I knew it would happen.
You mention a recipe with high marks on a blog, and folks want you to share it.
What if “Mom’s Famous Almond Frosting” is a family heirloom recipe? What if Mom doesn’t want me to share it?
Luckily for you, the four who asked and the millions who are wondering and waiting with baited breath since I posted this year’s slightly healthy birthday cake recipes, I’ll spill the beans. I mean — the butter.
My mom’s almond frosting was originally a chocolate frosting recipe that used shortening. She did the almond thing and I changed out the fats, and voila! A still-really-bad-for-you-but-at-least-without-trans-fat delicious, scrumptious frosting for your cakes and cookies. 
Mom’s Almond Frosting
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
2 Tbs. water
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, slightly softened
1 tsp. almond extract
Ingredient notes: You can also use coconut oil, but only if you’re going to refrigerate the frosting since the melt point is 76 degrees. I tried it once in the wintertime, and it worked out great. I’m guessing palm shortening would work fine, too, but haven’t tried it. To make the chocolate version, leave out the extract and add 1/4 cup cocoa powder. You can also substitute vanilla extract for the almond, but it’s the almond flavor that makes it special for me.
Really neat transformation: Want peanut butter frosting? Use natural peanut butter in place of the fat. This may make the frosting too stiff, but you can add hot water a tiny bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency. My brother has had a banana cake with peanut butter frosting every birthday since he was born, and it’s so yummy. I’m sure it would also make a chocolate cake something special!
Method:
Combine powdered sugar and egg in mixing bowl with a fork. You will think it will never work, that there’s no way all that powdered sugar could possibly be incorporated into the one egg, but just keep mixing. Do not give into temptation to add another egg. It will work!
Combine water, granulated sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
Add slowly to the egg mixture while beating with an electric mixer, until fully incorporated. Add the butter and extract. Beat until creamy. Spread on the cake or chill for a half hour to make it easier to pipe designs. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for longer storage or at room temperature if on the cake.
Also great on sugar cookies, and we love the leftovers on graham crackers (storebought in my past life, homemade now if I have the energy!). Just so you don’t have to beg for the homemade graham cracker recipe 
it’s from Heartland Renaissance: homemade whole wheat graham crackers.
Did I mention this is my family’s ultimate favorite frosting, and the only one my husband will even bother with? It is as good as it looks, and so is the cake (wipe that drool off your keyboard and get both cake recipes for whole grain cakes if you missed them)!
Didn’t they turn out cute?
Leah had a butterfly with flowers that was “pink and yellow,” her request, and Paul and I thought I might be able to recreate his “Mii” character from the Wii game system. I was not sure I would succeed, and my husband had even less confidence, but it really turned out awesome! The darkest part of that cake was done with cocoa powder, like the original recipe.
To decorate, I used a plain old spatula to spread the frosting, a toothpick to sketch out the design, and my Wilton Dessert Decorator (which is only about $11) along with more toothpicks and a popsicle stick to create the drawing itself. That’s the same fun tool, by the way, that I use to make deviled eggs look a little fancy when I take them to potlucks and parties.
Someone also asked about how I colored the cake. I’m sure I pretty much negated the fact that I made homemade frosting by just using regular old food coloring, but I simply haven’t done the homemade natural colors (yet). Baby steps, remember? Anyone have any easy, natural homemade food colors that won’t overwhelm me when I want to use 4-6 colors on one cake?
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Thank you, Katie! I’m assuming the boiling ingredients will “cook” the egg. Eggs in my location are not supposed to be eaten raw due to salmonella “in” (on?) the shells.
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thank you for sharing! i got a copy of your ebook this weekend and can’t wait to try a few of your recipes. thanks again!
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Thanks for the link, Katie! And a reminder to make more of these myself! I think Luke would love them as teething cookies!
Best,
Sarah
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Nectarine Sorbetto =-.
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Mmm looks good! I love cooking and baking so keep ‘em coming.
.-= Chelle´s last blog ..How does your garden grow Part 22- Fajita recipe =-.
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Your approach to b-day cakes is the same as mine–healthy cake, and frosting with lots of butter. I have not tried to do natural food coloring either. My kids had become accustomed to the decorated b-day cake tradition prior to my healthy eating kick, so we have elected to keep this particular tradition unchanged for now. The cake is always served with healthy homemade ice cream!!
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I’m glad to see you posted a frosting recipe. I’m trying to start eating healthier thanks to your site, but I admit that I really enjoy decorating cakes and don’t want to give it up. At least we don’t have cake often!
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Thanks for sharing! I have tried using the natural coloring with a basic butter cream frosting and the colors did not turn out so good (blue came out gray). I would love to hear if someone has experience with using natural coloring.
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My sister-in-law just made chocolate cupcakes with beet puree (google it) and then used the beet juice from the roasting pan to color the frosting pink. She didn’t give an exact recipe though…
.-= melanie´s last blog ..Swimming Serendipity =-.
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Where do I find the pan that the cake is made on? I have looked and looked, but nothing! This is the second/third recipe that I could use this for…
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Katie Reply:
September 6th, 2010 at 4:00 am
Holi,
Katie
Sorry about the delayed response – your comment was hung up in all the grain mill giveaway comments, and I’m finally getting unburied there. Whoops! Do you mean where can you buy a large sheet pan like this? Mine was a hand-me-down from my mom, but just search for “sheet cake pan” at Amazon and choose your size. Good luck!
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Thank you! My daughter turns 5 today and I am using this to decorate her cake (your “healthier” cake recipe too), I am really thankful for a better alternative than the store bought versions.
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Mom4Life Blog » Ashlyn’s Castle Birthday Cake // Jan 5, 2011 at 12:40 am
[...] However, I did make the cakes from scratch so I was a little more emotionally invested. I tried out this whole grain birthday cake recipe with almond butter frosting. [...]
How sweet is the frosting? I find most “typical” recipes sickenly sweet for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I have a huge sweet tooth, but with stuff like frosting and baked goods, I usually cut back the sugar b/c I know I won’t like it. Just wondering if you’ve already reduced the sugar from the original, or you like it really sweet, or this is just a recipe that already had a reasonable ratio.
Thanks!
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Katie Reply:
January 7th, 2011 at 11:50 am
It’s pretty sweet! I’ve never tried reducing the sugar, because it seems like that’s all that’s in there in some way. ?? Don’t know what it would do! for a less sweet frosting, I would use real whipped cream or yogurt cheese blended with almond flavoring and a bit of honey or maple syrup.
Katie
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Sarah W Reply:
January 12th, 2011 at 10:20 am
FWIW, I just reduced the sugar by 1/2 C, using 2 C total. It was delicious and everyone loved it. The buttery flavor of the frosting really came through in a delightful way. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
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I don’t think you totally negated it, the icing is still homemade with better ingredients. So you don’t have that food coloring & all bad ingredients.
Sweetness: Here is a cake decorator tip I picked up–add a bit of lemon juice to the icing. I’m not sure of the proportions, but you don’t add enough to make it taste like lemon & it doesn’t reduce the calories but it does taste less sweet.
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