Best Vanilla Bean Buttercream Recipes

VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM, VANILLA BEAN WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE AND VANILLA SYRUP FOR WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• For the buttercream: Combine the sugar and egg whites in a double boiler and heat to 120 degrees F.
• Transfer the egg white mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the lemon juice and salt and beat on high speed until completely cooled, about 15 minutes. Add the butter piece by piece and whip until light fluffy, about 10 minutes. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and reserve the rest.
• For the vanilla bean white chocolate mousse: Whip the egg yolks on high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until light and foamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Heat the sugar, vanilla bean paste and water to 120 degrees C in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the sugar syrup to the whipping yolks and beat until cool, about 15 minutes. Once cooled, fold in the whipped cream.
• Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler until 110 degrees F., about 10 minutes. Add the melted chocolate to the egg and cream mixture and fold to combine. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and reserve the rest.
• For the vanilla syrup: Combine the vanilla bean paste, sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely.
• To assemble the cake: Split the cake rounds in half to make 4 layers. Brush the top of each with 3 tablespoons of the vanilla syrup. Place 1 round on desired platter and pipe the buttercream around the top edge of the cake to create a dam. Fill the dam with a layer of the white chocolate mousse. Top with a second cake round and repeat piping and filling with the remaining layers, leaving the top undecorated. Place the stack in the freezer until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove from the freezer and lightly frost the whole cake with some of the buttercream. Place the cake back in the freezer to firm up, another 30 minutes to 1 hour. Frost and decorate the cake as desired with the remaining buttercream and mousse.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.)
• Mix 1/2 cup water with the cream in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and the centers spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

LEMON RASPBERRY CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• With an electric mixer with paddle attachment or stand mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl down the sides as necessary.
• Beat in the lemon zest and the vanilla.
• Mix the lemon juice and the buttermilk together.
• Add the buttermilk/lemon mixture and the flour mixture to the batter in thirds. Pour 1/3 the flour mixture, then 1/3 the buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined, then repeat.
• Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. It usually works out to right around 1/4 cup of filling per cup.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.
• Cool completely.
• While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. With a stand mixer with whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.
• With a paring knife, slice the vanilla bean length-wise, then scrape the seeds out with the tip of the knife. Add to the butter, and mix until incorporated.
• Add powdered sugar and salt, and beat on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated, about one minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 30 seconds or so.
• Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream, and mix on medium for about 30 seconds until incorporated.
• Increase the speed to medium high, and beat for about four minutes, scraping down as needed, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
• Now add the raspberry to the cupcakes. Using a cupcake corer, melon baller or teaspoon, remove a bit out of the top of the cake.
• Add about a teaspoon and a half of raspberry jam.
• Fill a pastry bag (or plastic zipper bag which is what I do in lieu of a pastry bag) with the buttercream and the tip of your choice, and frost!
• Plop the top with one fresh raspberry. Enjoy!
• They keep well at room temperature for a couple of days.

VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy. Slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat to combine, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
• Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Slowly add milk and continue beating on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.

VANILLA BEAN WHOOPIE PIES WITH NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Cookies: Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined (your batter may look curdled - mine definitely did, but it came together when I added the flour). Combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar in a small measuring cup. With the mixer on low add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk mixture and then the rest of the flour mixture. Beat just until everything is combined. Add the seeds from the vanilla bean and beat for another minute, until everything is completely combined. Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookies. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 8-10 minutes, or until they are set and just beginning to brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare the filling with the recipe below. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip with the Nutella buttercream. Once the cookies are cool, pair them by size. Pipe some of the buttercream on the flat side of one cookie in each pair. Sandwich the whoopie pies together, pressing to nudge the filling to the edges. Filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and Nutella together until combined. Add the vanilla, milk and confectioners' sugar to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed until the powdered sugar is just about incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is smooth.

VANILLA-BEAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Pulse vanilla seeds and sugar in a food processor. Pour through a sieve into a bowl; discard large pieces of bean.
• Put vanilla-sugar mixture, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
• Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed 5 minutes. Raise speed to medium-high; beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy and cooled.
• Reduce speed to medium; beat in the butter, 1 piece at a time. Beat in extract.