1- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.

OR

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add to the cream cheese mixture and whip just to combine – about 30 seconds.

Yep, that’s it.

Be careful when whipping the cream that you don’t over whip it and make butter. Starting with a well-chilled metal bowl helps.

If you are planning to pipe it for decorating, chill it for at least 1 hour.

If you want to color it, add the color when the cream is just starting to firm up, or paint stripes of color down the sides of the bag for a fun effect.

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Yes, this is the same frosting from the cinnamon rolls, but it is so buried in that post that people have asked that I post it by itself.  So, here it is!  I also use this just about any time I need a good frosting.

I’m not posting a recipe, per se today. Instead I’m telling you about an amazing recipe that I tried out last week for Vegan Cupcakes!

I know what you are thinking “She’s gone off her rocker with this one!” but I ask that you hear me out…

My daughter turned 6 last week, and we had a party. One family is on a gluten free/dairy free diet, and another family is vegan. What does an understanding friend do in this case? Well, we made 3 kinds of treats!

First, we made the Vanilla Gluten Freedom cupcakes from the AMAZING book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World and topped them off with the vanilla buttercream frosting at the back. Then we made a rich, dark, dense chocolate cake frosted with whipped ganache (sorry, but no one messes with the chocolate! This one was full of heavy cream!) However I have to say that my favorite were the vegan Dulce Sin Leche cupcakes from the Vegan Cupcakes book!

Wow… they are caramel-y,moist, rich and oh, so yummy! I think I have found a new favorite cupcake… We topped them with the suggested Dulce Sin Leche sauce, but since they were shaped like tulips we also frosted them with the vegan buttercream frosting. Divine!

If you know anyone who prefers a vegetarian or vegan diet and you (or they) are looking for a tasty treat to fix for dessert, snack, or just because, I highly recommend this cookbook! It’s available at amazon – head over there and read about it! You WILL want this book!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

Happy baking!

ps – yes, this foray into birthday baking has brought about a change in the look of our page – do you like the cupcakes pictured? Tasty treats abound!