Acai Berry Cream Cheese Icing

 

It doesn’t get much simpler than a labneh (aka Lebanese cream cheese) icing. And it’s cheap as chips to make at home and it doesn’t contain any refined sugar, colours or additives.

Labneh is made simply by straining yoghurt (with a chux, cheesecloth or nut milk bag) for a few hours. So you literally just need one ingredient - full fat unsweetened yoghurt, a cheesecloth or chux and 5 minutes of prep, and you’ll have labneh a few hours later! You can then add in vanilla bean paste, maple syrup and any type of natural flavouring, like spirulina powder for green icing, acai berry powder for pink icing or blue spirulina powder for bright blue icing.

This cream cheese icing is a staple in our house, that we bust out at virtually every birthday celebration. It works well as cake or cup cake icing, or even on it’s own with fresh sourdough, scones or wraps!

Why make labneh icing?

Labneh is high in protein and low in lactose, which makes it one of the most easily digested forms of dairy. Given up to 60% of the population have a reduced ability to digest lactose (the sugar in dairy), it’s no wonder so many of us feel bloated, experience diarrhoea or feel sluggish after eating dairy products. Labneh is such a great alternative to other dairy sources like sour cream and regular cream cheese, because it’s lower in lactose. It’s also deliciously tangy!

Plus yoghurt is a fermented food, which means it’s naturally rich in probiotics, which are can improve digestive health + your gut bacteria, reduce cholesterol levels and support immunity

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams of full fat unsweetened yoghurt - I often use Jalna Biodynamic Yoghurt

  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup

  • 2 teaspoons of acai berry powder (or other options, as below)


1. Put a cheesecloth or chux over a big bowl and add 500 grams of Greek or Goats yoghurt (I used Jalna yoghurt) into the cloth
2. Pull the ends up of the chux and tie it with a rubber band or secure the cheesecloth bag
3. Tie the cloth/chux to a hook or elevate it; you want the bag of yoghurt to be strained so liquid can be released and caught into a bowl
4. Leave it for at least 6 hours or overnight to release the liquid
5. Untie the bundle of strained yoghurt and it’ll be a firm blob of cream cheese consistency. Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl with vanilla bean paste and maple syrup.

Labneh icing options:

  • For a pink icing, an acai berry version, add in 2 teaspoons of acai powder.

  • For a green icing, a spirulina version, add in 2 teaspoons of spirulina powder

  • For a yellow-orange icing, a turmeric version, add in 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and an extra teaspoon of maple syrup

  • For a blue icing, a spirulina version, add in 2 teaspoons of blue spirulina powder.

Once it’s well mixed you can use the cream cheese immediately as icing on your favourite cake, or as a dessert.

Psst…the liquid that’s left is whey. Keep it in the fridge for sauerkraut or other ferments, like fermented pears!

 
Olivia McFadyen