VEGAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING

You know that old idiom where one great thing happens, plus an additional great thing happens on top of that? Sure you do: the second great thing is the "icing on the cake." It's a saying that comes from the widespread appeal of icing, or frosting, a sweet glaze used to cover or decorate baked goods, such as cakes or biscuits. Traditionally icing is made of sugar, and also contains butter, water, egg whites, milk, or flavorings. As versatile as it is delicious, frosting can be customized with for each use. Also, because of its texture, icing can be shaped into flowers, leaves, and other designs by the deft use of a pasty bag. Such decorations have been used to personalize wedding and birthday cakes for years.

There are literally hundreds of variations of icing, from the simplest glace icing made from icing sugar and water, to more complex versions combining butter cream, egg whites, and glycerin. Other popular favorites involve cream cheese or ground almonds, as with a marzipan.

For those of us looking to avoid animal and dairy products, the idiom might go, "I baked a wonderful vegan chocolate cake, and I made vegan chocolate frosting to go on top!" The key to a good vegan chocolate frosting is substituting vegetable oil for margarine, and either soymilk or water in the place of milk. Since cocoa powder and icing sugar are already dairy and animal free, there's no need to tweak that side of the recipe. Once the all the ingredients are mixed well, simply use a knife or spatula to apply your vegan chocolate frosting and voila! Sit down with a fork, a nice cool glass of soymilk, and enjoy the bonus of healthy, ethical baking!