Image credit: A girl, a guy,furkids and food

But I could never go past the smooth, hard icing. I loved fondant (God help me the corn syrup!) and royal icing too, but my consistent No. 1 was the almond icing on wedding cakes (hello, sugar coma). Typically this was good news for me because nobody else liked it, and my husband is currently in my ear reaffirming that fact (and casting me a very strange look too). If only I’d known what was in it, I might’ve made less of a scene of myself, sitting and eating bowls of the stuff.

The funny thing is, I couldn’t even eat those icings now given what I know about them. My cakes are healthy, so it makes sense my icings are too, the proviso always being that they taste good! So, the recipes below are true to the ideals of health and taste, and contain none of the corn syrup, artificial flavours, or transfats found in packaged or commercial frostings. Rather, they incorporate beautiful, nourishing ingredients like butter, avocado, yoghurt, coconut cream and natural sweeteners like honey. You really don’t need highly refined icing sugar mixture, which usually has corn starch or wheat flour that are a no-go area for those who are gluten free.

See what you think and maybe spread them over the likes of my Double Chocolate Banana Slab Cake or my Hot Chocolate Cake or even my Rich and Delicious Chocolate Muffins.

10 Real Food Icing Recipes

I love my Notella spread over vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, muffins, cakes and biscuits! Top with shredded coconut and sliced strawberries for a taste sensation! Just adjust thickness by adding more or less coconut cream. So versatile, that Notella!

How about a dairy free, refined sugar-free, vegan Gooey Chocolate Icing, which Jo from Quirky Cooking suggests you spread thickly on your cake.? Ok Jo, if you insist!

Detoxinista shares a dairy free Creamy Cashew Icing which is full of healthy minerals.

If you are after a dairy free, nut free icing, then Sarah from Clever Cook has got you covered with her Coconut Frosting. Icing with a lemony tang always gets my vote!

Alexx Stuart has created a nourishing, mousse-like Simple Chocolate Icing, just perfect for chocolate cakes and cupcakes. It’s super simple too.

A Girl, A Guy, Fur Kids and Food shares this Paleo and Thermomix recipe for Coconut Cream Whip which they used to top their Strawberry Cake.

Check out this nutrient loaded Butter Frosting by The Healthy Home Economist.

Here’s a favourite type of icing for me, a Raw Chocolate Glaze by Tania at Gluten Free Grain Free. She recommends it as a topping for her beautiful Chocolate Chia Cake mix. Oh, alright!

Natural New Age Mum tops her ‘go-to’ Chocolate Yoghurt Cake with cream and strawberries. I wonder if anyone would protest if you mixed a little raw honey or maple syrup into the cream first? Another great tip she offers is mixing marscopone cheese with some pureed berries and honey to taste.

And here’s a super-simple recipe you can whip up in less than two minutes!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Coconut oil
Honey or rice malt syrup
Cacao powder
Vanilla bean powder

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Super Simple Ganache Icing

Prep Time 2 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 4 tbs coconut oil
• 2 tbs honey or rice malt syrup
• 2 tbs cacao powder
• 1 tbs boiling water if coconut oil isn't melted
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together until smooth and spread on cooled cake

Quick tip: if a recipe calls for dusting with icing sugar, coconut flour works well as a replacement.

Do you like icing or do you pick it off like my kids? Do have a favourite real food icing recipe you’d like to share. Feel free to pop it in the comments.

Bren x

The ginger and molasses in this recipe produce a taste reminiscent of gingerbread men and all things Christmas. Experiment with other ingredients like dates and walnuts, but this one is hard to go past on its own, judging by the ‘double thumbs up’ from the ladies at the workshop not to mention my family!

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Ginger and Molasses Loaf

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• small pinch nutmeg
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 100 gms butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 1 egg beaten

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a loaf tin and line it with parchment paper.
• Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarb soda and sea salt into a bowl and combine.
• Warm the butter, sugar, molasses, and maple syrup in a saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Pour this into the dry mixture and add the yoghurt and egg and stir until just combined.
• Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack.
• Once cool wrap it up in baking paper keep in fridge for 3-5 days before eating. Or just bock in whenever you want to!
• Slice and spread with butter and enjoy!

Other recipes you might like…

Ginger Biscuits

Ginger, Cardamon, Molasses Cookie Hearts

Cardamon Spice Cake