Click here to see all of the recipes in the
Healthy Celebrations section of Heavenly Homemakers!
This Caramel Frosting recipe is very exciting because you can make it with your very own homemade powdered sugar!!! If you don’t have sucanat or you don’t feel like making powdered sugar, DO NOT substitute regular pre-made powdered sugar. This recipe won’t taste very caramelly if you use the white stuff. (I made up that word. It is pronounced: care-uh-mellleeeeee. I like it.) If you do need to make a substitution, use regular ol’ brown sugar.
You do need to know that this recipe takes several minutes to make. It isn’t hard to make, you just have to beat it (and beat it and beat it…) for several minutes to turn it into frosting. I had my kids take turns holding the beaters while I made the donuts to go with the frosting. They were making frosting…they did not mind holding the beaters.
Oh look, only four ingredients!!!
Caramel Frosting
2 cups homemade sucanat powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Place sucanat powdered sugar, butter and cream in a pan on the stove. Cook until butter is melted. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring allthewhile (I made up that word too. It is pronounced ahll-thuh-wyle. It means – keep stirring for the whole minute and whatever you do, don’t stop). Remove this from the heat and pour it into a mixing bowl. Beat mixture with electric beaters for 15 minutes or until it thickens and becomes spreading consistency. Add vanilla and beat for a little bit longer, because you just love beating your frosting and you know it.
Here is the mixture as it is beginning to boil…
Now, we have poured it into our favorite stainless steel bowl and we are beginning to beat it…
Hello there. We are still beating our mixture.
It has been only a few minutes but already it is getting thicker…
Wow, will you look at that? It’s been about eight minutes and not only is the frosting getting thicker, it is turning a nice shade of…what shade of brown would you call that? Caramelly?
Eleven minutes and counting. Thicker and thicker it becomes allthewhile we have been beating it. We have switched beater holders a few times. Life is getting more and more exciting as we see that this really might become frosting after all…
Almost done. I think we’ve been beating for longer than fifteen minutes. What is that about?
Okay, we are going to pronounce that the Caramel Frosting is now finished. It’s not as thick as we may have expected, but we can certainly spread it on our donuts. (Or on a cake if that’s what we were making this for.)
Sure enough, we were able to spread this Caramel Frosting on our donuts.
The moral of the story is this: Just when you think you can’t possibly keep beating your frosting, stick those beaters back in the bowl and KEEP BEATING. Hey, if you’re alone in your kitchen, it’ll be good prayer time. Who says you can’t pray over your bowl and beaters?
The other moral of the story is this: Good things come to those who beat. For a long time. When you eat this frosting on a cake or on donuts or on cookies…you will recognize that the beating was all worth it.
You have sooo many great recipes! I have a picky eater and a baby . . . . . maybe I can find someone to take all these treats and yummies to once Ive had a taste or two!
Bookmarked! YUM!!!
It looks simply scrummy! A caramelly glaze so to speak. Very nice. And I love that I just read your donuts are not deep fried! Deep frying is one thing I just won’t do because it seems like a waste of so much precious oil and coconut oil is not cheap!
can I say, I saw the picture of the frosted donuts and I.KID.YOU.NOT. I drooled.
Yes indeedy, I must try this. By the way I am making the hamburger buns (they are rising as I type away). I will let you know if I like your buns ;)
by the way, I don’t have one of those standing kitchen aid mixers….but I think you could use one. (starting hinting now to your husband) :)
I just love that you gave the pronunciation, because I would pronounce it car-mul-ee (sounds like harmony.) I always imagine that blog writers have the same accent as me, so it’s always a pleasant surprise to be reminded otherwise!
This looks amazing. But even with the healthier sugar, I doubt I would label it healthy. But I can’t wait to give it a try.
Yeah, I should have called it “healthy(er)”. :)
You crack me up! I wouldn’t have thought to try this on your doughnuts, but I think it would be great on them. I know a few guys at my house that would gobble them up!
Thanks for sharing this recipe for (healthier) frosting!
I made this to top whole wheat cinnamon rolls this weekend– soooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
By the way, I love reading your posts– you always crack me up, so thanks for that. : ) And I don’t think you made up allthewhile. I’m pretty sure it’s been around for….awhile.
Laura, I think your website is great! You are a humorous Lady to boot. I have to admit I am a Carmel lover. I can’t wait to try
this recipe. Bless your Heart and you and your beloved Family have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful, healthy and prosperous New Year.
I beat a chocolate frosting (made with powdered sugar, butter, choc chips, etc.) and I beat mine in the pan over a bowl of ice. I’m sure you could do the same with this. Just remember to scrape the bottom (that is getting stiff quicker) so that it incorporates with the rest of the frosting. I am definitely going to try this one! Thanks!
Hi Laura! I was looking for a healthy(er)caramel recipe and I knew you would have something I could use. We have had a year of birthday cheesecakes and my husband’s choice was a turtle cheesecake. I was looking for a caramel sauce for drizzling over the top along with a dark chocolate ganache and toasted pecans! It was so good!!
I used this recipe but did not “turn” it into a frosting but just whipped it about three minutes, until it was a good consistency for drizzling. I think others could use it in place of a caramel sauce for ice cream or drizzled over other desserts. It worked perfectly!
Thanks for the idea and the fact that I did not have to boil white sugar and corn syrup!! Have a blessed day!
This recipe is scrumptious! This morning I made sourdough apple pecan cinnamon rolls, and this made a PERFECT topping. Almost like eating a caramel apple for breakfast. I now I can always turn to your website for a healthy recipe to fit the bill. :) Thanks!
Do you wait for it to completely cool before using or just use it warm and drippy? Thanks!
Either way will work just fine!
I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time — with Sucanat, and last night I made this frosting for my birthday cupcakes. Our work ‘policy’ is that you bring in your own treats for your birthday — well, I’m the office ‘mom’ and don’t really need an excuse to bring in treats, but today is my birthday and caramel frosting on yellow butter batter cupcakes is my FAVORITE (although I’m 2 weeks in to a 28 day diet). So, while I haven’t had a cupcake, I did get a bit of frosting on my knuckles while frosting and packaging and I didn’t want to mess up a perfectly good towel so I HAD to lick the frosting off — Goodness Gracious! a home run! Fabulous! Thank you, thank you!