Gretchen's Vegan Bakery

2 2 2 Cream Cheese Icing

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What in the world is 2 2 2 cream cheese icing you ask?

Well it’s just the most amazing, easiest vegan cream cheese icing recipe you will ever taste
And not only is it vegan cream cheese free, which makes it room temperature stable
But it’s also nut free and shortening free!

Cream Cheese Icing

And you will always remember it because of the 2 2 2

2 pounds of vegan butter / 2 pounds of confectioners sugar/  2 teaspoons of vegan lactic acid

Cream Cheese Icing

Add a pinch of salt if you want to get all complicated, but seriously it’s only three ingredients!

I know most of you have probably heard this trick of adding acid to a buttercream recipe to mock the tang of a cream cheese icing
So this is not my creation, and most people use apple cider vinegar to get that tang

What sets mine apart is that not only do I want to avoid adding more moisture to vegan buttercream by adding liquid vinegar

The addition of powdered lactic acid is the ultimate key to authentic, tangy and perhaps most importantly:
STABLE CREAM CHEESE ICING!

Cream Cheese Icing

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Notes for Success:

I think 2 teaspoons of lactic acid is perfect for this recipe quantity.
However taste may vary from brand to brand so be sure to start with 1 teaspoon & adjust to your liking
For those using apple cider vinegar it is an “okay” substitute but nothing compares to the authentic tang the lactic acid lends to this recipe

Earth Balance vegan butter is my preference since it has the lowest moisture content and will get firm in the refrigerator
Most vegan butter and margarine will not ever get hard in the refrigerator which can pose a problem for stability if your cake is sitting out at room temperature for too long
In which case if you absolutely need added stability I would probably opt for substituting some of that vegan butter with hi ratio cake/icing shortening

But be sure to also watch the tips on re-whipping a cold buttercream!

 

Cream Cheese Icing

2 2 2 Cream Cheese Icing

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 cups

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the room temperature vegan butter on medium to high speed until light & fluffy I usually let this go for about 5 minutes
  • Add the sifted confectioners sugar and vegan lactic acid (*or apple cider vinegar if using) and mix on low speed until all is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium high and whip for 1 minute

Notes

222 Cream Cheese Icing is room temperature stable up to 80F
If the conditions in your area get hotter than that, the icing will start to get soft, so it is best to refrigerate until serving.
Any un-used icing will stay fresh in a clean airtight container for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
Freeze for up to 3 months
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patty

    Hello quick question so I can replace the acid with apple cider vinegar? So it’s butter 10x sugar and apple cider vinegar? Thank you

  2. Sara Mrnková

    SUPER IDEA! Gretchen, you are Vegan Pastry God <3
    but…here in Czech Republic I can´t find it as a powder, just like a liquid. How can I use it, or is it possible to us it instead of powder? They say it has 80% concetration. Thanks for your answer 🙂
    Sara

    • Gretchen

      HI Sara, Thanks! I have not ever used the liquid (I’ve not seen it to be honest!) But I would recommend to use a teaspoon or half at a time and taste as you go to make sure it is to your liking

  3. Ginny

    Hi Gretchen! I just made this the other day and it was fantastic! I used vinegar and my question is if you use the lactic acid does it give it a better taste? Thank you!

    • Gretchen

      Great! Yes in my opinion the lactic acid really gives it that authenticity! I have used both & I DO see a difference in the Lactic powder

  5. Dylan

    Have you tried adding lactic acid to any other styles of buttercream to any success? I wonder if it would be possible to do a ermine or swiss style “cream cheese” buttercream this way

    • Gretchen

      Yes! It would work for all the buttercream recipes! Especially because lactic acid powder is//well..Powder! So this is a bonus vs adding apple cider vinegar as an alternative

      • Dylan

        Thanks for the response – nice! I feel like the thickness of your ermine recipe will lend well to the “cream cheese”-ness. I’ll give it a try!

        • Dylan

          I have to share that it was a huge success! I was requested to make a lemon cream-cheese carrot cake, and it came out SUPERB – several people said it’s the best cake I’ve made.

          For the buttercream, I followed your Ermine buttercream recipe. I substituted a quarter cup of the plant milk for lemon juice, and then after the custard was done I whisked in one Tbsp of lemon zest and four Tsp of vegan lactic acid along with the vanilla extract. The lemon + lactic acid worked amazingly together!

          For the cake, I followed your carrot cake recipe, with the only modifications being substituting the orange zest for lemon zest and adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice. KILLER.

  7. Robin

    Hi Gretchen I need to leave this in room temperature a few hours. How much of the butter should be replaced by high-ratio shortening, 1/2? 1/3?
    Thanks!

  8. christine

    Can’t wait to try this! My husband doesn’t do well with vegan cream cheese, so this is a great option. I made my own birthday cake with buttercream frosting just for him… It was too sweet for me, but he loved it, lol
    I actually have lactic acid for my vegan fresh mozzarella 🙂 YAY!

  10. Christine

    OMG NEXT LEVEL GENIUS!
    You really nailed this recipe! Incredibly easy to make, with such a brilliant result! Super silky, smooth and over-the-top tasty! Customers at the café went crazy for it. You continue to raise the bar in vegan baking. Thanks so very much! (I’m a 24 year vegan and professional baker, fyi, so I have a fairly decent sense of judgement when it comes to vegan food 🙂 )
    Oh, and a question please…have you tried to make a chocolate version by chance? (any tips would be helpful so I can nail it first (or second) time around. Need to make a chocolate on chocolate, with extra chocolate, birthday cake for the weekend.

  11. Christine

    Gretchen!

    2-2-2 is a 10/10/10!!!!

    Im obsessed with finding ways to put this frosting on EVERYTHING!
    Question: If I wanted to drizzle it on muffins, could I heat it a little bit? Add almond milk??

    Thanks again!!!
    Christine

  12. AIG

    I’m a bit confused. In one section the ingredients are listed as “2 pounds of vegan butter, 2 pounds of confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons of vegan lactic acid.” Later in the article they aer listed as:
    “Vegan Butter 2 lbs (908g)
    Confectioners Sugar 2 lbs (909g)
    Vegan Lactic Acid 3 teaspoons
    *If using apple cider vinegar use 2 teaspoons.”

    Not sure whether to use 2 or 3 teaspoons of Vegan Lactic Acid. Please advise! Thank you!

    • Gretchen

      Ah yes good catch! It is 2 teaspoons (although you can adjust to your liking & I sometimes add more!) But to keep it with the 2-2-2 it is indeed 2 TWO!
      Thank you! I’ll update that now sorry for the confusion!

  14. Douglas Schmidt

    I agree with you about most vegan butters being too soft. Try Violife butter, it is the closest to real butter that I have found. I can even make croissants with it. It makes great icing!

    • Gretchen

      Wow great! Thanks! The problem for me though is that where I live there are basically zero vegan ingredients. I am lucky to find one pop up here or there but they are usually quickly discontinued for lack of demand. I live in an area that thrives on BBQ & processed foods 🙁

  16. KC

    Hi Gretchen, making this tomorrow for a book club. Can I sift the lactic acid powder into the powdered sugar so that it’s evenly distributed OR do I just add it when I add the powdered sugar?