MARTHASTEWART.COM

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Use this recipe from Vanilla Bake Shop to make its wonderful Meyer Lemon Raspberry Cupcake.
The Martha Stewart Show, April Spring 2008
  • Yield Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Recipe Reviews

Reviews (10)

  • HunyBadger
    12 May, 2010

    Hey don't give up on finding cheap, real vanilla beans. They can be bought from The Organic Vanilla Bean Co. I found this out from DDpiesSlice blog called More About Vanilla Beans (http://ddpiesslice.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-about-vanilla-beans.html)

  • brytt
    3 Jul, 2009

    Is it okay to make this the night before?

  • SOMERSIZING
    20 Aug, 2008

    YUMMM! I LOVE BUTTER, MY HUSBAND CALLS ME A BUTTER-BABY. BUT LET IT BE KNOWN, HE LIKES IT.... THIS IS GREAT RECIPE. JUST REMEMBER LADIES

  • Since1982
    25 Jun, 2008

    No error; just fabulous, scrumptious, to-die-for, (albeit heart-clogging) goodness! Try this; you'll love it.

  • free101girl
    28 May, 2008

    The proportions in this recipe seem way off. Normally buttercream icing is made with 1/2 cup butter and 3 1/2 or 4 cups of confectioners sugar. This calls for 4 times the normal amount of butter! That can't be right. I think someone made an error when reducing the recipe from a larger quantity.

  • colleenant
    17 Apr, 2008

    You do not have to refrigerate this icing. I found the icing to be too thin from the milk so I had to add extra sugar. I like to chill the icing a bit after mixing, it will stiffen it so it is easier to work with. Try to keep in a somewhat cool place, because it is butter icing, but it does not have to be refrigerated.

  • Cloudisunset
    16 Apr, 2008

    Do I need to refrigerate this recipe if on a 3 tiered cake and on cupcakes? I want to use it for my daughter's birthday party - please comment back if you know!! Thanks!

  • emonty
    5 Apr, 2008

    It is fancyflours.com, I had the same problem. Hope it helps, I have already placed my order.

  • nancy65
    5 Apr, 2008

    On the april 3rd show at the end Martha mentioned Fancy Flowers, a place where you could buy the fancy liners for cupcakes, Does anyone have there website Nancy

  • eadain
    5 Apr, 2008

    I had to skip the vanilla bean -- they are 15 dollars for two here!!-- but added an extra half teaspoon of vanilla extract, and these turned out really well. I made two batches-- cupcakes for my girl's preK party-- and it was so good, i used the recipe to frost her birthday cake as well! I thought it was very pretty piped onto the cupcakes. This recipe passed the 3 and 4 year old test, both girls loved them. One child doesn't usually eat the frosting at all--a testimony to how good they are!