As a compliment to my Wheat-free Carrot Cake this frosting is killer. I literally stood in my kitchen and repeatedly ‘taste tested’ it…like, like…some sort of sugar addict!
**Jenna fully acknowledges that she is indeed a sugar addict, she is fine with this.**
It is glorious. New favorite buttercream…by far. It’s a riff on my standard buttercream recipe but with the addition of organic creamed coconut…which is the secret ingredient. It gives natural coconut flavor with the kind of forgiving texture that people like me (are there other people like me?) dream about. Smooth for frosting, but stiffens like mortar when chilled.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
– 2 cups (4 sticks) of unsalted butter at room temperature
– 1/2 cup (1 stick) of non-hydrogenated shortening (I like this one)
-1/2 cup (3/4 of a package) of the unsweetened organic creamed coconut (here is your link)
– 3.5 cups powdered sugar
-1 tbsp vanilla
-5 tbsp pineapple juice (canned, not fresh!)*
-1/2 tsp salt
*Fresh pineapple contains and enzyme that could make your frosting curdle. If you don’t have pineapple juice, you could replace this with coconut extract and some cream to thin the frosting to a consistency you like.
Add all that room temperature buttery goodness to the bowl of your favorite mixer, the non-hydrogenated and coconut stuff too. Whip the mixture until homogenized. This will take 2-3 minutes and a lot of bowl scraping. Consider investing in one of these guys.
A Quick note about that ^^^weird creamed coconut^^^ I keep talking about. Straight out of the package it has the texture of fruity concrete. To use it in this frosting, I placed the sealed plastic bag in a sink of warm water. The solid mass of cocoliciousness melted to a softened consistency. The package says you should mix it with water, DO NOT THIN IT WITH WATER… just add it straight. Your buttercream cannot support the extra water.
Once everything is looking a little fluffy and puffy, lower the speed of the mixer (seriously.) and start adding in your powdered sugar bit by bit. Once you’ve hit the 3.5 cup mark and everything is looking mingled, add your flavoring, salt, and pineapple juice….then jack the speed of your mixer to high and let it go for at least 5 minutes.
Walk away, just let it go… try to avoid that oh so needy behavior of watching and speculating about whether everything will turn out as planned. Did I add all the sugar? Will I have enough frosting? I suggest that you try to locate some rum and concoct a pina colada-like drink from the remaining coconut and pineapple juice. You are a creative being, I have faith in your capabilities.
After your frosting is thoroughly fluffed, you should grab a spoon and taste it and adjust, just remember that you can always add, but you can’t take away. Season wisely my friends. ….NOW YOU ARE READY TO FROST AND ENJOY! or just eat it out of the pastry bag. I don’t judge.
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