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Cream Cheese Frosting

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).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 2 cups (frosts 9-inch layer cake)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, low-fat Neufchâtel cheese, or a combination of both
3/4 cup light agave nectar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the agave nectar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Beat well until smooth and fluffy.

  2. VARIATION

    Step 2

    Rum Cream Cheese Frosting: Substitute amber agave nectar for the light agave nectar and add 1 tablespoon dark rum.

Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.
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