Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream
74 comments » 
Since posting my last couple of cakes (see Tinkerbell and Super Mario Brothers), I have received a number of comments and emails from readers asking what types of recipes, fillings and frostings I use for the cakes. It really all depends on what the person asks for, so I thought I would start by sharing one of the most raved-about fillings I use. This is the standard vanilla buttercream I use when someone requests a simple buttercream filling for a cake, and it always gets insanely rave reviews. It couldn’t be easier to make – it takes less than 10 minutes – and is absolutely delicious. Not only is it great as a filling, but if you need a frosting for cupcakes, this is perfect for both vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. Buttery, sweet, light and fluffy – everything the best buttercream should be (and maybe more).
I really love using a vanilla bean in this recipe not only because of the intense vanilla flavor that it imparts, but also because of the flecks of bean that dance through the frosting. It’s one of the reasons I love making homemade vanilla bean ice cream as well. However, I know that vanilla beans can be expensive and so if you opt not to use the vanilla bean called for in the recipe, you will want to increase the amount of vanilla extract to 1 Tablespoon. You can make this and refrigerate it for up to two weeks. When you are ready to use it, allow it to come to room temperature and then re-whip it in your stand mixer to lighten it up.
Now run off and whip up something to slather this on. Or just make a batch and eat it with a spoon. I allow, and I won’t tell.
Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Yield: 3 cups (Enough for 24 cupcakes)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2½ cups confectioners' sugar (10 ounces)
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons heavy creamDirections:
1. In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Using a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into butter and beat mixture at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds.
2. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 20 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
(Recipe from Cook's Illustrated
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yum! love the vanilla bean flecks! how well would this frosting/icing hold at room temp? I always get nervous about leaving this out that really should be kept refrigerated.
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I adore vanilla bean!! Looks so good!
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Yes, my question too, what a pretty look! I am also interested in moist cake recipes. I often find that homemade cake recipes tend to be dense and some what dry. I myself like a moister cake but one that can also stand up to a good frosting.
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Angel on January 18th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
My mom always told me to do this trick: With any recipe add an extra egg and a package of pudding mix (any flavor) to make it more moist.
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Yummm….Looks very delicious.
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Oww I love how you can see the yummy vanilla bean!! This is awesome!
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I love anything vanilla – and in fact, the first thing I was going to do after checking my google reader this morning was to look up a vanilla bean buttercream for some cupcakes I’m making this weekend. Looks like I won’t have to go searching (though you’re blog is one that I start at so I wouldn’t have looked long anyway!!) Thanks!
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I too love the look of vanilla flecks, especially throughout something creamy! Your buttercream looks amazing!
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Fresh vanilla bean is the best! Looks good!
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Vanilla beans are the ultimate when used in baking. I use Pure Vanilla Bean Paste instead of pods and I don’t ever worry again about dried out pods! This happened to me the first time I used pods and was very disappointed.
Vanilla Paste (Nielsen-Massey Vanilla-Madagascar Bourbon can be purchased at William Sonoma.
Carmen
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Oh I like the vanilla paste idea. I can’t wait to try this recipe. For some reason, the fact that it really does have CREAM in it makes my world all sunshiney.
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How I love those lil flecks! Thats the first thing I noticed in the pic. Your buttercream looks so lush! No wonder you get insanley rave reviews!
Will try it sometime!
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Seeing as how in the past I have been known to consume an entire can of buttercream frosting, I think I should proceed with caution. This could be dangerous!
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Confectioners’ sugar buttercreams are so simple, and yet, so easy to get wrong–it’s all about that butter/sugar ratio. Yours looks perfect! I second the vanilla bean paste–I am a total convert.
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Sounds amazing. I’ve never tried buttercream with a vanilla bean…but I think I will have to now!
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Thanks for sharingthe recipe! It looks fantastic and I’m glad it is so easy. Frosting for my next cake yay!
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Thanks so much for this fab recipe. I’m always on the lookout for icing which isn’t too cloyingly sweet. The addition of proper vanilla [pity it's so pricey] will make this a special treat. I’m planning to make a cake for the Easter Weekend and will definitely use this icing.
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The addition of that cream sounds like the magic ingredient! Thanks for sharing.
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Did you really just say 10 minutes? Oh, I’m sold and I haven’t even tasted it yet! LOL
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Looks good to me, I love vanilla buttercream.
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I just love vanilla bean buttercream!! I swear I’m a vanilla bean-aholic!! I was lucky enough to find vanilla bean paste at a shop that sells gourmet ingredients at a discount… woo!
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I’m so excited! Every buttercream I’ve tried has been a flop! I’ll definitely try this…and yes, eat it with a spoon…I’ll try out the vanilla bean paste in it, too.
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You made my day!!! I was just searching for a Vanilla frosting for the cutest mini cupcakes I just made and here was your recipe in my inbox! Thank you, this looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it tonight!
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The little flecks of vanilla bean lure me in every time!
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Wow! Frosting made with fresh vanilla bean..sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
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I love this buttercream..Cooks illustrated never steers me wrong!
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Looks delicious! I have a big sweet tooth (I guess you do to), I made Swedish Cupcakes in my latest episode of my online cooking show, come check it out!
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Your buttercream looks great… It’s very similar to a recipe I make, and I often add vanilla bean paste because I love the little flecks, too!
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I love the black specs of vanilla in this frosting! I’ve never added vanilla bean to my frostings before, but I think I will next time.
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yummy, great recipe. The picture looks perfect.
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Did you really just say 10 minutes? Oh, I’m sold and I haven’t even tasted it yet! LOL
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Looks yummy! Is it stiff enough to pipe?
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Michelle on April 20th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Hi Allie,
Yep, I have piped it on top of cupcakes. Enjoy!
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Ooh, this looks perfect for my first attempt at cupcakes this weekend! Can this be coloured? I have those gel colourings. Thanks!
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Hi Michelle! Do you recommend any vanilla cake/cupcake recipes? I have been seeking a really moist vanilla cupcake reminiscent of one from a bakery and I hope you can help me. Thanks a bundle!
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I tried this recipe to top off a chocolate guiness cupcake recipe I found. The result = stellar. The buttercream is creamy and light, perfectly sweet. The real vanilla bean gives a really fresh taste. I am a big fan!
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This was a very good recipe. Perfect topping to my cupcakes. Thanks!
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This was a creamy, dreamy creation! I omitted the vanilla extract & pod and just used vanilla bean paste to taste. (my new favorite ingredient!) I have a sea salt grider that I used and the results were heavenly! Not sickeningly sweet like most buttercreams – I think the cream has a lot to do with that. This is my forever go to recipe. Even my husband and teenaged boys loved it!I made a densed up version of a coffetti box cake and did a slight raspberry poke cake treatment on it with this buttercream. It was awesome…
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Michelle on October 5th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Oooh vanilla bean paste sounds lovely Christie! Your cake sounds like it was INCREDIBLE! Pass me a piece?
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I have been experimenting with different buttercream recipes, and this is the first one that hasn’t come out thin. It’s so light and fluffy! I substituted lemon zest for the vanilla bean and it made a wonderful lemon buttercream.
Thank you!
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Michelle on October 24th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed this, love the addition of lemon zest!
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I can’t wait to try this recipe! Made the mocha cupcakes with espresso buttercream and LOVED it!!!! I’ve been looking for a buttercream frosting recipe, and many I’ve found call for 8 cups of sugar to 1 cup of butter, which comes out way too sweet… I thought it was crazy to use that much sugar, especially since the name is BUTTERCREAM…
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Made this today… YUM! Really love it. I used Vanilla Bean Paste instead of the vanilla bean/vanilla. Turned out beautiful and delicious!
Thanks for postine!
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I’ve never been a big fan of buttercream, but I’m happy to say that this recipe is the exception! Seriously! Light, fluffy, and not to sweet – it is perfect and it will now be my go-to recipe for vanilla icing.
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I think I found my new favorite icing. I can’t even begin to write how delicious this was!
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Wow buttercream with real cream. This sounds sooooo yummy. I am going to make cupcakes and use this as a topping. Can’t wait to try it out.
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I just have to say, 2 1/2 sticks of butter is not a measurement. There are 1/2 C sticks of butter, 1 C sticks, and the ones I get at Costco are 2 C.
On an other note, I am looking forward to making this recipe. I just made a vanilla bean cake and the batter was so light and fluffy. They just came out of the oven and all they are missing is this wonderful buttercream recipe.
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So I tried this frosting recipe tonight and it needs a little tweaking. It was quite tasty but a little on the soft side. I thought it needed to be a tad stiffer and I didn’t even add the full amount of butter. I used two softened sticks vs. the two and a half the recipe calls. I feel like it was the perfect consistency before I added the 2 tbsp of cream so next time I would add just 1 tbsp or none at all. I tried to add a little more powdered sugar to stiffen it up a bit but then it started to taste too sweet. It was still good but wanted to see if u had any other tips for thickening up a soft frosting.
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i adore making this vanilla buttercream filling. i ate a cupcake with a similair frosting and fell in love with the texture and taste. this recipe is even better than the first one i tried! i always get compliments, and i have added cocoa to it to make a vanilla chocolate buttercream. THANKS FOR THE RECIPE!!!
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the frosting was way too buttery! the cupcakes look delicious but I don’t want to eat them with subpar frosting.
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Recipe Review – Made and demolished!
I came across your site in search of ‘how to make cupcakes like on tv’. I started with the vanilla bean butter cream on top of a dare I say devils food cake mix, since well cake doesn’t really matter to me, it is just a holder for the frosting. This butter cream is absolutely fantastic and compares with bakery quality frosting, or better. My dedicated other half Scott has become a creme brulee fiend so I am well stocked on vanilla beans, and the use of the bean makes for a superior flavor. I am preparing for my next attack on your peanut butter butter cream frosting, however since I see no need for cake , it will be piped on top of a most chewy chocolate chip cookie cup. I may just as well make the chocolate butter cream at the same time. Both piped generously on top of chewy chocolate chip cookies! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and recipes!
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Thanks for this! YUM YUM YUM! Soooooo good and perfect!
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I loved this! Not too sweet and not greasy either. Had a wonderful flavor and I loved that with lots of whipping, the icing was white and fluffy. For religious reasons I don’t use alcohol so i subbed vanilla powder for the extract but the beans still shone thru. Thanks!
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I know it’s BUTTERcream, but it tasted like sweetened butter, not velvety frosting. Wasted time and effort. Very greasy!
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Michelle on November 20th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Most American buttercream recipes do not produce velvety smooth frosting – they are sweetened with powdered sugar and tend to be thicker more sweet in flavor. I think you might be looking for a Swiss meringue buttercream.
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I just finished making this for my son’s birthday cake and YUM. I had a plan in my head and then had a last minute change of heart on the type of frosting I was going to make. I did a quick search for vanilla bean buttercream and this was the first recipe that came up. I read through it and loved the idea of the heavy cream. Followed the recipe exactly and the consistency is perfect. Will definitely use this again. So so so good.
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I just made this buttercream to go with a white mud cake & the buttercream was easy to make & tasted fantastic,I loved it! Thankyou for sharing.x
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