Mock Cream Cheese Vinegar Frosting

When I can afford cream cheese I prefer to use it for snacks, sandwiches or main dishes. I don’t like to fritter it away in desserts. This recipe tastes quite like cream cheese frosting, but there is no cream cheese in it. The flavor instead comes from white vinegar. You can use any kind of vinegar, but usually white vinegar is the cheapest. Don’t worry, no one will know you made the frosting from vinegar. They’ll just think it’s good.

Mock Cream Cheese Vinegar Frosting

• 1/4 cup margarine or shortening
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups powdered sugar

This frosting is easy and has a pleasant tangy flavor. If you prefer your frosting to be tarter then use 1-1/2 tablespoons of both vinegar and water.

Using a rubber spatula or sturdy fork combine all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until smooth and thick. If necessary it can be thinned by adding 1/4-teaspoon of water at a time, until it’s the consistency you prefer.

I feel this frosting is best on spicy cakes like gingerbread, carrot cake, cinnamon cake, spice cake, applesauce cake etc. It makes an interesting contrast to chocolate cake and might be worth trying if you like unusual combinations. Makes enough to frost the top of an 8 or 9 inch cake. Double to have enough for a layer cake.