Frosting Recipes

This yogurt frosting recipe with apricot preserves is meant for a nice, moist yogurt cake.  We love this frosting because it lightens up the butter and adds a bit of glossiness to the frosting.  It’s fun to experiment with different flavors of yogurt depending on what you have available.  We tend to go with plain, particularly if you’re adding high quality fruit preserves to the mix.  But you can always experiment with either one, to find the flavors that best compliment your cake.  A full fat yogurt tends to make a better cake frosting for its consistency, and allow you to reduce some of the butter in the recipe as well.   But lower fat versions are also feasible.  (Also, check out our other super simple Greek yogurt frosting recipe.)

Fresh, ripe fruit can work beautifully in these frosting recipes if you are using a blender, rather than mixing by hand.  Apricot season begins in mid-May, so during that time of year, opt for the fresh ripe fruit, rather than preserves from a jar.  Strawberries, raspberries or even citrus (fresh or preserves) make a great alternative to the apricots in the recipe.  Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you can reduce the amount of sugar considerably.  You can also try a flavored yogurt such as cherry, combined with apricot preserves for a glorious result.

We like this cake or cupcake frosting recipe on chocolate or angel food cake and garnished with crushed almonds, fresh raspberries or dried apricots.

Apricot Yogurt Frosting Recipe (Related pound cake recipe after the jump)

Flora’s Recipe Hideout: Yogurt Pound Cake With Apricot Yogurt Frosting.

While we often see carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting, sour cream is a tangier option.  (Plain yogurt may serve as an alternative). Slightly thinner than cream cheese frosting, it is best suited to cupcakes.  Sour cream and cream cheese are comparable in fat content, so no cutting calories there.  However, this sour cream frosting is the perfect foil to the carrot and pineapple-packed cake.  Sounds and looks delicious!

Sour Cream Frosting

4 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup HP Hood Sour Cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients, except powered sugar, until well combined. With an electric mixer on slow, add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Decorate as desired.

(Note: We think you’d be ok with any brand of sour cream you have available).

Cupcake recipe, pics and more after the jump:

Spring Recipe! Carrot Cupcakes with Sour Cream Frosting — Food and Recipe Blog.

When cream cheese or buttercream frosting seem too heavy, or, you’re looking for a frosting recipe with a slight tangy flavor, yogurt frosting may be the way to go.  The one below is also one of the simplest recipes available.  In addition to frosting cakes, this makes a wonderful accompaniment to cake as a side dollop or served like ice cream alongside a cake slice. It can also be accompanied by granola and dried fruit.  Garnish with fresh mint or basil leaves and fresh fruit.

Yogurt frosting is an perfect compliment to fruit-flavored cupcakes such as berry or citrus as well as deeper flavors like chocolate and coffee.  It also works well with mellowing very sweet flavors like a milk chocolate or honey, giving balance to each bite.  It can also be a lower fat substitute for anywhere you’d use cream cheese frosting, such as on a carrot cake.   In fact, if you want to reduce fat, rather than using a fat free cream cheese, we’d go with a full fat yogurt.  It has a richer flavor and more natural consistency than other more processed ingredients.

Be sure to use a thicker Greek yogurt to keep frosting spreadable.   Chill before frosting to help it hold its shape.  Try to keep the frosting cool so it doesn’t drip down the sides.  We recommend this recipe for cupcakes over full-size cakes due to the thinner consistency.    Consider applying the frosting as more of a pile or stack, than like a traditional spread.

Cupcake Project provides this recipe:

Greek Yogurt Frosting Recipe

Here is the recipe from Souvlaki for the Soul, reprinted with my notes.

1 C Greek yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farms)
A good splash of vanilla extract (I used 1 t)
1/2 C powered sugar, sifted

1. Whisk all ingredients until they become a bit thick.
2. Place in the fridge to thicken even more (at least 30 minutes).
3. Spread on cupcakes.

Greek Yogurt Frosting – A Healthy Frosting ~ Cupcake Project.