Vanilla Cashew Date Icing
This Vanilla Cashew Date Icing is amazing! Simple ingredients, yet a delicious taste. Made with just dates, cashews, vanilla, and water.
I often use this icing for my baked goods, like my carrot cake (recipe coming soon), pumpkin bread (recipe coming soon), apple walnut bread (recipe coming soon), and even my icing for lemon poppyseed bread is a zesty twist of this recipe.
Please note, this is not your typical icing. It is not nearly as sweet, which I prefer. The less water you can manage to use in this recipe, the thicker you can get this– and it will be more like frosting. However, you also want to make sure your mixture is smooth. I have been able to use frosting tips with a cashew cream before, but it requires a very thick cashew base. If your cashew cream runs off the spoon, it is way to thin to use with frosting tips. Often times cashew creams will thicken as they sit in the fridge, so that might also help. So feel free to test this out as a frosting as well!
When I make this recipe for breads, I often find that I have enough leftover for another loaf. It’s much easier (from my experience) to make things in larger batches in a vitamix to get things really smooth– so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend making a 1/2 batch of this recipe. You can try! However, you may even find it easier to make a double of this recipe. Freeze the leftovers if you cant use it right away and then pull it out next time you need it. Or here are some other ways to enjoy this:
- Stir it into your oatmeal!
- Add some to your smoothies.
- Combine a spoonful with a cup or so water and matcha for a matcha latte (adjust to your liking)
- Enjoy a spoonful to satisfy your sweet tooth.
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup dates, pits removed
- ½-1 cup water, as needed
- 1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract*
- If your blender is not overly strong or you are trying to make a frosting, combine the cashews and dates in a bowl with hot water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes. Discard the water before blending.
- In a high speed blender, combine the cashews, dates, water, and vanilla. If you are using this as a glaze for breads, feel free to add the full cup water. If you are hoping for a frosting, start with 1/2 cup of water and then add an additional ¼ cup water, as needed. Also, start with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and then taste it after blending. Add another ½-1 teaspoon of vanilla if you want a stronger vanilla taste.
- Store the icing in the fridge for several hours (if possible) to allow it to set. You can top your breads and cakes with this right away, but you may need to add another layer of icing before serving if the top glazes over too much.
- * My vanilla extract is incredibly flavorful so I often just use a 1 teaspoon. However, if I am using a different kind of vanilla, sometimes I use more to give it a nice vanilla flavor.
Kristina DeMuth
Kristina DeMuth