would like to use this ganache as a filling as well as a frosting, double the recipe. You’ll have some left over.

Here’s a light and fluffy buttercream frosting for those who like their chocolate pure and simple.

The delicately tangy flavor makes a lovely frosting for carrot and banana cakes.

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.