Looking for a reliable option or something to build upon? Check out this Vanilla frosting recipe a key for successful endeavors!

Vanilla is derived from the Spanish word of “vaina” that simply means “sheath” or “pod” and came to the old world after the conquest of the Aztecs.

Nowadays, Madagascar and Indonesia produce two-thirds of the world’s vanilla supply which became the second most expensive spice after saffron due to its labor-intensive cultivating process.

Apparently, we can’t get bored of it, spanning its usage from baking to perfume production to aromatherapy. Thanks to vanilla’s highly volatile price, an estimated 95% of vanilla products are artificially flavored with vanillin, instead of the vanilla fruit.

If we are willing to pay the price though, we can still get our hands on real vanilla pods. It may be not worth it if we plan to use vanilla as an additional flavor, but it may very well be worth it if we are about to create a plain canvas to stare upon.

Ingredients

Sub-Beginner – Cream cheese

¾ cup / 150g Creme cheese
¼ cup / 50g Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon / 4ml Vanilla extract
1 tablespoons / 15g Honey or sweetener of choice to taste

Beginner – American

2 sticks / 250g Butter
1lb / 500g Sugar or sweetener of choice to taste
3 tablespoons Heavy cream or milk
½ teaspoon / 4ml Vanilla extract

American buttercream originally contains 2:1 ratio sugar to butter by weight which is an outrageous amount of sugar to any but especially daunting for those who’d like to live a happy life. Replace sugar with sweetener of choice and only add as much as absolutely necessary to cover the butter flavor.

Advanced – Swiss – Italian – French

5 Egg whites (French buttercream uses egg yolks instead of egg whites)
4 sticks / 450g Butter
1½ cup / 300g Sugar or sweetener of choice to taste
½ teaspoon / 4ml Vanilla extract
1 – 3 tablespoons Heavy cream or milk (optional)

Overkill – German

2 cups / 500ml Milk
2 medium / 50g Egg yolks
6 tablespoons / 45g Corn starch
½ teaspoon / 4ml Vanilla extract
1 cup / 200g Butter
Sweetener of choice to taste

How to make Vanilla frosting

Sub-beginner – Cream cheese

Whisk cream cheese until creamy. Add Greek yogurt, vanilla extract and sweetener of choice.

Beginner – American buttercream

Beat room temperature butter until it gets a white ivory color.
Add the sweetener and beat it some more. If sugar, like crystalized sweetener is used, beat it until the sugar is dissolved. Syrups, like honey or agave need only a minute of thorough mixing. Add heavy cream or a bit of milk to thin out the cream if desired.
Add vanilla and coloring as desired.

Enjoy!

Advanced – Swiss – Italian – French

Whisk sweetener of choice into the egg whites. (French buttercream uses egg yolks instead of egg whites)
In a double boiler whisk the egg whites until its temperature reaches 160°F / 71°C and the mixture is thinned out, for about 5 minutes. It should be hot to the touch and if crystalized sweetener like sugar is used, it should be completely dissolved when the frothy foam is rubbed between two fingers.
Take the mixture off the heat and beat until it cools down to room temperature and hard peaks form for about 15 minutes. In Italian buttercream the egg white sweetening and double boiler part is skipped as the heat processing of the egg whites is done by 240°F / 115°C sugar syrup made with sugar and about 1/3 cup water gradually added to the beaten up egg whites.
Gradually add room temperature / soft butter.
Add vanilla and coloring as desired.

Enjoy!

Overkill – German

Warm the milk up in a pot on medium heat until it starts to bubble gently.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks for about a minute until light yellow and increased in volume.
Whisk in the cornstarch, vanilla extract, sweetener and gradually about ½ cup of the hot milk.
Slowly pour all of the egg yolk mixture into the scalding milk while stirring vigorously until the mixture seems completely dissolved.
Keep warm and continuously stir until the custard thickens. Let the custard cool to room temperature.
Cream the butter.
Mix the creamed butter and custard together.