diff --git a/js/ui/ctrlAltTab.js b/js/ui/ctrlAltTab.js
index 56949907c..082d329ab 100644
--- a/js/ui/ctrlAltTab.js
+++ b/js/ui/ctrlAltTab.js
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ const CtrlAltTabManager = new Lang.Class({
                     if (app)
                         icon = app.create_icon_texture(POPUP_APPICON_SIZE);
                     else
-                        icon = textureCache.bind_pixbuf_property(windows[i], 'icon');
+                        icon = textureCache.bind_cairo_surface_property(windows[i], 'icon');
                 }
 
                 items.push({ name: windows[i].title,
diff --git a/src/shell-app.c b/src/shell-app.c
index 24362394b..94b295171 100644
--- a/src/shell-app.c
+++ b/src/shell-app.c
@@ -189,9 +189,9 @@ window_backed_app_get_icon (ShellApp *app,
     }
 
   window = window_backed_app_get_window (app);
-  actor = st_texture_cache_bind_pixbuf_property (st_texture_cache_get_default (),
-                                                               G_OBJECT (window),
-                                                               "icon");
+  actor = st_texture_cache_bind_cairo_surface_property (st_texture_cache_get_default (),
+                                                        G_OBJECT (window),
+                                                        "icon");
   g_object_set (actor, "width", (float) size, "height", (float) size, NULL);
   return actor;
 }
diff --git a/src/st/st-texture-cache.c b/src/st/st-texture-cache.c
index ccee96cb8..d39284410 100644
--- a/src/st/st-texture-cache.c
+++ b/src/st/st-texture-cache.c
@@ -628,18 +628,26 @@ static void
 st_texture_cache_reset_texture (StTextureCachePropertyBind *bind,
                                 const char                 *propname)
 {
-  GdkPixbuf *pixbuf;
+  cairo_surface_t *surface;
   CoglTexture *texdata;
+  ClutterBackend *backend = clutter_get_default_backend ();
+  CoglContext *ctx = clutter_backend_get_cogl_context (backend);
 
-  g_object_get (bind->source, propname, &pixbuf, NULL);
+  g_object_get (bind->source, propname, &surface, NULL);
 
-  g_return_if_fail (pixbuf == NULL || GDK_IS_PIXBUF (pixbuf));
-
-  if (pixbuf != NULL)
+  if (surface != NULL &&
+      cairo_surface_get_type (surface) == CAIRO_SURFACE_TYPE_IMAGE &&
+      (cairo_image_surface_get_format (surface) == CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB32 ||
+       cairo_image_surface_get_format (surface) == CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB24))
     {
-      texdata = pixbuf_to_cogl_texture (pixbuf);
-      g_object_unref (pixbuf);
-
+      texdata = COGL_TEXTURE (cogl_texture_2d_new_from_data (ctx,
+                                                             cairo_image_surface_get_width (surface),
+                                                             cairo_image_surface_get_height (surface),
+                                                             cairo_image_surface_get_format (surface) == CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB32 ?
+                                                             COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_8888 : COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGR_888,
+                                                             cairo_image_surface_get_stride (surface),
+                                                             cairo_image_surface_get_data (surface),
+                                                             NULL));
       clutter_texture_set_cogl_texture (bind->texture, texdata);
       cogl_object_unref (texdata);
 
@@ -677,12 +685,12 @@ st_texture_cache_free_bind (gpointer data)
 }
 
 /**
- * st_texture_cache_bind_pixbuf_property:
+ * st_texture_cache_bind_cairo_surface_property:
  * @cache:
  * @object: A #GObject with a property @property_name of type #GdkPixbuf
  * @property_name: Name of a property
  *
- * Create a #ClutterTexture which tracks the #GdkPixbuf value of a GObject property
+ * Create a #ClutterTexture which tracks the #cairo_surface_t value of a GObject property
  * named by @property_name.  Unlike other methods in StTextureCache, the underlying
  * #CoglTexture is not shared by default with other invocations to this method.
  *
@@ -692,9 +700,9 @@ st_texture_cache_free_bind (gpointer data)
  * Return value: (transfer none): A new #ClutterActor
  */
 ClutterActor *
-st_texture_cache_bind_pixbuf_property (StTextureCache    *cache,
-                                       GObject           *object,
-                                       const char        *property_name)
+st_texture_cache_bind_cairo_surface_property (StTextureCache    *cache,
+                                              GObject           *object,
+                                              const char        *property_name)
 {
   ClutterTexture *texture;
   gchar *notify_key;
diff --git a/src/st/st-texture-cache.h b/src/st/st-texture-cache.h
index 48a77814c..e7d3a50bf 100644
--- a/src/st/st-texture-cache.h
+++ b/src/st/st-texture-cache.h
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 
 #include <gio/gio.h>
 #include <gtk/gtk.h>
-#include <gdk-pixbuf/gdk-pixbuf.h>
 #include <clutter/clutter.h>
 
 #include <st/st-types.h>
@@ -77,9 +76,9 @@ st_texture_cache_load_sliced_image (StTextureCache *cache,
                                     GFunc           load_callback,
                                     gpointer        user_data);
 
-ClutterActor *st_texture_cache_bind_pixbuf_property (StTextureCache    *cache,
-                                                     GObject           *object,
-                                                     const char        *property_name);
+ClutterActor *st_texture_cache_bind_cairo_surface_property (StTextureCache    *cache,
+                                                            GObject           *object,
+                                                            const char        *property_name);
 
 ClutterActor *st_texture_cache_load_gicon (StTextureCache *cache,
                                            StThemeNode    *theme_node,