How do I make good frosting w/o too much sugar or butter?

Question

I'm trying to make my frosting good w/o making it too unhealthy.......

Answer 1

I love the frosting that's used on my recipe for oatmeal cake.  It only takes a bit of butter and sugar as it's more like a topping than an actual frosting - kind of like a german chocolate cake topping.  It's got nuts and coconut in it, which makes it go farther with the little bit of butter and sugar that's in it.  It's still fattening and sweet, but better than regular frosting.  And it's delicious!  Anyway, here's the recipe:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup shredded coconut

Mix butter, sugars & milk together in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Let boil for 3 minutes.  Stir in coconut and nuts and heat another 2 minutes.  Stir in vanilla and cool briefly.  Drop by spoonfuls over cake and spread gently over surface.

Answer 2

When I make wedding cakes I use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 oleo. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, I use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 oleo(margarine).

Answer 3

Try some non-sugar sweetener like honey or date syrup! Delish... As for the butter, I'd stick with it. The only real alternatives are loaded with partially hydrogenated oils which are far worse for you in the long run.

Answer 4

I try and cut the sugar with my children so I usually use the recipe below with all my cakes, cupcakes etc..

Ingredients

1 lb. of butter (no substitutes)

2 jars marshmallow creme

1 lb. box confectioner's sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

   1. Beat butter until creamy.

   2. Add marshmallow fluff and incorporate into butter.

   3. Slowly add confectioner's sugar and vanilla.

   4. Continue beating until light and fluffy.

Good luck and take care

Answer 5

If you like the lighter whipped icing in the stores, you can buy it at Gordon's food service stores. It is Rich's better-cream icing. It comes in 1 qt. ready to whip, or pre-whipped bags.

You could also make marshmallow fondant, a lot of sugar, not a lot of butter or Crisco though.

  16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)

½ cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)



NOTE:  Please be careful, this first stage can get hot.

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 ½ minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in between fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When I’m done, they are baby soft.)

Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, “What are you doing?”



Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more.  Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.



Its best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.  

Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic- type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.



MM Fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make 2 batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant can be prepared well in advance.

Now it’s time to start. Your cake should be baked, and completely cooled. If you have a shaped cake, you can trim it now and then place the cake on a prepared cake board. In other words, you are assembling the cake puzzle on the board. You can also place the cake on the board first and then trim (you must be extra careful not to damage the covered board). I personally find that shaping first is the easiest and transferring the cake.

Give the top and sides of the cake a nice thick ¼” coating of Buttercream Icing (click on the underlined for buttercream icing).  NOTE: At first I was wondering why I needed to bother with this step. Well, there are a couple of reasons: The buttercream helps the fondant to “stick” to the cake and this cushion of undercoating icing helps to give you the beautiful smooth nearly perfect finish that you are looking for.

When you are ready to use the rested fondant, the first thing you need to do is decide what size you will need to roll your icing to.

Answer 6

Frosting is unhealthy by nature.  You could make an icing, which is basically powdered sugar and milk.  Or, mix a box of pudding (sugar free) with a container of Cool Whip (Lite or Free).  This is the frosting I prefer over anything else, but it must then be refrigerated.

Answer 7

I don't know how but I do prefere frosting that has less sugar then the "typical" type frosting. Don't know how to make however. Sorry.

Answer 8

I got a fast and ez way. Your favorite flavor Jello pudding and Whip Cream...Just mix the two, until nice and fluffy. Make sure the cake is completely cooled before putting on. It is nice a fluffy, and is just a wonderful topping..also if you want take the same flavor in Jello not pudding, and mix as directed, poke holes into the cooked cake and pour over cake, then top with frosting. hmmm..good stuff.

Answer 9

Sadly, frosting is by its very nature, horribly unhealthy.  

You can make a royal icing, using half-sugar, half-Splenda.  However, I think Royal Icing tastes like a nasty, chalky rock.  

I've used Fat Free Cool Whip as a good icing, when the cake is smooth and 'un-crumbly.'  

I find it's great for coconut icing - add a little coconut extract to the defrosted cool whip, thickly smear it on your cupcake or cake, and cover with shredded coconut.