As I mentioned yesterday, my daughter is allergic to dairy and eggs and is intolerant to soy.
For her first birthday I made her a dairy, soy, egg free cake!
The recipe for the cupcake is from a great blogger called The Milk Allergy Mom.
It tastes surprisingly good, but very sweet and sugary. Just what you want in a cake though right?
She recommends a dairy free canned frosting which Natalie probably would have been okay with since she is only intolerant to soy (or so it seems right now). I didn’t want to take a chance that she could develop an itchy rash or a tummy ache on her birthday however, so I did my best to come up with a soy free and dairy free frosting recipe of my own.
I used my favorite America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook vanilla frosting recipe as a base and then experimented with different ingredients to turn it into something allergy free for Natalie.
I was really hoping it would turn out alright the first time, since the butter substitute is kind of pricey. Lucky for me, it did and beautifully too.
The ingredients are simple:
2 TBSP coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP dairy free milk (almond milk, coconut milk)
pinch of salt
1 1/4 c. dairy and soy free butter
3 1/4 cups of powdered sugar, plus extra just in case
You really don’t taste the coconut cream too much, but it helps balance the sugar and adds fats.
Earth Balance also has a dairy free (but not soy free) butter variety that is about the same price. I got mine at Walmart in the butter/margarine section.
– First, you’ll want to mix the coconut cream, vanilla, salt, and non-dairy milk.
Note: Like I mentioned earlier, this was an experiment that turned out well. I think you could easily omit the non-dairy milk. The cream mixture will look thick but the non-dairy/non-soy butter doesn’t need as much moisture to loosen it up as real butter does. If you omit the non-dairy milk, you will need to reduce the amount of sugar to about 3 cups. The flavor may not be as rich as well.
– Now, take your rotary beaters and beat the butter until smooth.
– Add your powdered sugar in batches of about 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
– Once combined, add the coconut cream mixture. Whip on high for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture gets glossy. It will be fairly loose and not ideal for piping onto a cake yet. If it is runny, add more sugar until the frosting is thick but loose.
– Refrigerate until hard. Then whip it again with your rotary beaters for a few second. Don’t over beat.
Now it’s ready to pipe or spread and enjoy!
Please note that this frosting must remain chilled! It melts quickly and does not hold it’s shape at room temperature.
I piped these cupcakes and refrigerated them until I was ready to serve them.
Most sprinkles are just sugar, so you can dress up this frosting with non-dairy flavors or with some easy sprinkles!
Here is the whole recipe for your convenience:
Dairy Free & Soy Free Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Coconut Cream Canned
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Dairy Free Milk Rice, Coconut
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1.25 cups Dairy & Soy Free Butter We use Earth Balance.
- 3.25 cups + Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Mix the coconut cream, vanilla, salt, and non-dairy milk.
- Beat butter with rotary beaters until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar in batches of about 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
- Once combined, add the coconut cream mixture. Whip on high for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture gets glossy. It will be fairly loose and not ideal for piping onto a cake yet. If it is runny, add more sugar until the frosting is thick but loose.
- Refrigerate until hard. Then whip it again with your rotary beaters for a few second. Don’t over beat.
- Pipe and spread as desired.
Keep chilled until ready to serve. Does not hold shape at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Thank you for that recipe! We have a bubba with a gluten and milk intollerance and not long have discovered both so we are struggling to find a full diet for a fussy toddler! I’m slowly finding more and more meal ideas now that I understand what contains what! I tell ya, my oldest with her egg, colorings, tomato, avocado and Parmesan allergies was easier then this milk and gluten!
Thanks Delia! My 16 month old son is also allergic to milk, soy and eggs (and peanuts as well). It’s so fun to see a recipe that he can try too! I love love love your blog-thank you for all your creative inspiration:)
Thanks for this recipe and an introduction to the Milk Allergy Mom’s blog. My daughter (now 5) is allergic to dairy, egg, and most other proteins (fortunately not soy). I can usually make a great vegan cake, but have struggled with a good icing.
Oh thank you!, After two boys with milk allergies and gluten, I think my eight month’s daughter can have the same problem. This is the best for her birthday party in June.
Karla- dinner at your place must be a puzzle! Glad to help!
Cassie – thank you! 🙂 I’m sorry he has allergies too. Here’s to hoping our kids grow out of this!
Arielcaitlin- Isn’t it so tricky? Glad she isn’t allergic to soy. Soy is in a lot of things!!
CARU – I am so sorry that all your kids have allergies. Gluten is a tough one too I hear. You are super mom!
Thanks for this! My 5 year old daughter is also allergic to dairy, eggs, and soy (as well as all nuts and citrus). Her birthday is next month and I am in need a frosting recipe for her birthday cake so this is perfect!
Wow! That looks amazing — and you are awesome to go to such great lengths to make her that frosting. I am counting my blessings that my only food issue is lactose intolerance.
OMG! Delia these look delicious! I will definitely try them out!
I just wanted to let you know that babies with allergies have a choice! My daughter had milk, egg and other allergies and I have been treating them since september with this amazing alternative medicine technique http://www.naet.com I really recommend you look for a practitioner near you, it has definitely changed her life, and I am next! 35 years is too long to be living with allergies.
Hope it helps to all of your visitors. Thank you sooo much for all your tutorials and everything! oh, and happy bday to your little one 😉
Thanks for posting this! My daughter is only 7.5 months so she hasn’t started solids yet (soon!), but we found out she has a diary and soy intolerance (maybe an allergy) through my breast milk and it’s been quite a shock to have to completely take them out of my diet. I never knew how many things soy was in!!! I really miss cookies and cake (and yogurt and cheese and ….). I can’t wait to try this. And here’s hoping our kids grow it of it. I’ve been told that the more diligent I am at avoiding those proteins the better chance she’ll grow out of it. I hope so, I really feel for people with allergies after this experience!
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Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing the cake recipe. 🙂 I will try your icing soon!
I posted this on our FB page. Several of our readers can’t do soy either so I’m sure they would love this. Thanks again!
Jamie @ Milk Allergy Mom
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been stressed out on what to do for our daughters 1st birthday! She has FPIES and serious allergies to milk and soy! Which is in everything! If it's not milk, it's soy or both 🙁 but this is amazing! Will be sharing it with our allergist to hand out to other parents.
Thank you for sharing. You said it does not hold up well. I am looking to use this frosting in the middle of a whole cake.What do you think?
As long as you keep it cold it should do fine. I found that when it reached room temperature, it started to melt and droop a little. So if you just spread it on, it should be okay. If you want the fancy piped look, keep it chilled and serve immediately. The reason for this is the margarine base, which doesn’t hold up well when warm. You could try to do half butter and half vegetable shortening. I have never done this, so I am not sure how it would do in flavor or consistency but I would guess that, that would help it keep it’s shape at room temperature. Maybe try a small test batch? Or you can use pillsbury frostings. Read the labels of course, but most of them are dairy free. They are not soy free and they are full of chemicals. But they are dairy free. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have two questions.. I don’t bake much but my son has a ton of allergies so I’ve started to really like baking. Does it matter if it’s powdered sugar vs normal sugar? And how long does it take to harden before I beat it really quick before I put it on the cake? I’m really excited to make my son a cake with frosting for his first birthday!
Hi Steph!
Yes, powdered sugar is necessary to get the right consistency. I would say about an hour because you want it as cold and as firm as possible. If you live in a warm climate, you may need to wait longer. I hope that helps! Good luck with everything!
Wow! I must say this recipe is amazing. I am currently nursing my infant who has a milk protein intolerance so no dairy and soy products for me. This frosting is so wonderful. I recently made a batch and didn’t use all of it so I froze it and used this week for my Christmas party desserts. Total hit! Guests were going crazy asking where I got it. Totally stunned them when I told them this recipe. Thanks so much!
Thank you for taking the time to comment. This makes me so so happy to hear!
It looks amazing! I’ve made some very similar icings and I am now doing cake tests for my daughters 1st birthday that is approaching quickly. She also has a soy, dairy, and egg allergy. I just wanted to throw this out there because you mentioned the high cost of the butter substitite. I’ve had icing success using coconut oil instead of butter substitute. You can use Louanne’s which doesn’t have the coconut flavor. I’ve done both. My family has said they prefer the allergy-free version to regular icing! Just a more cost effective idea for you!
Great idea. Thanks Hannah!
Just what I needed! Can’t wait to try this out this weekend! Thanks
Hope it helps! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe have you tried rice milk?
I haven’t tried rice milk with this recipe, but it should work just fine. Hope that helps!
I’m baking a test cake for my daughters first birthday and want to use this frosting recipe; how much will this make or better how many cupcakes or how big of a cake can be frosted with this? I trying to make a small round three layered cake for her as a smash cake and am planning using the frosting in between the layers and as rose piping on the outside. I do realize this will probably start melting fairly quickly though.
Nina,
Good question! It depends on how thick you put your frosting on. For a 9 inch, three layer cake I would at least double the recipe, probably triple (because I like my frosting thick). A single recipe can thickly frost a dozen cupcakes.
As for the melting, you can pop it into the freezer for a bit (but don’t freeze it) to help it hold it’s shape longer. I hope that helps! Happy birthday to your daughter!
Delia
Hi, can the coconut cream be substituted? If so what would you recommend as the little one is coconut free. Thanks!
Hi Lisa!
I’m sure there is a substitute out there, but I am unsure of what it could be. I’m so sorry I can’t give a better answer. My best guess would be to try a condensed version of another kind of milk. Hemp and cashew milks are the thickest and fattiest. You might start there? Good luck!
Delia <3
Delia
My daughter (14) was just told she is allergic to dairy, soy, wheat, coconuts, Nuts (all), pork, beef, oranges, shellfish including cod, and a few others. baking/cooking has been so hard.
Could you give me help on some recipes?
Erinn,
My heart goes out to you. That’s a hard transition to make with half as many allergies. My biggest piece of advice to is to start following food bloggers who cook for food allergies. I really like The Allergy Chef…her story is really amazing. She cooks for all kinds of food allergies. I am loving the Minimalist Baker as well and The Bubble Girl Bakes. They seem to have the best tasting, and consistently successful recipes that I’ve tried. Can she have eggs? If she can have eggs, I say run with that. There are so many egg recipes that I wish we could eat, but can’t since my daughter is allergic. I *think* there is one cookie recipe that uses just banana, egg, and chocolate chips or something. The good news in all of this, is that there seem to be more and more options available. Check a health or whole food store to see if they have substitutions. Finding good go to substitutions makes things easier, so you don’t have to completely over haul your menu. I hope that helps! I wish I could hug you! I know it’s tough. Your daughter is so lucky to have you in her corner.
May I ask what type of piping nozzle you used please?
Sure! I think I used a Wilton brand, star tip. I hope that helps!
Earth Balance DOES have a milk & Soy free butter. It is sold mostly at Walmart and the container is red. the label says earth balance Soy Free. hope this helps others. I know how hard it is to find Milk and Soy free food items.
Thanks for the recipe, cant wait to try it for my daughter’s first birthday this month! I’m sorry if I missed it, did you post the cake recipe as well? I would to have that as well.
Hi Nikki! Happy birthday to your daughter! The cake recipe is from Milk Allergy Mom and it should be linked. You can also google “Milk Allergy Mom Vanilla Cake” and it will pop right up. I hope that helps!